Genie, you're right, the "same old songs" comments came from people with mild cognitive impairment. As for new songs, I remember the tremendous reaction we used to get doing our bluegrass at an Alzheimer's unit. Some people literally woke up and began to dance. Some sang the songs with us, songs they had never heard before, singing a millisecond behind us with intense enjoyment.

However, an old song that had been important to my mother-in-law was the only thing to rouse her from several days of stupor lying in bed (advanced Alzheimer's). At the end of the song she looked at us both and said, "Thank you. That was great." Hadn't spoken in months before that.