Amos, the Rosemary Cluney version of This Old House would explain your dislike for it. We had it on a record by someone called Stuart Hamblin? or something like that, which just goes to demonstate Mcgrath's point, that it sometimes depends on the singer.

You are right, of course, about the Age of Saccharine. Thinking back to that time still makes my skin crawl, but the Victorians had the corner on the market until then, particularly their songs about fallen women and fathers who wouldn't come out of the pub.

The good thing about it was that it drove me and I'm sure others to Country and Western and folk music. Some of the 50's C&W was pretty saccharine too, but most of the singers got away with it, because of the honesty of their songs.