Ryuichi Sakamoto died on March 28, 2023 after enduring throat cancer and then colon cancer. I(Chris) have been a longtime fan of his music and wrote a tribute post about his passing last year.

I have discovered two public playlists curated by Mr. Sakamoto. One was built between June 13, 2022 and March 23, 2023 that is to be played at his own funeral; and a second was assembled in 2018 for his favorite New York restaurant for his enjoyment while dining there. To commemorate the first year anniversary of his passing, I have embedded below some of the music he chose for his funeral. The restaurant playlist will be the subject of another blogpost.

Spotify is the best way to enjoy the playlist. Although a subscription is required to listen to the full length of each tune, you can play a sample without a subscription.

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Mr. Sakamoto’s funeral playlist consists of 33 items and the total playtime is 2 hours 42 minutes. As far as I can see, there is not much musical significance in the order of the pieces in the playlist. Many of his selections are works by romantic “impressionist” composers, such as Debussy, Ravel, Satie, and Faure who had influenced him. However, there are a few exceptions and some of them can be found on YouTube.

• No. 32 on the playlist is Orpheus (1988) by David Sylvian. Mr. Sakamoto himself played piano and synth; it is the only piece on the playlist in which he performed. It is also one of my favorite song.

• No. 2 on the playlist is Thème de Camille by Georges Delerue for Jean-Luc Godard’s film Le Mépris (1963).

• The first song on the playlist is a solemn piece by Carsten Nicolai (aka alva noto, his collaborator on several albums) released in 2007 – Haliod Xerrox Copy 3 (Paris)

• No. 22 is Time Remembered by Bill Evans Trio, recorded in 1963.

• No. 23 is The Dorian Horizon for 17 Strings (1969) by famed Japanese film music composer, Toru Takemitsu.

• No. 19 is La Plage by Nino Rota for the movie Plein Soleil (2005). There are 3 pieces by Rota on his playlist.

• The last item on the playlist is Breath by Laurel Halo for the movie Possessed (2020).

Have you thought of making such a special-purpose playlist ?
I have a funeral playlist as well as a playlist for my last moments. Both are work-in-progress and not made public yet.
For more music playlists, you can find them by clicking “playlists” under Category at the bottom of the page or searching on the EXPLORE page.