"The Funeral"
Single by Band of Horses
from the album Everything All the Time
ReleasedMay 21, 2006 (US)
May 21, 2007 (UK)
Recorded
GenreIndie rock[1]
Length5:21
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Band of Horses singles chronology
"The Funeral"
(2006) 		"The Great Salt Lake"
(2007)
Music video
"The Funeral" on YouTube

"The Funeral" is a song by the American rock band Band of Horses, taken from their debut studio album, Everything All the Time (2006). The alternative rock song was written by the band members. The song was released as the debut single from the band and lead single from the album. A live version of the song appeared earlier on the band's self-titled EP, under the original name "Billion Day Funeral".

In August 2009, Pitchfork Media named "The Funeral" the 67th-greatest song of the 2000s.[2]

Background

Singer Ben Bridwell said, "The basis of The Funeral was just really the start of me whining about my aversion to social occasions and holidays. The pressure of say New Year’s being the best party night of your life, or Christmas being this forced togetherness. I was quite the pessimist in those days when I wrote the song."[3] Bridwell compared this dread to the feeling one gets before attending a funeral.[4]

Music video

The video for "The Funeral" was directed by Matt Lenski with additional footage by Willy Lenski.[5] The video tells the story of a man whose dog has died. Saddened by his loss, the man drowns his sorrows in alcohol. He then drives under the influence and the end of the video suggests he crashes head-on into a delivery truck. The video shows a sign for the Galway Bay Bar in Chicago and the cars in the video are all 1970s models.

Track listing

  1. "The Funeral" - 5:21 (plays at 33 RPM)
  2. "The End's Not Near" - 3:45 (plays at 45 RPM)

Personnel

Appearances in other media

Film

TV

Other

Songs that sample "The Funeral"

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[32] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums Of 2012". American Songwriter. December 4, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  2. ^ The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 100-51 Pitchfork Media August 19, 2009
  3. ^ Martin, Syl (2014). "Interviewing Ben Bridwell: Band of Horses". SylMartin.com. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Huber, Chris (December 7, 2021). "The Meaning of Band of Horses' "The Funeral"". Extra Chill. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  5. ^ "band-of-horses-the-funeral" Archived 2019-06-07 at the Wayback Machine mattlenski.com
  6. ^ "Soundtracks for Assassination of a High School President" IMDb
  7. ^ "Soundtracks for Boot Camp" IMDb
  8. ^ "Lakai Fully Flared - Guy Mariano" YouTube - December 26, 2009
  9. ^ "Love the Beast Trailer" Arts Alliance America via YouTube - November 3, 2010
  10. ^ "Soundtracks for The Stepfather" IMDb
  11. ^ "127 HOURS - Full Length Official Trailer HD" Fox Searchlight Pictures via YouTube - October 7, 2010
  12. ^ "The Collector (Trailer)" Lane Films Corp. via YouTube - November 30, 2010
  13. ^ "Teenage Dirtbag (Trailer)" Spy Filmz via YouTube - October 2, 2008
  14. ^ "Soundtracks for Battleship" IMDb
  15. ^ "Love and Honor (2013) Soundtracks" IMDb
  16. ^ "Soundtracks for In the Name Of" IMDb
  17. ^ "Soundtracks for Let's Be Cops" IMDb
  18. ^ "Megan Leavey Soundtracks (2017)" IMDb
  19. ^ "Soundtracks for Criminal Minds - Revelations (2007)" IMDb
  20. ^ "Soundtracks for FlashForward Future Shock (2010)" IMDb
  21. ^ "Last Tango, Then Paris - Songs" Tunefind
  22. ^ "Soundtracks for Kyle XY Ghost in the Machine (2007)" IMDb
  23. ^ "Music from Mercy - Season 1 - Episode 16 - Im Fine" Tunefind
  24. ^ "Liz Lee - The Funeral (Band Of Horses cover) HQ" YouTube
  25. ^ "Soundtracks for Numb3rs - Breaking Point (2008)" IMDb
  26. ^ "Soundtracks for One Tree Hill - All These Things That I've Done (2006)" IMDb
  27. ^ "Soundtracks for "Standoff" No Strings (2007)" IMDb
  28. ^ "Music from How I Met Your Mother>Season 8>Farhampton" Tunefind
  29. ^ "Stunt video reaches new heights" BBC News - April 21, 2009
  30. ^ "New! The Grouch & Eligh – Comin Up ft. Mistah Fab (Band of Horses Sample)" pigeonsandplanes.com - April 19, 2009
  31. ^ "British single certifications – Band of Heroes – The Funeral". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  32. ^ "American single certifications – Band of Horses – The Funeral". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 12, 2023.

External links

Band of Horses
Authority control databases
Categories