Max Lim does not know how life will pan out, but he knows what’ll be playing on the speakers afterwards.
I get it, it’s not common to “plan” for one’s funeral, especially in their early twenties. Did Miss Rona decide to visit me? Not that I’m aware of at least. After spending a good chunk of my time watching the coffin dancer meme on YouTube, I did ask myself what kinda playlist I would play for my own one. On top of my oscillating depressiveness and contemplating Some Stuff during the lockdown, I figured I’d make a shitpost out of this. Or maybe it’s more than that.
The Anchor Song – Bjork
There are moments when I think about how my body would be taken care of when it happens. The final breath! The fadeout! Whatever euphemism you prefer! I have thought about the hypothetical situation where my own body is disposed of by being thrown into the ocean, just for sake of traumatising beachgoers (the world is running out of spaces to bury corpses!). But alas, I guess the closest thing I could get to would be requesting my cremated remains to be scattered into the ocean. Knowing my luck, it would be scattered around the Mission Bay right next to the Movenpick store. So yeah, I reckon a song about diving into the ocean with an anchor attached to the body and claiming the ocean floor as the forever home is suitable.
The minimalistic sound of brass goes beautifully with Bjork’s voice in this track. The simplicity makes it possibly one of the best closing tracks from her full length projects. Although at the first listen, it did sound almost cacophonic and harsh with her way of saying “I diiiiiive intooooweeeht”. But at the end of the day, I’ve started playing this song as my sleeping music.
Boat Song – Woodkid
Keeping the theme of traumatising beachgoers, I felt this one if somewhat appropriate as well. This song is about questioning what fate they will face now that they have untied the knots and raised the sail. Their questioning of the likelihood of smooth sailing transitions to questioning whether they are fated to a certain end.
While he does lack in vocal performance as he sounds very… monotonous, his production skills and the progression of songs are his key strengths. I am anticipating his new album that has been teased to drop halfway through this year, as this will be his first new project after his debut in 2013. Within those last 7 years, he’s been producing music for Louis Vuitton runway collections and now he is back in his element.
Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis
This one has a special place in my mind, to be honest. What can I say? It’s just a good song that I have sincerely enjoyed since how many years ago. Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory gotta be my first ever album that I have thoroughly listened to from top to bottom, and I still do every now and then.
I’m aware this song is played to shit along with Wonderwall but I don’t mind at all. Out of all songs on this list, this would be the one that would make people groan internally with how basic it is. But fuck it. It’s my funeral, this is my turf bitch. Sure, even the Gallaghers have admitted that addressing this Sally person in the song doesn’t even have much meaning in it, but this song has been on my Spotify as long as I could remember. Hopefully I will be fortunate enough to learn how to accept things as they are, or at least reach a certain part of it. But I don’t think I’ll ever accept how KFC has finessed us by continually increasing the price of the 20 pack Wicked Wings over time.
I Love You All – Original Soundtrack of ‘Frank’
If you enjoy a movie with subtle dark humour throughout the film, rather than big punchlines placed every quarter of the playtime, I highly recommend the movie ‘Frank’. This movie is about an Average Joe struggling to prove his worth and perceived musical depth as the replacement keyboard man of the band ‘The Soronprfbs’, lead by a masked figure named Frank.
This song plays in the final scene of the movie when the protagonist learns the sombre lesson that there are places that you don’t belong, some places that others wish they couldn’t be in, even if that is where your passion lies. I know that having a movie credit song as part of my funeral playlist may sound self-obsessed, and I’m trying to ‘project myself’ into that scenario. But at least I’m not gonna play fuckin’ “See You Again” and be clueless enough to use a song that is dedicated to commemorating serial statutory rapist (look it up!) Paul Walker.
Any music from K.K Slider
I feel it deep inside me when K.K Slider says ‘Oh Nah Be Quay Quay’. I’d love to hear his digitally generated songs made from his five syllables just one last time. Just reminds me of the simpler days when the only thing I ever worried about was trying to manage my mortgage by selling seashells to the pixilated racoon children. Shout out to Tom Nook for making homes available for everyone with no interest, no assessment and no deadlines.
Komm, süsser Tod – Arianne Schreiber
And finally, as I pass on, let us all partake in one final rendition of this masterpiece – I may die before you, but we will all come together in Third Impact, becoming Fanta Soul Juice and merging to utterly eliminate all our fears and inequalities, and that is beautiful. Unless you wanna remain whole and strangle someone on a beach. All up to you.
