Sorry to disagree Howard, but as far as the general population is concerned, there is no "wider meaning".

I've just come back from a weekend at Swanage FOLK festival, where I've observed a large number of the general population enjoying 'folk' music of a wide variety of styles, from bluegrass and Americana, traditional song, new songs written in a traditional style, folk/rock etc etc.

Ask those representatives of the 'general population' what they were listening to Jim, and then tell us again there is no 'wider meaning'!