# The song John Lydon wants played at his funeral: “Pure tears”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-song-john-lydon-wants-played-at-his-funeral-pure-tears/
- Published: 2026-10-27T16:30:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T04:54:49+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/song-john-lydon-wants-played-at-funeral/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- John Lydon wants Mozart’s Requiem at his funeral.
- He says the piece moved him to tears.
- The Requiem contrasts with his punk persona.

## Summary

John Lydon, the former Sex Pistols frontman known as Johnny Rotten, has said he wants Mozart’s Requiem played at his funeral. The choice contrasts with his provocative punk image and shows the more reflective side he has discussed in interviews.

Lydon named the Requiem in a 2015 Guardian questionnaire and has said he listened to it repeatedly after his father died. He particularly likes the version used in Stanley Kubrick’s *Barry Lyndon*, recalling that it brought him to tears. In Co-op Funeralcare’s chart, Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli’s ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ ranks first and Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ second; Mozart’s Requiem is outside the top ten.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.