“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac

If you watched the Superbowl or any Budweiser commercials lately, then I’m sure you’ve seen the touching scene where a horse finds his old friend to the sound of “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. While it’s one thing to find sentimental value in an ad for Budweiser (baby Clydesdales are so cute after all), there’s a wealth of emotion to be found in the music. With the combination of heartfelt lyrics and an affecting melody, “Landslide” makes for a beautiful funeral song.

The song speaks of love, loss and the inevitable passing of time. It begins, “I took my love and I took it down / I climbed a mountain and I turned around / And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills / ‘Till the landslide brought me down.” To me, those famous lines symbolize the grief after losing a loved one and the difficult task of forging a new identity without that person. It speaks to the ups and down someone experiences while journeying through the grieving process. In an attempt to find solid ground, we endure both pain and healing realizations that ultimately bring us to a place of peace and acceptance. For all of these reasons and more, Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” constitutes a beautiful funeral song.

Here are some of the heartrending lyrics:

“Well, I’ve been afraid of changing

‘Cause I, I built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Children get older

I’m getting older too

I’m getting older too

So, take my love, take it down

Oh climb a mountain and turn around

If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills

Well the landslide will bring you down, down…”