Virret vähissä
Oh no, not HIS way
Tätä pitää sulatella: Guardianin siteeraaman tutkimuksen mukaan Frank Sinatran laulama My Way on kivunnut hittilistan ykköseksi. Minkä hittilistan? No, epävirallisen hautajaismusiikin hittilistan tietysti.
Luterilainen hätkähti viitisen vuotta sitten osallistuessaan ensimmäistä kertaa australialaisiin hautajaisiin. Niissä arkkua kannettiin Dean Martinin kaikuessa. (Uteliaisuutta herättivät myös maahanpanijaisiin osallistuneet vapaamuurarit mielenkiintoisine rituaaleineen, mutta se on toinen tarina se.)
Brittihautajaisissa 40 prosenttia musiikista on hautausalan oman selvityksen mukaan populaarimusiikkia. My Wayn jälkeen kakkosena tulee sota-ajan suosikki We'll Meet Again, ja ihan kärjen tuntumaan kipuaa myös mm. Titanic-elokuvan tunnari My Heart Will Go On. Ja niin edelleen ja niin edelleen. 55 prosenttia hautajaismusiikista löytyy kuitenkin vielä virsikirjasta. Klassista? Vain viisi prosenttia.
Mitenkähän Suomessa lienee. Ettei vain Oi herra jos mä matkamies maan olisi putoamassa listoilta?
Lisätietoa listahiteistä Guardianin blogiosastolla. Huumori kukkii etenkin kommenttipuolella.
Kuva Robertsonin hautausmaalta.
The Guardian's Culture Vulture blog has been having a lively discussion about funeral music. This was sparked by a survey (conducted by a funeral co-operative), according to which the top 10 list of funeral music is led by Frank Sinatra and My Way. And no, this is not a joke even if it does sound like one (especially remembering that lame line about the final curtain).
I went to an Australian funeral five or so years ago and was nearly traumatised by the Dean Martin song that accompanied the funeral procession. I realise now that it could as easily have been Celine Dion singing My Heart Will Go On, or (God forbid) Eva Cassidy with her guitar.
According to the British survey, 40% of music in funerals is popular music. 55% is hymns and only 5% classical music.
Give me a sombre, Lutheran funeral service any time. No classical music needed, just a hymn or two (without guitars), and everybody dressed in black please.
(Image from Robertson Cemetery)
Comments - Kommentit
DATE: 7:30 PM
Hi AnniThe most appropriate music (appropriate to the person concerned) which I ever heard at a funeral was for a crazy, dedicated football (AFL) follower. They got the whole audience singing "Up there, Cazaly".Can you explain that to your Finnish audience? Would you want to?CheersDenis
Posted by: Denis | February 23, 2006 06:17 PM
DATE: 7:48 PM
Dear Anonymous (from yesterday's comments page)Gosh, what a nasty little name generator that is! You were correct, my name did go "downhill" - quickly.In the interests of balance, I checked your own name,"anonymous", and found it does not translate much better! :-)RegardsDenis
Posted by: Denis | February 23, 2006 06:17 PM
DATE: 11:30 PM
I accompany a church choir where the choristers are, on average, perhaps forty years older than myself? Lovely people, but we do tend to stop rehearsals every now and again to discuss what everybody would like at their funerals. (One of our anthems was so popular that we could hold a big, budget-price mass-memorial for a good half of them). Why can't we just hold request sessions in church so that people can sing their favourite music while they're alive to enjoy it? The best bit about a Lutheran service, I'm guessing, would be that there is absolutely no argument that anyone can possibly make against a nice convoluted Bach chorale harmonisation.PS In case the inevitable happens rather sooner than I was expecting, and you read about an Anonymous Dead Person with this web address in their diary or something, I'd like Penlan and Ewing at mine. And Aberystwyth if you don't think that E flat minor is too morbid. That's unfortunately the disadvantage with the others, too - they have these gorgeous poignant twists but the harmonic effect is ruined if it pushes people into tears. A conundrum...And while it has come up in conversation, Andy might like to know that he's been re-christened Gidget Bubblenose.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 23, 2006 06:17 PM
DATE: 10:14 AM
Too morbid for a funeral? Of course not.Denis, I did not know the AFL (Australian Football League - we are talking about the so-called Aussie rules football) spriting building song in question. I found some history and the lyrics in an article at:http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/music.htmUse the search command to find the relevant bits in the article.I see what you mean about its suitability for funerals. The last verse goes:Up there cazaly, in there and fightOut there and at 'em, show 'em you're mightUp there cazaly, show 'em you're highFight like the devil, the crowd's on your side
Posted by: ah | February 23, 2006 06:17 PM
DATE: 11:03 AM
Hi AnniThank you for the lyric search. I knew it seemed appropriate, but it is good to see the lyrics in full. I don't wish to suggest your Lutheran background gives you a negative take on funerals, (or is it the Neurophen?) but my ex-Catholic orientation takes me to this lyric: "Up there cazaly, don't let 'em inFly like an angel, you're out there to win."That went well at the funeral.Denis
Posted by: Denis | February 23, 2006 06:17 PM