Yes, there are a few different arguments going on, aren't there?

It seems to come down to how we view "positive". I think it has many variations, just as Mike demonstrated with the songs he just listed. Waylon griping about "been a long time leavin' but I'll be a long time gone" has an attitude that makes you want to tap your foot...net result is positive.

Maybe it's better just to remember the "negative" ways we can write, but at our own peril: whiny, slow, self-absorbed, long strumming intro that repeats 12 times before the initial whine, a list of how we were wronged...heck, just remember any open stage you've ever attended, and think about all those downers you heard.

You can be real negative with snappy music...that Dylan reference, "Like a Rolling Stone" is negative, but the music lights right up from the beginning and has all those terrific crescendos. When that song comes on, I think "yeah" instead of "oh no". But then again, that was about a half a century ago...

http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman