The question
What song would you want played at your funeral?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
For Good, from the bit in Wicked the Musical where the two witches go their separate ways. The lyrics are about people coming to your life for a reason, who might not stay very long, but there’s a reason they’ve played a part in your life. I well up thinking about it.
The Guardian, Honest playlist, The Guardian, 15 February 2026 source ↗
Feel Like Going Home by Charlie Rich.
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.
Sid Vicious doing My Way.
I’ve been through a lot of grief in my life and there are intimate moments where you need to bawl your eyes out. As the dead person, I want to say: this is a moment you cannot control, life goes to shit sometimes. So I would choose Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin; some things you can’t change.
Some famous people. I am not giving you names.
A poster for The Godfather, my favourite film, signed by Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and everyone. I got drunk at a children’s charity auction and started buying everything!
At the beginning of lockdown; it was just me and my new baby and my partner in the house. It was lovely.
On BBC Breakfast, I accidentally said “fuck” on air. My microphone had been turned on when I wasn’t in the room. It went out across the telly and they had to apologise.
Falling off what we in Middlesbrough call a “tarzy”, a bungee rope. I was swinging on it, fell and broke my arm.
As a good friend.
Louis Smith, Stuart Broad, George Takei, Ruth Jones, Lorraine Pascale, Robert Peston
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