The Funeral (Band of Horses song)
"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".
"The Funeral" | ||||
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Single by Band of Horses | ||||
from the album Everything All the Time | ||||
Released | May 21, 2006 (US) May 21, 2007 (UK) | |||
Recorded | ||||
Genre | Indie rock[1] | |||
Length | 5:21 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Band of Horses singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Funeral" on YouTube |
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
- "The Funeral" - 5:21 (plays at 33 RPM)
- "The End's Not Near" - 3:45 (plays at 45 RPM)
Personnel
- Ben Bridwell - Vocals, guitar
- Mat Brooke - Guitar
- Chris Early - Bass guitar
- Tim Meinig / Sera Cahoone - Drums
Appearances in other media
Film
- Assassination of a High School President[6]
- Boot Camp[7]
- Fully Flared[8]
- Love the Beast (Trailer)[9]
- The Stepfather[10]
- 127 Hours (Trailer)[11]
- The Collector (Trailer)[12]
- Teenage Dirtbag (Trailer)[13]
- Battleship[14]
- Love and Honor[15]
- In the Name Of[16]
- Let's Be Cops[17]
- Megan Leavey[18]
TV
- Criminal Minds (Season 2, episode 15: "Revelations")[19]
- FlashForward (Season 1, episode 22: "Future Shock")[20]
- Gossip Girl (Season 3, episode 22: "Last Tango, Then Paris" - Sung by Serena Ryder)[21]
- Kyle XY (Season 2, episode 9: "Ghost In The Machine")[22]
- Mercy (Season 1, episode 16 : "I'm Fine")[23]
- My Life as Liz (Season 1, episode 4: "Liz's Got Talent (Part 2)" - Sung by Liz Lee)[24]
- Numb3rs (Season 4, episode 11: "Breaking Point")[25]
- One Tree Hill (Season 4, episode 7: "All These Things That I've Done")[26]
- Standoff (Season 1, episode 12: "No Strings")[27]
- How I Met Your Mother (Season 8, Episode 1: "Farhampton")[28]
- The Night Shift (Season 1, Episode 2: "Second Chances")
- Stumptown (Season 1, Episode 15: "At All Costs: The Conrad Costas Chronicles")
- Tear Along the Dotted Line (Episode 6)
- La casa de papel (season 5, episode 9)
- Irreverent (Season 1, Episode 3: "Episode 3")
- The Best Years (Season 1, Episode 13: "Mommy Dearest")
Other
- Skate (2007 video game)
- Ford Edge (2008 television commercial)
- Danny MacAskill (YouTube video of bike trials stunts)[29]
- Rock Band Network (Downloadable content)
- Madden NFL 18 (2017 video game)
Songs that sample "The Funeral"
- "The Prayer" by Kid Cudi
- "Comin' Up" by The Grouch & Eligh[30]
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[32] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums Of 2012". American Songwriter. December 4, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 100-51 Pitchfork Media August 19, 2009
- Martin, Syl (2014). "Interviewing Ben Bridwell: Band of Horses". SylMartin.com. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- Huber, Chris (December 7, 2021). "The Meaning of Band of Horses' "The Funeral"". Extra Chill. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- "band-of-horses-the-funeral" Archived 2019-06-07 at the Wayback Machine mattlenski.com
- "Soundtracks for Assassination of a High School President" IMDb
- "Soundtracks for Boot Camp" IMDb
- "Lakai Fully Flared - Guy Mariano" YouTube - December 26, 2009
- "Love the Beast Trailer" Arts Alliance America via YouTube - November 3, 2010
- "Soundtracks for The Stepfather" IMDb
- "127 HOURS - Full Length Official Trailer HD" Fox Searchlight Pictures via YouTube - October 7, 2010
- "The Collector (Trailer)" Lane Films Corp. via YouTube - November 30, 2010
- "Teenage Dirtbag (Trailer)" Spy Filmz via YouTube - October 2, 2008
- "Soundtracks for Battleship" IMDb
- "Love and Honor (2013) Soundtracks" IMDb
- "Soundtracks for In the Name Of" IMDb
- "Soundtracks for Let's Be Cops" IMDb
- "Megan Leavey Soundtracks (2017)" IMDb
- "Soundtracks for Criminal Minds - Revelations (2007)" IMDb
- "Soundtracks for FlashForward Future Shock (2010)" IMDb
- "Last Tango, Then Paris - Songs" Tunefind
- "Soundtracks for Kyle XY Ghost in the Machine (2007)" IMDb
- "Music from Mercy - Season 1 - Episode 16 - Im Fine" Tunefind
- "Liz Lee - The Funeral (Band Of Horses cover) HQ" YouTube
- "Soundtracks for Numb3rs - Breaking Point (2008)" IMDb
- "Soundtracks for One Tree Hill - All These Things That I've Done (2006)" IMDb
- "Soundtracks for "Standoff" No Strings (2007)" IMDb
- "Music from How I Met Your Mother>Season 8>Farhampton" Tunefind
- "Stunt video reaches new heights" BBC News - April 21, 2009
- "New! The Grouch & Eligh – Comin Up ft. Mistah Fab (Band of Horses Sample)" pigeonsandplanes.com - April 19, 2009
- "British single certifications – Band of Heroes – The Funeral". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "American single certifications – Band of Horses – The Funeral". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 12, 2023.