💐 Episode Summary
In this episode host Dinah Alobeid talks to her confidante and friend of over 20 years, Elyse Merlo, one of the hosts of Genre’d podcast. With a chronological breakdown of her favorite music that she wants played at her funeral, this episode features a walk through some of the best music you may have never heard of. This convo highlights fun and surprising b-sides from No Doubt, Billy Joel, Hanson, and more, and Elyse’s love of lyrically dense, powerhouse singers. You can expect to walk away with some strong opinions and an inside look into the glam open casket dreams of this fabulous, theme-loving, craft queen herself, Elyse.
💿 Songs Mentioned
“Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
“Like A Prayer” by Madonna
“Mine” by Taylor Swift
“Misery Business” by Paramore
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” by Taylor Swift
“I Lost A Friend” by FINNEAS
“Golden” from KPOP Demon Hunters
“Black Sheep” by Metric
“Burn” from The Hamilton Soundtrack (sung by Phillipa Soo)
“Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga
“Me and Mia” by Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
“Sunday Morning” by No Doubt
“Portions For Foxes” by Rilo Kiley
“Yearbook” by Hanson
“Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish
“Man From Milwaukee” by Hanson
“Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
You can listen to Elyse’s playlist on Spotify.
🎙 About the Guest
Elyse Merlo is a recovered English major, sometimes professor, and keeper of a million hobbies. She’s also the host of Genre’d, a book podcast she co-hosts with her sister where they love to read, rant, and recommend.
🌹 About Play This At My Funeral
Play This At My Funeral is a deeply fun, slightly macabre, always heartwarming show about the songs that shape our lives — and the ones we’d play at our funerals. Each episode invites a guest to curate the playlist for their own (hypothetical) send-off and share the stories that made those songs matter.
In each episode, host Dinah invites a guest on to talk through the soundtrack of their life: the songs that have held them in moments of anguish, haunted them on the regular, and maybe just maybe even saved them. It’s a cozy, 45-minute-ish journey through meaningful lyrics, vivid memories, and the emotional mixtapes that mark our most human moments.
Think Desert Island Discs meets Films To Be Buried With — but with more vibes and fewer survival scenarios.
The show is created and hosted by Dinah Susan Alobeid and is edited and co-produced by Alice Marcondes.
💜 Stay Connected
Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts
Please leave a 5-star review and share with someone who’s quietly building their own “funeral playlist” (or should be!)
You can follow the show on Instagram at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPodcast and TikTok at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPod and Dinah on IG @DinahSusanAlobeidWrites
You can watch the podcast video episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WriteDanceRepeat/playlists
Stay in touch with Dinah by joining her Substack community at Write, Dance, Repeat
🎙 About the Host
Dinah Susan Alobeid is a writer, dancer, and VP of Communications & Content by day (not always in that order). She’s the creator and host of the newly launched “Play This At My Funeral” podcast. Her fiction has appeared in Porter House Review, Five on the Fifth, and Reverie Literary Magazine and her nonfiction and poetry can be found in Spectrum Magazine, MediaPost, and more. She lives in New Jersey (even though she’s a born and bred New Yorker) with her partner and their rambunctious toddler.
I hearby declare that I do not own the rights to any music or lyrics played during the recording of this podcast. All rights to the music and audio belong to their respective owner(s).
💐 Episode Summary
In this episode of “Play This At My Funeral,” host Dinah sits down with her dear friend and writing comrade, author Nicolas DiDomizio. Get ready for some surprising sidetracks (squeals in excitement!), a defense of all things Mariah Carey, and a deep discussion on the rich storytelling roots of country music. And maybe one or two diatribes on the meaning of life and how death can upend our daily living. Nic’s tight playlist of a mere 31 songs holds meaning and wishes for a long life well lived, and a life full of love and laughter. You’ll discover songs from artists you might’ve heard of (but our host hadn’t) like Lauren Alaina and Janine. Get ready to get super existential in this episode.
💿 Songs Mentioned
“Sober” by Little Big Town
“Getting Good” by Lauren Alaina
“Where Rainbows Never Die” by The Steeldrivers
“Nonstop” from The Hamilton Soundtrack
“Close My Eyes” by Mariah Carey
“The Roof” by Mariah Carey
“Wildflowers” by Tom Petty
“I Don’t Want To Wait” by Paula Cole
“Friends” by Janine
“Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica
“Let It Flow” by Toni Braxton (from the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack):
You can listen to Nic’s playlist on Spotify.
🎙 About the Guest
Nicolas DiDomizio is the author of the forthcoming novel A Murder Most Camp (out May 2026), Nearlywed, The Gay Best Friend, and Burn It All Down, which was praised as “unforgettable” by James Patterson. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Connecticut State University and a master’s degree from NYU. He lives in upstate New York with his partner, Graig, and their smooshy bulldog, Rocco.
🌹 About Play This At My Funeral
Play This At My Funeral is a deeply fun, slightly macabre, always heartwarming show about the songs that shape our lives — and the ones we’d play at our funerals. Each episode invites a guest to curate the playlist for their own (hypothetical) send-off and share the stories that made those songs matter.
In each episode, host Dinah invites a guest on to talk through the soundtrack of their life: the songs that have held them in moments of anguish, haunted them on the regular, and maybe just maybe even saved them. It’s a cozy, 45-minute-ish journey through meaningful lyrics, vivid memories, and the emotional mixtapes that mark our most human moments.
Think Desert Island Discs meets Films To Be Buried With — but with more vibes and fewer survival scenarios.
The show is created and hosted by Dinah Susan Alobeid and is edited and co-produced by Alice Marcondes.
💜 Stay Connected
Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts
Please leave a 5-star review and share with someone who’s quietly building their own “funeral playlist” (or should be!)
You can follow the show on Instagram and TikTok at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPodcast and Dinah on IG @DinahSusanAlobeidWrites
You can watch the podcast video episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WriteDanceRepeat/playlists
Stay in touch with Dinah by joining her Substack community at Write, Dance, Repeat
🎙 About the Host
Dinah Susan Alobeid is a writer, dancer, and VP of Communications & Content by day (not always in that order). She’s the creator and host of the newly launched “Play This At My Funeral” podcast. Her fiction has appeared in Porter House Review, Five on the Fifth, and Reverie Literary Magazine and her nonfiction and poetry can be found in Spectrum Magazine, MediaPost, and more. She lives in New Jersey (even though she’s a born and bred New Yorker) with her partner and their rambunctious toddler.
I hearby declare that I do not own the rights to any music or lyrics played during the recording of this podcast. All rights to the music and audio belong to their respective owner(s).
💐 Episode Summary
In this episode host Dinah Alobeid talks to Hebba Youssef, Chief People Officer of Workweek, about her meticulously curated funeral playlist. Hebba shares how the first 10 songs capture “the essence of me,” tracks 11-45 are her beloved “let’s party” songs, and the final set offers a “peace out moment,” where the songs collectively bid an official goodbye to her friends and loved ones. Put on your best lavender accessories, let your curly hair down, and get ready to discover your next favorite artist (Maggie Rogers, anyone!) and rediscover some sexy and soulful R&B hits.
💿 Songs Mentioned
“I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran
“Put It All On Me” by Ed Sheeran
“Walking Away” by Haim
“Gone Now” by The Bleachers
“Too Much” by Carly Rae Jepsen
“Don’t Take It Personal” by Monica
“Show Me Love” by Robyn
“Love Me Down” by INOJ
“Want You Back” by Haim
“Falling Water” by Maggie Rogers
“Alaska” by Maggie Rogers
“Very Few Friends” by Saint Levant
“It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” by Celine Dion
You can listen to Hebba’s playlist on Spotify.
You can watch the famous Maggie Rogers NYU Pharrell video here.
Maggie Rogers “Falling Water” music video
🎙 About the Guest
Hebba Youssef is the Chief People Officer at Workweek and founder and creator of “I Hate it Here.” Her weekly newsletter has over 170,000 engaged readers and focuses on how HR/People teams can build great work cultures. Hebba has led a global learning and development team, ran talent management teams, and was most recently the Head of People at a fintech startup. She’s built People Ops teams from the ground up and scaled companies to double their size. Hebba has worked across several industries like tech, fintech, and media and was most recently at Axios and Lithic. In her free time, you can find her reading sci-fiction or fantasy novels and playing board games with her family.
🌹 About Play This At My Funeral
Play This At My Funeral is a deeply fun, slightly macabre, always heartwarming show about the songs that shape our lives — and the ones we’d play at our funerals. Each episode invites a guest to curate the playlist for their own (hypothetical) send-off and share the stories that made those songs matter.
In each episode, host Dinah invites a guest on to talk through the soundtrack of their life: the songs that have held them in moments of anguish, haunted them on the regular, and maybe just maybe even saved them. It’s a cozy, 45-minute-ish journey through meaningful lyrics, vivid memories, and the emotional mixtapes that mark our most human moments.
Think Desert Island Discs meets Films To Be Buried With — but with more vibes and fewer survival scenarios.
The show is created and hosted by Dinah Susan Alobeid and is edited and co-produced by Alice Marcondes.
💜 Stay Connected
Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts
Please leave a 5-star review and share with someone who’s quietly building their own “funeral playlist” (or should be!)
Follow us!
Instagram at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPodcast
TikTok at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPod
Dinah on IG @DinahSusanAlobeidWrites
You can watch the podcast video episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WriteDanceRepeat/playlists
Stay in touch with Dinah by joining her Substack community at Write, Dance, Repeat
🎙 About the Host
Dinah Susan Alobeid is a writer, dancer, and VP of Communications & Content by day (not always in that order). She’s the creator and host of the newly launched “Play This At My Funeral” podcast. Her fiction has appeared in Porter House Review, Five on the Fifth, and Reverie Literary Magazine and her nonfiction and poetry can be found in Spectrum Magazine, MediaPost, and more. She lives in New Jersey (even though she’s a born and bred New Yorker) with her partner and their rambunctious toddler.
I hearby declare that I do not own the rights to any music or lyrics played during the recording of this podcast. All rights to the music and audio belong to their respective owner(s).
💐 Episode Summary
In this episode, Dinah Alobeid gets deep and dark with her first guest, Adam Posner, about the deeply personal playlist he curated. They explore the emotional significance of tracks from artists like Dave Matthews Band and Pink Floyd, discussing how these songs have been the soundtrack to Adam’s life and the memories they evoke. From fight songs to the lyrics dedicated to his loved ones, get ready to dig into live music memories, battling the toughest moments of our lives, and celebrating every day with music like it might be your last.
💿 Songs Mentioned
“Hey Now” by London Grammar
“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins
“Crush” by Dave Matthews Band
“Desert Rose” by Sting
“Loves Me Like a Rock” by Paul Simon
“Thank You” by Led Zeppelin
“Stubborn Love” by The Lumineers
“Give It Time” by Goose
“Frozen” by Madonna
“I Will Follow You” by Death Cab For Cutie
“Backwards Down The Number Line” by Phish
“Lullaby” by Billy Joel
“Enjoy The Silence” by Depeche Mode
“Carnival” by Natalie Merchant
“Kids” by MGMT
“Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John
“I Need My Girl” by The National
“Crawling Back To You” by Tom Petty
“On Hold” by The XX
“Hold Me Now” by Thompson Twins
“I Feel Love” by Donna Summer
“Shine On” by Pink Floyd
“Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds
You can listen to Adam’s playlist on Spotify.
At 17:54 Dinah mentions the Dave Matthews Band “Crash” but means “Satellite”
At 18:42 Adam means 1997-2001
🎙 About the Guest
Adam Posner is the Founder and Managing Director at NHP Talent Group - a boutique NY-based staffing firm, specializing in talent acquisition for Senior-level roles within: Digital Marketing, Media, Product and Content Creation at Start-ups, Creative Agencies and Brands. He also hosts ThePOZcast showcasing experts to help you harness your inner tenacity to drive your life and career forward.
🌹 About Play This At My Funeral
Play This At My Funeral is a deeply fun, slightly macabre, always heartwarming show about the songs that shape our lives — and the ones we’d play at our funerals. Each episode invites a guest to curate the playlist for their own (hypothetical) send-off and share the stories that made those songs matter.
In each episode, host Dinah invites a guest on to talk through the soundtrack of their life: the songs that have held them in moments of anguish, haunted them on the regular, and maybe just maybe even saved them. It’s a cozy, 45-minute-ish journey through meaningful lyrics, vivid memories, and the emotional mixtapes that mark our most human moments.
Think Desert Island Discs meets Films To Be Buried With — but with more vibes and fewer survival scenarios.
The show is created and hosted by Dinah Susan Alobeid and is edited and co-produced by Alice Marcondes.
💜 Stay Connected
Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts
Please leave a 5-star review and share with someone who’s quietly building their own “funeral playlist” (or should be!)
Follow us!
Instagram at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPodcast
TikTok at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPod
Dinah on IG @DinahSusanAlobeidWrites
You can watch the podcast video episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WriteDanceRepeat/playlists
Stay in touch with Dinah by joining her Substack community at Write, Dance, Repeat
🎙 About the Host
Dinah Susan Alobeid is a writer, dancer, and VP of Communications & Content by day (not always in that order). She’s the creator and host of the newly launched “Play This At My Funeral” podcast. Her fiction has appeared in Porter House Review, Five on the Fifth, and Reverie Literary Magazine and her nonfiction and poetry can be found in Spectrum Magazine, MediaPost, and more. She lives in New Jersey (even though she’s a born and bred New Yorker) with her partner and their rambunctious toddler.
I hearby declare that I do not own the rights to any music or lyrics played during the recording of this podcast. All rights to the music and audio belong to their respective owner(s).
💐 Episode Summary
The short and sweet teaser episode of “Play This At My Funeral” introduces the entire concept and origin story for why host Dinah decided to start this podcast endeavor. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry possibly, you’ll discover a couple of new songs. And you’ll get a taste of what to expect this season.
💿 Songs Mentioned
“Bitch” by Meredith Brooks: The quintessential 90s, girl rock. We contain multitudes, deal with it.
“Adore” Amy Shark: A gift from the Schitt’s Creek musical selection pros. Thank you Amy Shark for this beautiful song.
“Tell Me” by Johnny Jewel featuring Saoirse Ronan: This lullaby for the soul will be your new fave. Just you wait.
“O Children” by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds: Bring the tissues and the centuries and eons of grownup guilt we feel for the messy world we leave behind for the innocent ones. The children. This song always makes me question where the line between childhood innocence and adulting ennui ends.
You can listen to Dinah’s playlist on Spotify.
🎙 About the Guest (and in this instance The Host)
Dinah Susan Alobeid is a writer, dancer, and VP of Communications & Content by day (not always in that order). She’s the creator and host of the newly launched “Play This At My Funeral” podcast. Her fiction has appeared in Porter House Review, Five on the Fifth, and Reverie Literary Magazine and her nonfiction and poetry can be found in Spectrum Magazine, MediaPost, and more. She lives in New Jersey (even though she’s a born and bred New Yorker) with her partner and their rambunctious toddler.
🌹 About Play This At My Funeral
Play This At My Funeral is a deeply fun, slightly macabre, always heartwarming show about the songs that shape our lives — and the ones we’d play at our funerals. Each episode invites a guest to curate the playlist for their own (hypothetical) send-off and share the stories that made those songs matter.
In each episode, host Dinah invites a guest on to talk through the soundtrack of their life: the songs that have held them in moments of anguish, haunted them on the regular, and maybe just maybe even saved them. It’s a cozy, 45-minute-ish journey through meaningful lyrics, vivid memories, and the emotional mixtapes that mark our most human moments.
Think Desert Island Discs meets Films To Be Buried With — but with more vibes and fewer survival scenarios.
The show is created and hosted by Dinah Susan Alobeid and is edited and co-produced by Alice Marcondes.
💜 Stay Connected
Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts
Please leave a 5-star review and share with someone who’s quietly building their own “funeral playlist” (or should be!)
Follow us!
Instagram at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPodcast
TikTok at @PlayThisAtMyFuneralPod
Dinah on IG @DinahSusanAlobeidWrites
You can watch the podcast video episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WriteDanceRepeat/playlists
Stay in touch with Dinah by joining her Substack community at Write, Dance, Repeat
I hearby declare that I do not own the rights to any music or lyrics played during the recording of this podcast. All rights to the music and audio belong to their respective owner(s).