What song will be sung to us?

I went and visited a friend in a nursing home today. The guy is 99 years old and is ornery/happy/frustrated/satisfied as they come. Today, we sat together as another gentleman--I'll call him Wayne-- sang lots of old standard songs to the nursing home crowd.

"Wayne" looked like Wayne Newton, with puffed up, slick-backed hair, dark pants, boots, a black puffy button-up shirt, and a black and steel belt with frills on it. I didn't know what to make of this man. He walked around the room, microphone in hand, and sang his old standards. He sung to the women, gave them necklaces, kissed them on the cheek. He danced with the men, and gave them the mic to sing one or two verses of a song here and there. For a moment, I felt like I was transported to Branson or one of the early showrooms in Las Vegas before the monolithic new casinos staked their claim in the desert. It was truly a kingdom of God moment, as in ... the kingdom of God is like a man who looks like Wayne Newton and shows up to sing songs to nursing home folks and bring them some joy the day before Thanksgiving.

Everyone new the songs he was singing. He sang Elvis (Don't Be Cruel), "Blueberry Hill," "You are My Sunshine," and even "How Great Thou Art." Lots of folks sang, and I thought to myself, "When I'm 85 and in a nursing home, what songs will Wayne be singing to me and the rest of the folks from my generation stuck in wheelchairs and sucking down oxygen through tubes?"

This really has me worried, because I don't know if there truly exist any songs that unite a generation as these old standards do. Literally, everyone in the room was singing with him. These songs transported everyone back to the first time they heard them. I overheard one octogenarian comment, "That song was popular when I was dating my husband." There's power in a common song.

But, really, what will be sung for me when I'm 85 and homebound? Will it be "867-5309" ? How about "Thriller?" Will Wayne sing some Pearl Jam? Or, God forbid, *gulp* Britney Spears?

What will be sung? Will it be hip-hop renditions? I just don't know, and it's got me worried. But it also has me curious about what songs I will want to hear when I'm 85. I hope there's some Dave Matthews in there. Maybe even some Q Source and the Cosmic Junk. (ask if you don't know).

Let's get a list going of songs you want to hear when you're 85 and homebound and Wayne comes to sing to you. Leave them in the comment section. I'm curious to know!