Mostly anything romantic I've experienced started out as friendship with expectation of nothing more. The context of dating feels a bit laden with overtones of marketing and negotiation, at least to me, it just has too much baggage to feel honest enough. Also, I figure that one finds romance where one least expected it, like through church or whatever. I guess, if I were looking, I'd just try to participate in something social that has something other than dating as its raison d'etre but that lets me interact non-superficially with a fair number of people over time (I guess that's why college works for many) then maybe I can get to know them before courting is forefront. That's just my thinking though, it's not like I can diss dating sites because I've not actually tried, and maybe their algorithms add significant value, this is just about my own unsupported preconceptions and my discomfort with the hopes and doubts and such. Also, I suppose, the degree to which I can be surprised at who ends up being well-matched for whom.

Agreed wholly on inclusions like Dolly Parton. I hold her in high esteem but rock and roll is looking to be a very broad category!