So What if They're Fake Songs!

5 Songs Made for Movies or TV That Need to Become Funeral Regulars Immediately

The campaign to insert these musical selections into the funeral song canon is long overdue. Let’s make it happen, people! Someone start the petition.

“5,000 Candles in the Wind” from Parks and Recreation

This is a fantastic choice as long as you’re ok that it’s all about a dead fictional Shetland pony. He truly was 5,000 candles in the wind.

“Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie

The origin story I’ve heard is that Jim Henson contacted songwriter, Paul Williams, and asked him to write a song to make a frog in a swamp seem introspective. Well, he did the thing, didn’t he?

Just for fun, here’s Paul Williams performing on my favorite show from when my kids were little, Yo Gabba Gabba.

“It’s Not Easy Being Green” from Sesame Street

Let’s stick with the Muppets for a moment. If you’re questioning this one, watch Big Bird sing it at Jim Henson’s memorial service, and then we can talk.

NOTE: Frank Oz’s remarks at this same service are some of the sweetest and funniest I’ve ever heard. You should definitely look them up when you finish here.

“A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” from A Mighty Wind

These people (Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara) and the people who wrote the song (husband and wife team, Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole) are actors, comedic and otherwise. Some people are just too talented, and this song is almost too good.

“Beautiful Ride” from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Songwriters Dan Bern and Mike Viola might have written the perfect funeral song. It truly has it all (except symbolism): contentment, emotion, acceptance that life is hard but overall good, an urging for people to enjoy the small things, musical escalation, lessons learned, ghosts.

I originally planned to post the movie clip like I did for the other ones but decided not to subject anyone to potentially unwanted frontal male nudity even though it was sufficiently blurred.