Alright, maybe "best choir in the world" is a little hyperbolic no matter what group you're talking about, and the music I'm referring to here is certainly a far cry from a traditional choral setting. But the Young at Heart Chorus is definitely one of the most unique and fantastic musical groups I have ever heard of, and it's a shame that hardly anyone out there knows about them.
The full back story to Y@H's genesis and existence can be found on their website, but briefly, the chorus consists of a bunch of elderly retired people from the New England area, and is led by their director Bob Cilman and a full backing band in performing arrangements of songs by everyone from Bob Dylan to Sonic Youth.
Now, I tell a lot of people about this group, and I usually get to about this point before being dismissed by my listener. They assume, from my description, that the group is at most amusing and novel, and I'm just sort of a stickler for weird, quirky musical obscurities like this. They figure it can't be anything more than "cute".
Now I'll admit, on its surface, yes, the idea of a bunch of 70+ year old people performing a song by The Rolling Stones does sound a little silly (especially if those people are the Rolling Stones--ooo zing!). But my interest in the group isn't just surface deep--the brilliance of this group is in how all these songs take on an entirely new life when performed by a crowd of geriatric old codgers. Both musically, and especially lyrically, these songs are transformed into pieces of art unto themselves, and each song can be cast in a light perhaps entirely different than it was originally intended, which I find both interesting and absolutely amazing. More than anything, Y@H conjures up an affirmation for life and for living that life to its fullest that a younger performing group could never attain, no matter how heartfelt it might be.For instance, Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" takes on a new dimension when it's not the thirty-something Dylan but a group of people over twice that age expounding "May you build a ladder to the stars // And climb on every rung // May you stay forever young", and the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" experiences a similar facelift in the hands of Y@H.
However, Young at Heart aren't totally oblivious to the amusing juxtaposition that can occur when rock songs are performed by people older than rock and roll itself, and it makes for some of their best moments; their take on Outkast's Hey Ya provides probably the only instance ever of a bunch of grandpas asking "What's cooler than being cool?" followed by a request that their audience "shake it like a Polaroid picture."Another amusing consequence of the weird setting these songs are being performed in is that some songs develop such a stark contrast from the sentiment of the original that the song becomes about something else entirely; the Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" is a case in point, and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" becomes both hilarious during the verse and heartwarming during the chorus when belted out by these hip geezers:
That said, however, Young At Heart's biggest achievement, at least in my mind, is one that I never thought possible: they made me like a Coldplay song.
All kidding aside, Y@H's performance of "Fix You" is one of the most gut-wrenching and emotional performances I've ever heard or seen. A little backstory--the song was originally going to be performed as a duet between chorus members Fred Knittle and Bob Salvini, but only several days before the following performance Salvini died after a long illness. Knittle decided to carry the line and perform the song on his own as tribute to his recently lost friend. The weight of the situation, the poignancy of the lyrics, Knittle's heartfelt baritone, and the consistent puffing sound of Knittle's oxygen tank as reminder of just how frail Fred is himself create one of the most gripping musical performances imaginable simply by necessity, because it couldn't be performed any other way.
I was torn about whether to include the video or the audio track for this performance; the video adds a very compelling and touching visual component, but it also inexplicably edits out a good chunk of the song, including my favorite line. So I've decided to include both--watch the video first, and then if you feel so compelled, check out the audio track below.
Fix You video (embedding disabled)
For me, the most inspiring lyric comes right at the end of the bridge, when the 81-year old Fred forcefully decries "I promise you that I will learn from my mistakes". The idea that a man who so obviously is on the homestretch, a guy unable to stand for his performance and relying on a portable oxygen tank to stay alive, could still affirm and embrace life enough to want to better himself this late in the game is truly empowering.
Fix You full audio
I hope this post wasn't too packed with sentimentality, but I also hope I got the point across. Anyway, if I can still be rocking even half as hard as these folks when I get to be this age, I'll be golden.
