"Song Titles," by Todd Gross

Constructor's Comments

In the past few years, I've become interested in songwriting, so I reckon it's no surprise I'm interested in themes related to song titles.  I don't know exactly how I got the idea for this theme—I've known for some time that MR TAMBOURINE MAN was 15 letters (because I keep a lengthy list of possible 15-letter entries).  I guess I noticed one day that MISS INDEPENDENT was also 15 letters and would make a nice theme entry.  (MISS OTIS REGRETS is also 15 letters, but I'm guessing few of you are familiar with that song.)  I was lucky to find a well-known song starting with MRS with an odd number of letters.  The only other noteworthy song I can think of containing MRS is ME AND MRS JONES.

Central 11-letter entries (like MRS ROBINSON) are tricky to work with, which explains the unusual layout of this grid.  I was glad I could keep the word count low, using lots of 6-letter entries, more than your typical Monday puzzle.

If you want to experience my songwriting for yourself, you can go to this YouTube link.  But let me warn you, I'm better at writing LYRICS than I am as a SINGER.

Editor's Comments

My original plan was to run this puzzle on a themeless day, since the theme is light and the grid wide open.  I soon realized, though, that I'd have to use the title "Free for All" or "Sunday Freestyle" rather than Todd's spot-on "Song Titles."  So I ultimately decided to stick this one in the early week—even though the fill is juicier than usual, the theme feels very Monday-esque.  Todd also wrote an excellent set of easy clues, so I only felt the need to adjust the difficulty in a few places.  Did you enjoy this change of pace for a Monday?