Songs for a funeral slideshow, grouped by feel
For a funeral slideshow, pick one or two songs that mattered to the person. "Here Comes the Sun" suits a hopeful slideshow; "Clair de Lune" suits a quiet piano tribute. A three or four minute song holds about 30 to 60 photos at four to six seconds each.
Published 23 October 2026.
Uplifting songs for a funeral slideshow
These suit a celebration of life, or a family who wants the room to smile through the photos.
| Song | Artist | Why families pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Here Comes the Sun | The Beatles | Gentle and hopeful, and it sits well under photos of holidays and family gatherings. |
| Three Little Birds | Bob Marley & The Wailers | A reassuring chorus and an easy pace that suits a relaxed, warm mood. |
| Lean on Me | Bill Withers | About looking after each other, which reads well over photos of friends and family together. |
| Don't Stop Believin' | Journey | Chosen when the person loved a singalong and the family wants the room to feel that. |
| Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) | Green Day | Acoustic, reflective and about looking back, so it works over a life-in-photos sequence. |
Faith and hymn songs for a funeral slideshow
Check with the officiant first: some services already include a hymn, and you can use another for the slideshow.
| Song | Artist | Why families pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Amazing Grace | Traditional hymn (words by John Newton) | Known across many congregations, so guests can follow it even if they do not sing. |
| How Great Thou Art | Hymn, many recordings | A hymn with a build that suits a closing sequence of photos. |
| In the Garden | Hymn, many recordings | Quiet and slow, often chosen for older relatives who knew it from church. |
| Blessings | Laura Story | A modern worship song about finding meaning in hard seasons. |
| Ave Maria | Franz Schubert | A sung or instrumental setting that fits a slow, dignified opening. |
Classic songs for a funeral slideshow
Older standards tend to suit photos from the middle of the last century as well as recent ones.
| Song | Artist | Why families pick it |
|---|---|---|
| What a Wonderful World | Louis Armstrong | A calm, grateful song that suits photos of ordinary days. |
| Unforgettable | Nat King Cole | The title says what the slideshow is for. |
| Moon River | Andy Williams | Gentle and nostalgic, good under older black-and-white photos. |
| Somewhere Over the Rainbow | Israel Kamakawiwo'ole | A soft ukulele version many families already know, and well suited to photos of children and grandchildren. |
| Wind Beneath My Wings | Bette Midler | A thank-you song, often picked for a parent, partner or friend who stayed in the background. |
Country songs for a funeral slideshow
Country lyrics tend to be plain and personal, which is why they work over family photos.
| Song | Artist | Why families pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Go Rest High on That Mountain | Vince Gill | A slow farewell song, often played in the final minute. |
| I Hope You Dance | Lee Ann Womack | Written as advice to a child, which suits a slideshow made by or for the next generation. |
| When I Get Where I'm Going | Brad Paisley with Dolly Parton | Looks ahead to an afterlife with a gentle, hopeful tone. |
| Humble and Kind | Tim McGraw | Reads as a list of values a parent hopes to pass on, so it works over family photos. |
| Live Like You Were Dying | Tim McGraw | Upbeat and about making the most of time, common at celebrations of life. |
Modern and pop songs for a funeral slideshow
Useful when the person was younger, or the family and friends grew up with this music.
| Song | Artist | Why families pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Fix You | Coldplay | Builds slowly, so the photos can start quietly and finish on a lift. |
| See You Again | Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth | A farewell between friends, chosen for younger people and friends who grew up together. |
| Tears in Heaven | Eric Clapton | Slow and sparse, so the photos carry the moment. |
| Angel | Sarah McLachlan | Quiet piano and voice that leave room for the room to look. |
| Hallelujah | Jeff Buckley (written by Leonard Cohen) | Solemn and widely recognised, and it fits a long, slow set of photos. |
Instrumental music for a funeral slideshow
No lyrics means no clash with a spoken tribute, and it is often the safest choice if the venue is cautious about music.
| Song | Artist | Why families pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Clair de Lune | Claude Debussy | Soft piano with a long, unhurried line that suits slow photo changes. |
| Gymnopédie No. 1 | Erik Satie | Sparse and calm, good as background under a spoken tribute. |
| Canon in D | Johann Pachelbel | Familiar from many ceremonies, with a steady build. |
| Adagio for Strings | Samuel Barber | Slow and weighty, suited to a formal service. |
| Nuvole Bianche | Ludovico Einaudi | Modern solo piano that is quiet and steady for a long run of photos. |
How many photos fit one song
Divide the length of the song in seconds by the seconds each photo stays on screen. Most slideshows use four to six seconds a photo. A three or four minute song holds about 30 to 60 photos, depending on its length and the time per photo. The table shows the arithmetic for other lengths. A slideshow with two songs is the sum of the two.
| Song length | 4 seconds each | 5 seconds each | 6 seconds each |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 minute song | 45 photos | 36 photos | 30 photos |
| 4 minute song | 60 photos | 48 photos | 40 photos |
| 5 minute song | 75 photos | 60 photos | 50 photos |
If the person had a favourite song that is much longer or shorter than the photos you have, you can fade it out early, or play a second piece after it. The funeral slideshow guide covers the full runtime table and showing it on the day.
Check the music rules before you play or share it
Copyright law and music licences differ by country and by venue, so treat this as a list of questions, not legal advice.
Ask the funeral home or venue whether it holds a licence for music played in the room, and whether it can play audio from your laptop or phone or wants a file on a USB stick. A streaming service's terms usually cover personal listening, so playing from a phone through the venue's speakers is worth asking about too.
If you plan to post the finished video online for relatives who could not attend, check the platform's rules first. A video with copyrighted music can be muted or blocked. Permission has to cover the composition, the recording and the use in a video. A family member's own recording of a copyrighted song still needs the composition covered. Also ask the venue whether its licence covers making the slideshow and sharing it online, as well as playing it in the room.
Gather photos from relatives in five steps
Relatives may each hold a few photos. Send one shared upload link so they can add them to the same album.
1
Send one link or QR code. Put it in a text to the family group and on the funeral notice, so relatives who are not in the group still find it.
2
Give a deadline. Name a date a few days before the service. People who have not sent photos by then usually will not, and you need time to sort and place them.
3
Ask for originals. Photos forwarded through a chat app are compressed. Ask people to pick from their camera roll so full-resolution files arrive, which matters if the slideshow plays on a large screen.
4
Ask for the old prints too. Ask the one relative who holds the family albums to photograph the prints in daylight, flat and straight on, then upload them.
5
Keep the link open. More photos arrive after the service. Leave it open so the same album becomes the family's keepsake.
Memorial photo sharing from Our Event Album is one way to do this. You get a private link and QR code, relatives upload from their phone browser with no app and no account, and you download every photo at full resolution afterwards. Our Event Album does not add music or build the slideshow video, so you assemble that in the video software you prefer.
One payment per event, no subscription.
Funeral slideshow songs, answered
What are good songs for a funeral slideshow?
It depends on the person and the room. This page groups songs by feel: uplifting, faith, classic, country, modern and instrumental. Pick one that matters to the family, then check its length against the photos you have.
How many songs should a funeral slideshow have?
One or two is plenty. A single song of three to four minutes holds about 30 to 60 photos, depending on the song length and the time per photo, and a second song gives you room for a longer story. Ask the funeral director how long the slot is.
How many photos fit one song?
Divide the song length in seconds by the seconds each photo stays on screen. A four minute song is 240 seconds, so at five seconds a photo it holds 48.
Can I use any song in a funeral slideshow?
Often yes for a private service, but the rules depend on the venue and the country. Ask the funeral home whether it already holds a licence for music played in the room. A streaming service's terms usually cover personal listening, not playing it for a gathering.
Can I post the slideshow with the song online?
It may be muted or blocked by the platform if the music is copyrighted. If you want to share it with relatives who could not attend, check the platform's music rules first, or use an instrumental piece you have permission to use.
Does Our Event Album add music to the slideshow?
No. The live slideshow plays the album's photos on any screen with a browser, without a music track. For a timed video with a song, download the photos and use the video software you prefer. Our Event Album is how you gather the photos.
How do we collect photos from relatives?
Send one private link or QR code. Relatives open it on their phone, choose photos from their camera roll and upload them, with no app and no account. Only people with the link can open the album.
Related pages
More on building and collecting for a memorial.
