My younger sister and I have discussed this topic at great length over the years. It’s almost like a game. When we go, what should our funeral song be? What would be a great funeral song for the people we know? (although that version of the game can get a little mean – funny as hell, but a little mean).

You can actually go several ways with the funeral song question. I’ve decided to add my go-tos to The Music Challenge list as the following songs always make me think of death and funerals when I hear them. Not that I’ve ever heard a one of them at an actual funeral. In fact, I’m used to hearing rather slow and melancholic hymns, but the bottom line is, when these songs flash across the radio, I have had the thought “THAT would be a GREAT funeral song for…”

Here are my funeral song additions to the list:

16. A horrifically sad sentimental ditty that has your family and peers bawling like babies.

Sarah McLauchlan, I Will Remember (1999)

Don’t be this dead person. It’s bad enough hearing it on every SPCA commercial.

17. Something more subdued yet reflective creating just enough sniffles in the crowd that denotes your life literally brought the audience to tears but not in an Old Yeller way, more like in a Free Willy kind of way.

Billy Joel, The River Of Dreams (1993)

Love this one.

18. A song that sums up your life. Something that really speaks to the time you spent on this Earth.

Tennessee Ernie Ford, Sixteen Tons (1955)

Sums it up for most people …

19. Something celebratory.

Blues Brothers and Ray Charles, Shake a Tail Feather (1980)

Because how awesome would it be to have people grooving at your wake?

20. An inspirational ode to the people of the world.

Louis Armstrong, What A Wonderful World (1967)

A bit of a tear jerker, but such a great song to go out on.

21. The cruel route (if you hated everyone around you).

Bette Midler, The Wind Beneath My Wings (1988)

Yeah. You really hate people if you play this one.

22. The honest route (if everyone around you hated you).

Meredith Brooks, Bitch (1997)

Not kidding. This one is a frequent flyer on Younger Sister’s and my funeral song list for other people…

23. The cheap laugh.

Monty Python, Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life (1979)

Don’t you want your family and friends to smile at least a little bit?

24. My current favorite and possibly the one I will claim as my very own funeral song one day (far far away from today) – a fun one. I know funerals and fun don’t typically mix, but after all of my years, I’ve realized, funerals are for the living. Might as well remind them they are alive. (and that I had pretty damn good taste in music to boot)

James Brown, I Got You (I Feel Good) (1965)

26. And though I absolutely love the man, I already have Clifford’s funeral song picked out.

Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire (1963)

That’s not morbid, right?

Also, I have changed my Thursday-Thank-Yous page (no one seemed particularly thankful on Thursdays) to The Music Challenge to keep my ongoing list of one year’s worth of songs that transport me or remind me of something special.

Kicking things off – today I share with you my beloved Billy Joel. I’m sure he’ll show up a few more times (big fan). However, there was one song that always throws me back to my tween years.

I watched the video a thousand times. It was pretty iconic for a music video in the day. It was also one of those songs, as a naïve tweener, where you know this musician is totally hitting the nail on the head. He’s calling out the man and sharing a killer message everyone should be listening to. I was being told by Billy Joel himself (in 4 minutes and 49 seconds) 40 years of newsworthy history that had brought us to the world as we knew it then (1989). Mind. Blown.

Every time I hear the song now, I’m reminded of a conversation I had with one of my uncles over dinner in Savannah. We were at Churchill’s Pub eating fish and chips. I remember that part as clear as day.  I don’t know how we got on the topic. I was probably being some idealistic college student talking about changing the world because it’s so tragic now and that’s what you do in college – swim in idealism. He took in what I said, listening to me rant with a knowing look in his eye, and then proceeded to tell me how every generation thinks theirs is the one that’s messed up and destroying the world. They think every other generation had it so much better than theirs does. Maybe the 80s had things like The Cold War, but the 50s had things like the Korean Conflict. It wasn’t all poodle skirts and house fraus waiting on their husbands and children like some Leave It To Beaver episode. Yeah, my uncle is pretty smart. I loved that dinner with my uncle. I think it was the only one-on-one with him I’ve ever had.

Billy Joel is smart, too. This song is probably far from many a fan’s favorite of his, mine included, but it is memorable and it does remind me of an awesome moment shared with my uncle during a surprise dinner while he dropped knowledge bombs left and right. Backing up my uncle’s words, the song states, pretty boldly might I add, that the grass is not greener. Nor was it ever. A great song to kick off The Music Challenge.

1. We Didn’t Start The Fire (1989)

I would love your thoughts on this song! Love it? Hate it? Does it remind you of something in particular?