>i>"I always took the attitude that the male singer ... was telling a story by delivering an extended quotation."

That just about hits the nail on the head, as far as I can make out.

I came to this thread via the Dory Previn one, so I covered quit a bit of the way I view it, over there.

There's some songs I will sing, and some I couldn't bring myself around to. I always liked Janis Ian's 'Tea & Sympathy', and still do it now and again.
But I'll sing all trad and blues 'cross-genderingers', no prob.

Small bit of thread creep, here, but trad/folk songs that require a duet, like 'An Ghibóg', by Clannad, or 'Fairytale of New York' by Kirsty & the Pogues, I would never do on my own.
I would sing the 'woman's part', no problem..., it just doesn't work, I think, when you start changing sex backwards and forwards in the middle of a song.

B.