I agree with you 100% Tabster. Perhaps I didn't put the point over that well.

What I actually meant was that if you are singing soeone else's song or a trad number and it goes down like the proverbial lead balloon, you can always shed part of the responsibility.

If it's your own song there's nowhere to hide.

I don't write songs about "failed relationships" - I suppose the classic album of these is the brilliant "Another Side of Bob Dylan", but a lot of songs in this vein, come under the heading of what my wife calls "musical masturbation".