Yes, Kumbaya and Michael Row the Boat Ashore are real challenges. I happen to like "Michael" very much. Not easy to sing though. I go back to the Bahamian original and it's still hard to fight the rompin', trompin' Pete Seeger-led cliche. I like Pete a lot and it's not his fault, but everyone has imitated him and it's very difficult to subtract the banjo swing from the song. A capella is one way into it, but I still have to get the arrangement out of my mind. Which for me means I must sing it differently. Not easy.

Sometimes it's possible to break a song arrangement cliche by using an unfamiliar instrument such as thumb piano, bodhran, or hell, sweet potato. Or just banging on a bucket or a salad bowl upside down. (Gee maybe I should try "Michael" on a slide whistle.)

Kumbaya: first time I heard it, it was no cliche. It's hard to remember now, but I was entranced by the mysterious syllables and the tune I'd never heard before. It quickly became cheesy and drippy-sounding to me (largely through really bad monotone group-singing, which causes the song to sag like a Dali watch). But though I admit I don't sing this one, really never did, still I can partly recapture the initial feeling.

Every song---yes, EVERY song, no matter how banal---has a mystery at its core. If you can penetrate to that mystery, that song will sing itself for, and through, you. Or at least that's my experience.

Hey you guys, great discussion of an intriguing topic, and harpgirl, thanks... it's getting more fun to be uncool every minute.

Bob