They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The folks in the Young at Heart Singing Chorus would have something to say about that. With an average age of 81, this singing group teaches us you’re never too old to learn a new song.

The Young at Heart Singing Chorus started in ‘84 at an old folks home. Just some old people singing old people songs, then one day one of the members got up and sang Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy” and it just took off from there. Now they exclusively sing “rock” songs. Songs from the likes of Talking Heads, The Clash, and Sonic Youth- just to name a few. They mention singing Radiohead in the movie, but it didn’t make the cut, I wonder what song they did. I should mention that “Young at Heart” is also a tv documentary for the BBC called “Young @ Heart”. From what I understand they just recut the show for a theatrical version here in the states.

The chorus is gearing up for a new show. They’ve got a lot of songs under their belt, but they’re learning a handful of new ones for their next tour. Yes, they tour. I’ve been on tour a few times and I imagine it would be a complete nightmare to deal with 2 dozen seniors (who at any moment might need the last rites read to them) on tour in Europe. If I ever get to meet their touring manager I’m going to give them a trophy.

The film focuses on about 1/3 of the members while they try to learn the new songs. James Brown’s “I Feel Good” does not come naturally to anyone. Everybody hates “Schizophrenia” by Sonic Youth, and Allen Toussaint’s “Yes We Can Can”, with it’s 71 “Can”s in the lyrics, proves to be terribly frustrating for all involved. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the music and the singing, maybe it’s New England, but these people are full of life. They seem so strong. My grandparents can’t get around like these people do. There’s even a 92 year old lady that won’t stop flirting with the film crew nearly every time she’s interviewed.

This movie is very, very touching. I’ve seen it twice now and both times I think the person sitting next to me was tearing up at certain points. I can’t be sure though due to my own affliction at the time. One of the standout scenes for me was their performance at the prison. One moment they’re all old people standing in front of a bunch of prisoners. Then they explode in to Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark”. I’m serious, they really explode. There was so much energy I thought it was a bunch of kids dancing up there. Then they sing “Forever Young”. I know it’s a cheap trick to utilize a touching song during a touching moment to make the audience feel a certain way, but I fell for it, and so did most of the prisoners. In fact, the movie is chock full of these musical moments, but it works here. One of the final performances is a solo of “Fix You” by Coldplay (the only song I was unfamiliar with) sung in honor of a recently deceased member of the group, who was supposed to sing that very song as a duet with said soloist. If that doesn’t tug at your heart strings, you’re a robot.

And now, I present to you, The Young at Heart Singing Chorus performing The Ramones “I Wanna Be Sedated”