A new study by UK funeral vehicle coachbuilder Wilcox Limousines has “calculated” the top ten most unusual requests for funeral music, and The Prodigy‘s infectious 1996 breakbeat single “Firestarter” has somehow found itself at second place. It loses out only to Kool & the Gang’s inimitable “Celebration,” and comes out a cut above of AC/DC’s hedonistic ode “Highway to Hell.”
Wilcox arrived at their results by surveying 198 funeral directors about unusual trends and occurrences encountered in their line of work, according to a press release. As part of the questionnaire, those industry professionals were asked to name “the most unusual music requests they’d received during the course of preparing a funeral.” From there, the funeral transportation company’s team put the list together, and it goes without saying that their deductions are about 100% unscientific. (Did they rank the list by popularity or a subjective interpretation of “unusualness”? Where are these funeral directors located?)
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The report also conveyed that 47% of funeral directors have seen a rise in family members opting to sing instead of than delivering a traditional eulogy.
Top ten most unusual song requests:
1. Kool & the Gang – “Celebration”
2. The Prodigy – “Firestarter”
3. AC/DC –”Highway to Hell”
4. Queen – “Another One Bites the Dust”
5. Monty Python – “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”
6. The Trammps – “Burn Baby Burn (Disco Inferno)”
7. Queen – “Don’t Stop Me Now”
8. Benny Hill theme song
9. Teletubbies theme song
10. Deal or No Deal theme song
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