Interpretive Art
We are given a fairly large crossword grid, as well a bunch of long, oddly phrased crossword clues, and a _______ ____?___ ? at the end.
The key a-ha to make, hinted by the flavor, is that each crossword clue is a reinterpretation of a song lyric, and the given number is the number of words in that sentence. For example, "A request to rouse oneself within their home (4)" clues WAKE ME UP INSIDE. In testsolving, a common break-in was "Hey Jude". Slashes in the enumeration indicate line breaks in the song.
The lyrics should be filled into the grid, one word per cell, such that crossings in the grid are the same word. Clues are given in alphabetical order of the song lyric.
1 (W)ILL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
REAL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
SLIM | 2 (H)ELLO | DARKNESS | MY | OLD | FRIEND | ||||||||||||||||||||
3 WE'RE | SHADY | IT'S | |||||||||||||||||||||||
B(E)AUTIFUL | 4 PLEASE | ALLOW | ME | TO | I(N)TRODUCE | MYSELF | 5 I'M | A | MAN | OF | WEALTH | AND | TASTE | ||||||||||||
LIKE | S(T)AND | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||
DIAMONDS | 6 WAKE | ME | UP | INSIDE | BARBIE | 7 T(H)E | |||||||||||||||||||
IN | M(E) | 8 JUST | A | SMALL | TOWN | GIR(L) | LIVIN' | IN | A | LONELY | WORLD | ||||||||||||||
THE | UP | IN | IS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
9 LET | THE | SKY | FALL | WHEN | IT | CRUMBLES | WE | WILL | STAND | TALL | THE | A | |||||||||||||
SEPTEMBER | BARBIE | VAMPIRE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
ENDS | 10 SOMEBODY | ONCE | TOLD | ME | THE | W(O)RLD | IS | GONNA | (R)OLL | ME | |||||||||||||||
LIFE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
IN | 11 COMING | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 (D)O | YOU | EVER | FEEL | LIKE | A | PLASTIC | BAG | OUT | |||||||||||||||||
13 SWEET | 14 WE | WILL | WE | WILL | R(O)CK | YOU | IT'S | OF | |||||||||||||||||
DREAMS | COME | WANNA | 15 WOW | FANTASTIC | BABY | MY | |||||||||||||||||||
ARE | (F)ROM | BUILD | 16 BECAUSE | CAGE | |||||||||||||||||||||
MADE | THE | A | I'M | 17 NOW | AND | ||||||||||||||||||||
OF | LAND | 18 FROSTY | (T)HE | SNOWMAN | WAS | A | JOLLY | HAPPY | SOUL | T(H)IS | I'VE | ||||||||||||||
THIS | OF | CLAP | IS | BEEN | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 WHO | L(E)T | THE | DOGS | OUT | WHO | 20 WHO | WHO | WHO | WHO | ALONG | A | DOING | |||||||||||||
AM | ICE | LIVES | I(F) | 21 IT'S | A | (L)OVE | STORY | BABY | JUST | SAY | YES | ||||||||||||||
(I) | AND | IN | YOU | ALL | FIN(E) | ||||||||||||||||||||
TO | (S)NOW | A | FEEL | ABOUT | |||||||||||||||||||||
DISAGREE | FROM | PINEAPPLE | LIKE | 22 MAKE | HOW | ||||||||||||||||||||
THE | UNDE(R) | 23 I | HAVE | A | TENDENCY | TO | WEAR | MY | MIND | ON | MY | SL(E)EVE | |||||||||||||
MIDNIGHT | THE | ROOM | WI(S)H | LIFE | |||||||||||||||||||||
SUN | 24 YOU | SEA | WITHOUT | COME | GOT | ||||||||||||||||||||
WHERE | DON'T | A | TRUE | FLIPP(E)D | |||||||||||||||||||||
THE | KNOW | ROOF | ALL | TURNED | |||||||||||||||||||||
25 CAUSE | YOU'RE | HOT | THEN | YOU'(R)E | COLD | I | UPSIDE | 26 LET'S | |||||||||||||||||
THIS | SPRINGS | BEAUTIFUL | WANT | DOWN | GET | ||||||||||||||||||||
IS | FLOW | OH-OH | 27 THIS | 28 TAKE | FOR | DOWN | |||||||||||||||||||
THRILLER | THAT'S | GIRL | 29 ON | THE | FIRST | DAY | OF | CHRISTMAS | MY | TRUE | LO(V)E | GAVE | TO | ME | |||||||||||
THRILL(E)R | WHAT | IS | ME | IS | BUSINESS | ||||||||||||||||||||
NIGHT | MAKES | ON | YOU | TO | |||||||||||||||||||||
30 YOU | ARE | 31 MY | FIRE | THE | ONE | DE(S)IRE | DEFEAT | ||||||||||||||||||
BE(A)UTIFUL | BAD | THE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
HABITS | HUNS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
LEA(D) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 NAA | TO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
NA | 33 BECAUSE | YOU | KNOW | I'M | ALL | ABOUT | THAT | BASS | BOUT | THAT | BASS | NO | TR(E)BLE | ||||||||||||
NA | (M)AYBE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
NA | YOU'RE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
NA | GONNA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
NA | BE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
NA | 34 IT'S | THE | EYE | (O)F | THE | TIGER | IT'S | THE | THRILL | OF | THE | FIGHT | |||||||||||||
(N)A | ONE | 35 AT | |||||||||||||||||||||||
NA | THAT | 36 WHO | (F)IRST | ||||||||||||||||||||||
NA | SAVES | 37 WE'RE | NO | STRANGERS | TO | L(O)VE | YOU | KNOW | THE | RULES | AND | SO | DO | I | |||||||||||
NA | ME | GONNA | WAS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
38 HEY | I | JUST | MET | YOU | AND | THIS | IS | C(R)AZY | BUT | HERE'S | M(Y) | NUMBER | SO | CALL | ME | MAYBE | AFRAID | ||||||||
JUDE | AFTER | GH(O)STBUSTERS | I | ||||||||||||||||||||||
ALL | WAS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
YOU'RE | PETRIFIED | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
39 WHEN | I | WAS | A | YO(U)NG | BOY | MY | FATHER | TOOK | ME | INTO | THE | CITY | |||||||||||||
WONDERWALL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Across
| Clue | Song | Lyric |
|---|---|---|
| An explanation why one loves to go fishing, but only for quantities single, double, or fourfold (8 / 5) | All About That Bass | Because you know i'm all about that bass / 'Bout that bass, no treble |
| A reaction to eating fried ice cream, perhaps (6) | Hot N Cold | Cause you're hot, then you're cold |
| What one shopping tote might ask another when it's feeling disposable (8) | Firework | Do you ever feel like a plastic bag |
| When Wendy's frozen dessert is cheerful and capable of reincarnation (according to Hinduism, but not Buddhism) (8) | Frosty the Snowman | Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul |
| How one could greet a member of Kazuma's party whom they've known for a long time (5) | The Sound of Silence | Hello darkness, my old friend |
| What a stranger might say in an insane situation while handing out their business card (9 / 8) | Call Me Maybe | Hey, I just met you and this is crazy / But here's my number, so call me, maybe |
| How one might explain a habit of embroidering their brain on the arm of their shirt (11) | One Week | I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve |
| How one could propose using a copy of Twilight in lieu of a ring (8) | Love Story | It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes" |
| When a large cat's sensory organ is the melee's excitement (6 / 6) | Eye of the Tiger | It's the eye of the tiger / It's the thrill of the fight |
| When a gal from Dannebrog, Nebraska is the last person alive (10) | Don't Stop Believin' | Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world |
| A dismissal of Atlas's job from a team of sedentary giants confident in their own lankiness (4 / 3 / 4) | Skyfall | Let the sky fall / When it crumbles / We will stand tall |
| How an accountant might begin listing taxable gifts from their soulmate starting in late December (12) | The Twelve Days of Christmas | On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me |
| How a rich food critic could go up and greet a chef (6 / 7) | Sympathy for the Devil | Please allow me to introduce myself / I'm a man of wealth and taste |
| A rumor that the Earth will turn over on its axis and crush me (10) | All Star | Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me |
| A request to rouse oneself within their home (4) | Bring Me To Life | Wake me up inside |
| When you're both acquainted with affection and its regulations (5 / 8) | Never Gonna Give You Up | We're no strangers to love / You know the rules and so do I |
| What stammering parents might tell their baby in a swinging crib (6) | We Will Rock You | We will, we will rock you |
| How a man might reminisce about childhood trips to the metropolis with his dad (8 / 5) | Welcome to the Black Parade | When I was a young boy, my father / Took me into the city |
| What an animal shelter employee might ask (repeatedly) (5 / 5) | Who Let the Dogs Out | Who let the dogs out? / (Who, who, who, who, who) |
| How parents could praise their newborn (3) | Fantastic Baby | Wow, fantastic baby |
| A love letter written to Calcifer from a yearning crush (4 / 3) | I Want It That Way | You are my fire / the one desire |
Down
| Clue | Song | Lyric |
|---|---|---|
| How one might describe the start of a scary encounter with Medusa (8) | I Will Survive | At first I was afraid I was petrified |
| A request to applaud with a cheerful fellow for ancient Romans who emotionally relate to atria, perhaps (3 / 11) | Happy | (Because I'm happy) / Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof |
| What Superman might say to his feminine counterpart, if they lived in an alternate universe where beings are fences (2 / 8 / 3 / 3) | Wonderwall | Because maybe / You're gonna be the one that saves me / And after all / You're my wonderwall |
| An explanation of why the group is staying up to watch North by Northwest instead of The Notebook (6) | Thriller | Cause this is thriller, thriller night |
| What an escaped bird might say at a therapy session (11) | Mr. Brightside | Coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine |
| What a young Prometheus might ask Epimetheus if they were titans of Europa instead of Earth (6) | Do You Want to Build a Snowman? | Do you wanna build a snowman? |
| How the "despicable" Gru may introduce himself (3) | Hello | Hello, it's me |
| When a doll in a dollhouse runs the marketing campaign for cosmetic surgery (8 / 5) | Barbie Girl | I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world / Life in plastic, it’s fantastic |
| How a boss starts a company meeting about Eurasian nomadic competitors (9) | I'll Make a Man Out of You | Let's get down to business to defeat the Huns |
| How one who freed a genie desires that they stay for the holidays, maybe (5 / 7) | All I Want for Christmas is You | Make my wish come true / All I want for Christmas is you |
| When a gambler and smoker recounts how they met the love of their life through their vices (6) | Bad Habits | My bad habits lead to you |
| How a fan of Batman might greet Dickie Greenleaf's actor (13) | Hey Jude | Naa na na na na na na, na na na na, hey Jude |
| The start of a tale where one's existence was capsized (8 / 7) | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Now this is a story all about how / My life got flipped turned upside down |
| An oneirologist's yielding response to a kid who claims that marshmallows form the worlds of Inception, perhaps (6 / 5) | Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) | Sweet dreams are made of this / Who am I to disagree? |
| What you could say to your interviewer or your boxing opponent (3) | Take on Me | Take on me |
| A description of the last Tarot card if it held Dracula's face (5) | Bullet with Butterfly Wings | The world is a vampire |
| What a passersby might scream about a young lady in a burning building (5) | Girl on Fire | This girl is on fire |
| A possible command to a sentient alarm clock for October 1st (6) | Wake Me Up When September Ends | Wake me up when September ends |
| How a touring bather from Svalbard might describe their frozen birthplace during the summer (10 / 9) | Immigrant Song | We come from the land of the ice and snow / From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow |
| A simile relating us to the allure of gravity-defying gemstones (7) | Diamonds | We're beautiful, like diamonds in the sky |
| What someone might ask while searching for the homeowner of an underwater fruit (8) | SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song | Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? |
| A phone jingle for a company that makes sculptures of the head and shoulders of spirits (4 / 1) | Ghostbusters | Who you gonna call / Ghostbusters |
| What a substitute teacher might say during roll call when multiple students answer to the name Marshall (8) | The Real Slim Shady | Will the real Slim Shady please stand up |
| A lemma that the lack of knowledge about one's attractiveness elevates said attractiveness (6 / 5) | What Makes You Beautiful | You don't know you're beautiful, oh-oh / That's what makes you beautiful |
Some cells in the grid have a number in them. These are for extraction. Index into the word for each cell, then read the letters left-right top-down to get
When the lord of the flies reserves a demon for you
This is a do-it-again clue for "BEELZEBUB HAS A DEVIL PUT ASIDE FOR ME", from Bohemian Rhapsody. This matches the _______ ____?___ ? at the end, so the answer is RHAPSODY.
Authors' Notes
The idea for this puzzle came from a friend of the authors making a joke post on Facebook. As far as we know, that person doesn't do Mystery Hunt, but just in case they do, we haven't told them about this puzzle. Thanks for the inspiration Rhett!
We aimed to get coverage of different genres and years, but on a reread, we don't have too many Gen Z songs. We apologize for not including the freshest beats of the day.