Humanist Ceremony Music

Why Humanist Funerals Have More Freedom — and More Pressure

A humanist funeral has no liturgical rulebook. No parish music director will veto your playlist. No denominational guidelines restrict you to approved hymns. That openness is the whole point: the service celebrates the person's life on its own terms, without theological framing.

The flip side is that every song choice falls entirely on the family. There is no default processional hymn to fall back on, no "Amazing Grace" safety net that everyone expects. Families who have never planned a funeral before — which is most families — often find this freedom paralyzing, especially under the cognitive fog that grief produces.

Songs That Work at Secular Ceremonies

Humanist funerals typically run 30–45 minutes with three to five musical moments. Here are songs that consistently land well, organized by when they fit:

Gathering / entrance music (played as guests arrive and take seats):

• "What a Wonderful World" — Louis Armstrong
• "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — Israel Kamakawiwoʻole version
• "The Best" — Tina Turner (for a personality-driven celebration)

Reflective moment (during a silence, candle lighting, or photo montage):

• "Hallelujah" — Leonard Cohen
• "Time to Say Goodbye" — Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
• "Nimrod" from the Enigma Variations — Elgar. A UK staple at secular memorials, deeply moving without a single word.
• "Clair de Lune" — Debussy

Closing / recessional (the song guests carry out the door):

• "My Way" — Frank Sinatra. Banned inside a Catholic Mass but the single most requested song at humanist funerals in the UK, where the Humanist Society reports it tops their list year after year.
• "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" — Monty Python. More common than you would expect. Works when the deceased had a particular sense of humor.
• "The Parting Glass" — Traditional. A farewell that invites a final toast.
• "Don't Stop Me Now" — Queen. For someone who lived at full speed.

Balancing Personal Taste and Crowd Comfort

The biggest mistake at humanist funerals is choosing songs that only the immediate family understands. An inside-joke song can leave 80% of the room sitting in confused silence.

A practical rule: at least two of your selections should be broadly recognizable. Save the deep cut — the B-side the deceased played on every road trip — for one moment, and frame it with a brief spoken introduction so guests understand its significance.

If the deceased was vocal about their atheism, resist the urge to make every song a statement about it. Guests at a funeral include religious relatives, elderly neighbors, work colleagues. Music that celebrates the person's life without making a theological argument keeps the room together.

Copyright Considerations at Secular Venues

Humanist funerals often take place in secular spaces — community halls, hotels, parks, or crematoriums — rather than churches. This matters for licensing.

In the United States, churches benefit from the Religious Service Exemption under Section 110(3) of the Copyright Act, which waives the need for a performance license during worship services. A humanist ceremony in a hotel conference room does not qualify. If the venue does not hold a performance license covering the track, playing that copyrighted music requires authorization.

Copyrighted music at an in-person venue still requires authorization unless an applicable license or exemption covers it. Livestreams require separate webcasting rights, and platforms such as Facebook or YouTube may mute or terminate streams that their systems flag. Confirm the venue's streaming coverage or use music licensed for the broadcast.

In the UK, the PRS/PPL waiver that covers funeral music at crematoriums and places of worship also applies to humanist services held at those licensed venues. If you move the service to an unlicensed private venue, check whether a single-event license is needed.

What About Hymns?

Some families want to include "Amazing Grace" or "Abide With Me" at a humanist service — not for their religious content but because the deceased loved them or because they feel right for the moment. There is no humanist rule against hymns. The celebrant may note in the introduction that the family chose the song for its personal meaning rather than its religious associations. Most guests will simply appreciate a melody they recognize.

The Funeral Music Selection Guide includes a ceremony-moment worksheet, a five-layer song filtering system, and a copyright verification checklist — designed for families building a playlist from scratch without a music director to guide them.