I think I take the view that one should not airbrush history.

Nonetheless there are contemporary songs I would not be able to sing (even if I wanted to) because of linguistic solecisms. One springs immediately to mind, an otherwise attractive Ian Bruce song "Too far from she".

I am however firmly of the view that one should not put on mock accents (or sing phonetically in languages one does not speak). Guy Ritchie-ism (aka the "Mockney" accent) is somewhat risible, and perhpas somewhat worse as carrying seeds of unacceptable condescension.

A rather good true story is of a barrister who had formerly been a roman catholic priest, and whose latin tags were therefore pronounced as such priests pronounce latin, not as lawyers usually do. Let us call him Smith.

Judge (snootily): "Mr Smith, where DID you learn your latin?"

Barrister (deadpan): "In Rome, M'lud".