Music is such a big part of our lives that certain songs can evoke both special and painful memories. The first dance. The break-up song. Your song — where the lyrics express what you and your partner feel for each other.

But are you familiar with funeral songs? Maybe I haven’t been to that many funerals yet but I don’t recall a lot of music being played.

In Australia, popular rock classics are becoming the song of choice at funerals…

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Australians making odd choices for funeral songs
Associated Press

ADELAIDE, Australia — Hymns are being replaced at funerals in one Australian city by popular rock classics like Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” a cemetery manager said Wednesday.

At Centennial Park, the largest cemetery and crematorium in the southern city of Adelaide, only two hymns still rank among its top 10 most popular funeral songs: “Amazing Grace” and “Abide With Me.”

Leading the funeral chart is crooner Frank Sinatra’s classic hit “My Way,” followed by Louis Armstrong’s version of “Wonderful World,” a statement said.

The Led Zeppelin and AC/DC rock anthems rank outside the top 10, but have gained ground in recent years as more Australians give up traditional Christian hymns.

“Some of the more unusual songs we hear actually work very well within the service because they represent the person’s character,” Centennial Park chief executive Bryan Elliott said.

Among other less conventional choices were “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” by the Monty Python comedy team, “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” “Hit the Road Jack,” “Another One Bites the Dust” and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.”

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Have you thought about what kind of music you would like played at your funeral? Would you go with a traditional tune or something that more reflects your personality?

On a lighter note, what are your choices on a great wedding song? Do you prefer the bride walk down the aisle to the traditional “Here Comes the Bride” or a love song specially picked out by the couple? Do you remember your wedding song? Or do you have a song that is a must-play if you were to get married?

Notice that whenever you see slideshows, the bride picks the sweet and slow songs and the groom chooses some rock or alternative for contrast. Then when they do the pictures of the couple, it looks like the girl got to pick…