MY Way, Over the Rainbow and You'll Never Walk Alone are among the songs chosen by Swindon people to accompany them on their last ride.

A recent survey named Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler and Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On as the nation's top funeral tunes.

People in the Swindon area also have a liking for Frank Sinatra, with My Way quoted by the town's funeral directors as a favourite request.

Meanwhile, Eva Cassidy's cover of the Judy Garland showstopper from The Wizard of Oz is also popular a choice perhaps influenced by Cassidy's own tragic death from cancer, years before the recording became widely known.

Ian Hanks, manager of the AE Smith branch in Queen's Drive, said: "The choice of music is up to the individual. These days, it is not so much traditional hymns as favourite music on CD although when people specify a church service for their funeral, hymns tend to be played.

"Over the Rainbow and My Way have been popular, but there is quite a variety and I wouldn't say anything has really stuck out in my mind as being chosen often."

Wendy Thorne, who runs the Highworth Branch of Baker and Sons, added: "Although you do tend to find that some songs become popular, it would appear that there are trends.

"But you still find that when a family selects music for a funeral they choose music which strongly reminds them of the person who has died.

"You'll Never Walk Alone has always been a very popular choice it could be because it is from Carousel but sometimes it is linked to football.

"Frank Sinatra's My Way is still a popular choice any of this sort of thing.

"When the music is played it is an opportunity for the mourners to have a quiet period of reflection."

The national statistics were based on a survey of 550 Co-operative Funeral Service branches throughout the country 68 percent of whose directors said the use of popular music during ceremonies was becoming more popular.