Wow!
What's going on? The 12th of September and all postings amicable and in agreement. I must have slipped sideways into a parallel world!
What was all the fuss about?

Off the top of my head, I seem to remember the suggested criteria in the 54 description are not cast iron requirements in every given song. The more of the requirements the song has the more it is a folk song.

As you all seem to be in agreement you probably already know that the 'known authorship' clause was in the original 54 description, but it was dropped very soon after it was published, possibly due to Lloyd or even Bartok.

This brings us to M's statement re 'You'll Never walk Alone'. This is of course the Liverpool anthem for obvious reasons, but it is also sung by just about every other bunch of fans in the country. As M states it is sung pretty much as it first appeared in the musical, but I would contend, although there is little variation, it is sung by many many 'folk' most of whom have never heard of 'Carousel' or indeed of 'Gerry Marsden'.