There is a wikipedia page for the iTunes Store which details the history of various ways the licensed/sold things over the years.

Yes, I have looked at the Wikipedia page for the iTunes Store. It does not claim that, at any point in time, iTunes terms would have allowed you to buy a copy of a song. They only sold you the right to listen to a song for undetermined amount of time. If you have a source that claims the contrary, please link.

So they sold you a pure audio file with no DRM, but that somehow was only intended to be a totally unenforced "right to listen to a song" they had no mechanism to terminate?

I checked and it turns out that I was wrong. You are correct that iTunes did at one point in time offer the ability to download copies of songs without DRM and without (significant) contractual limitations regarding the usage of those copies.

https://web.archive.org/web/20090106080722/http://www.apple....

> (xii) iTunes Plus Products do not contain security technology that limits your usage of such Products, and Usage Rules (iii) – (vi) do not apply to iTunes Plus Products. You may copy, store and burn iTunes Plus Products as reasonably necessary for personal, noncommercial use.

The same limits apply to a CD or DVD purchased. You own the song.

You can still buy DRM free songs from iTunes...