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"It's Not You, It's Me" (Meta)

· By Alex Sisti · Published 2022-12-19T13:00:44.845Z

Meta Prompt
The answer to this meta is a singer/songwriter
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • Abide solved 2022-12-19T03:25:17.541Z
  • Meg solved 2022-12-19T13:46:34.223Z
  • Cindy Weatherman solved 2022-12-19T13:47:36.799Z
  • Hector solved 2022-12-19T14:26:45.241Z
  • whimsy solved 2022-12-19T15:51:27.983Z
  • Bbaack solved 2022-12-19T16:25:56.149Z
  • boharr solved 2022-12-19T18:10:44.116Z
  • woozy solved 2022-12-19T18:13:51.005Z
  • imontoo solved 2022-12-19T18:36:09.277Z
  • markhr solved 2022-12-19T19:33:18.354Z
  • Dave C solved 2022-12-19T21:26:05.431Z
  • Gutman solved 2022-12-19T21:28:28.558Z
  • Mwoychick solved 2022-12-19T21:59:49.682Z
  • I K Snamhcok solved 2022-12-20T00:04:07.959Z
  • KayW solved 2022-12-20T00:12:43.014Z
  • Darth solved 2022-12-20T01:21:52.198Z
  • SJMcK solved 2022-12-20T01:27:18.868Z
  • Schmeel solved 2022-12-20T03:44:45.105Z
  • frostyjhammer solved 2022-12-20T03:47:00.355Z
  • oldjudge solved 2022-12-20T04:53:05.708Z
  • DrTom solved 2022-12-20T06:29:43.308Z
  • Pair O Ducks solved 2022-12-20T14:31:57.113Z
  • dplass solved 2022-12-20T15:34:31.707Z
  • THC solved 2022-12-20T16:17:12.674Z
  • HeadinHome solved 2022-12-20T18:34:34.241Z
  • Jaclyn solved 2022-12-20T23:28:55.586Z
  • heidi solved 2022-12-20T23:40:02.051Z
  • ajk solved 2022-12-21T01:05:23.069Z
  • Alvibu67 solved 2022-12-21T06:34:18.352Z
  • Cindy Heisler solved 2022-12-21T12:50:22.880Z
  • edestlin solved 2022-12-21T12:51:31.360Z
  • FrankieHeck solved 2022-12-21T12:56:42.488Z
  • BarbaraK solved 2022-12-21T13:15:11.690Z
  • minimuggle solved 2022-12-21T13:42:18.210Z
  • BrennerTJ solved 2022-12-21T14:13:24.177Z
  • DIS solved 2022-12-21T15:55:24.712Z
  • DebbieC solved 2022-12-21T21:50:28.505Z
  • wendy walker solved 2022-12-21T22:03:40.090Z
  • Laura M solved 2022-12-21T23:11:08.676Z
  • Teamdoubletow solved 2022-12-22T01:07:24.771Z
  • Jim Dean solved 2022-12-22T05:23:29.884Z
  • rjy solved 2022-12-22T15:39:06.879Z
  • Richard solved 2022-12-22T17:56:27.580Z
  • Ergcat solved 2022-12-22T17:57:59.843Z
  • ReB solved 2022-12-23T03:42:57.827Z
  • jbird solved 2022-12-23T20:24:32.145Z
  • CPJohnson solved 2022-12-24T00:29:20.867Z
  • lbray53 solved 2022-12-24T12:56:13.520Z
  • Sharkicicles solved 2022-12-25T01:46:15.327Z
  • Charles Montpetit solved 2022-12-28T18:08:33.669Z

Comments

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  • Meg 3s · 2022-12-19T14:37:51.774Z
    I found the first name and based on that, the answer. I can’t backsolve the last name.
    • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-19T17:02:03.984Z
      Yeah, all there was was the first name... and a hope that people knew the song (or at least the phrase).
      • Meg 3s · 2022-12-19T17:46:48.947Z
        Must not overthink! I thought of the song, but the 2 halves of my brain do not always communicate. Thanks to your comment I can quit wondering what I missed.
        • dplass 8:56 · 2022-12-19T18:43:30.459Z
          Quite a few Neils... Diamond, Young.
          • KayW 🤓10:29 · 2022-12-20T00:14:22.568Z
            Doh! My first guess was Neil Diamond since the U-Ps sort of form a DIAMOND shape. Eventually my ol' brain clicked on the song. Fun one! (and glad I didn't miss part of it). Thanks, Al!
        • Hector 4s · 2022-12-19T14:27:42.285Z
          That was hard to do!
          • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-19T17:01:02.053Z
            Well played, brother!
            • whimsy 29:33 · 2022-12-19T19:09:14.201Z
              Oh, now I understand your phrasing! A little slow but I get there!
            • boharr 5s · 2022-12-19T14:48:04.799Z
              Thanks, Al. And Merry Christmas.
              • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-19T17:01:14.609Z
                And to you, Bob...
              • whimsy 29:33 · 2022-12-19T16:29:14.775Z
                Hmm -- Just had a thought: "Breaking" UP is hard to do? I'm going with that! :)
                • whimsy 29:33 · 2022-12-19T16:22:17.069Z
                  Yup, pretty tough grid.
                  I may have taken a short cut but I went with the S as an initial. There were 3 obvious possibilities and I didn't see any letters forming a diamond, or kittens puppies and babies. But if the entry for Amateur ended up being NEWBIE, there could have been trouble!
                  Thanks, Al. I'm putting you on Santa's list.
                  • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-19T17:06:01.945Z
                    The phrase/metanism was breaking "up," and the hope was (since I didn't spell out a last name) that some solvers, say, "of a certain age," would recall "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." And thanks, I think (Santa has two lists!).
                    • HeadinHome 🤓2:45 · 2022-12-20T18:38:24.129Z
                      OHHHH… uh huh. I still like Diamond, though.
                  • Bbaack 31:19 · 2022-12-19T16:28:01.172Z
                    And I thought Neil Young was old! Fun meta, thanks!
                    • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-19T17:08:06.120Z
                      He is! Interestingly enough, by the time Neil Sedaka had a hit with his second/slower version of this song, Neil Young already had several hits... so everything old is new again.
                    • imontoo 5s · 2022-12-19T18:40:29.732Z
                      Nice one!
                      • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-19T19:08:15.147Z
                        Thanks!
                      • woozy 15:13 · 2022-12-19T18:18:37.479Z
                        Neil Diamond cause... it's in the shape of a diamond? ... Nope.
                        Neil Young... because ....well, one can always encode Young somehow and "Forever Young"? .... Nope.
                        Neil Sedaka because ... well, when I google "singer songwriter Neil" it comes up?.... YEP!!
                        Okay, .... now to backsolve.
                        • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-19T19:09:13.578Z
                          Hey, deduction and process of elimination are valid approaches! (so you've got the right singer/songwriter).
                        • woozy 15:13 · 2022-12-19T19:04:41.957Z
                          Oh! And now I get the title! (after trying SMENPORCH, and EQMEIPYOUNT, etc)
                          • markhr 🤓16:57 · 2022-12-19T19:52:01.803Z
                            Finally got it. Well done, Al. Good cluing—I especially liked 24D.
                            • Dave C 3s · 2022-12-19T21:29:11.773Z
                              I got the Neil like most everyone else and then realized that the title is commonly used for "breaking up", which is what we did to get Neil. It was then easy to get to "Breaking up is hard to do" by Neil Sedaka.
                              • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-20T12:30:46.680Z
                                Perfect.
                              • Mwoychick 🤓16:14 · 2022-12-19T22:00:49.059Z
                                Thanks for the puzzle, Al - great clues and fill, and a satisfying solution (got it with my third Neil)
                                • I K Snamhcok 1s · 2022-12-20T00:05:07.865Z
                                  Cute!
                                  • Pair O Ducks 11:57 · 2022-12-20T14:38:22.908Z
                                    A little googling went a long ways for this too-young solver, and now I have a new song stuck in my head! Love seeing Andre Norton included in a puzzle, too.
                                    • Alex Sisti constructor · 2022-12-20T18:37:18.778Z
                                      Yeah, he... uh, she...is great. I'm not much into sci-fi, but I did read 2250 A.D. decades ago. Might have been the first adult chapter book I ever read.
                                    • THC 🤓4:34 · 2022-12-20T16:26:44.174Z
                                      Thanks, Al! I also guessed Neil Diamond first.
                                      • HeadinHome 🤓2:45 · 2022-12-20T18:35:31.195Z
                                        okay but it’s ALSO a Neil DIAMOND! Connect the NEIL letters! (I’ll see if I can figure out the Sedaka trail… all I know for sure is Neil.)
                                        • Cindy Heisler 2s · 2022-12-21T13:06:30.879Z
                                          I got the first name right away, but it took me a minute to get the "breaking UP". He is one of my favorite singers and this song was played over and over in my house. A few years ago he made a kid's book "Waking Up is Hard to Do" using this Melody. My granddaughters (and I) loved it. Great meta.Thanks, Al!
                                          • BrennerTJ 🤓1:12 · 2022-12-21T14:15:17.256Z
                                            But you made it look easy...
                                            • wendy walker 3s · 2022-12-21T22:07:32.888Z
                                              My first guess, for already stated geometrical reasons, was Neil Diamond. I commented on the Tuesday night Muggle call that I kept thinking of George Costanza using that "It's not you, it's me" line when he broke up with the chopstick-hairdo girlfriend and did some quick Googling. Success! A great pop tune.
                                              • Laura M 🤓26:57 · 2022-12-21T23:21:42.507Z
                                                I was 90% sure it was Diamond, and then tried Young when that didn't work (although I thought "It's Not You" in the title might be intended to steer us away from him). I still had Sedaka in mind but at that point I thought I was completely off base and should wait to be 100% sure. The nudges got me there, although the meta title also makes me think of "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," which Neil Diamond wrote for The Monkees :-) Happy Holidays and thanks for the puzzle!
                                                • HeadinHome 🤓2:45 · 2022-12-22T01:39:21.151Z
                                                  As usual, the clever cluing full of the personality we have come to know and love. (so is the meta… a classic Dr. Tome). Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
                                                  • HeadinHome 🤓2:45 · 2022-12-22T01:41:11.242Z
                                                    OOPS!! I tabbed back to the wrong Crosshare board! Go do Dr. Tom’s fun Christmas MEOW. ( :
                                                    • rjy 4s · 2022-12-22T15:49:51.232Z
                                                      Add me to the solid NEIL DIAMOND contingent because of geometry… and like woozy, went to YOUNG and only later took a stab at SEDAKA. Got the backsolve from comments here and from a subsequent muggle nudge.
                                                      Odd that UP is the operative word here when the lyrics are so chock full of DOWN dooby doo DOWN DOWN 🤣
                                                      Thanks, Al… Merry, Merry, Happy, Happy all!
                                                      • Ergcat 20:12 · 2022-12-22T18:01:27.672Z
                                                        Finally…Got “NeiL” but then I misinterpreted a nudge and was led astray for a bit! Sorry for the guesses! Good one!
                                                        • KayW 🤓10:29 · 2022-12-22T21:35:04.578Z
                                                          Al - this is a VERY cool meta. I gotta ask... was it hard to do?
                                                          • ReB 3s · 2022-12-23T03:47:29.793Z
                                                            On the second try. First try before nudges I tried Neil Diamond because 42A referenced talc as 1 on the Mohs scale, and diamond is 10 on the Mohs scale. When that failed I tried several iterations with google and then I posted "with a wing and a prayer".
                                                            1A
                                                            Unit of power
                                                            1
                                                            2
                                                            3
                                                            4
                                                            5
                                                            6
                                                            7
                                                            8
                                                            9
                                                            10
                                                            11
                                                            12
                                                            13
                                                            14
                                                            15
                                                            16
                                                            17
                                                            18
                                                            19
                                                            20
                                                            21
                                                            22
                                                            23
                                                            24
                                                            25
                                                            26
                                                            27
                                                            28
                                                            29
                                                            30
                                                            31
                                                            32
                                                            33
                                                            34
                                                            35
                                                            36
                                                            37
                                                            38
                                                            39
                                                            40
                                                            41
                                                            42
                                                            43
                                                            44
                                                            45
                                                            46
                                                            47
                                                            48
                                                            49
                                                            50
                                                            51
                                                            52
                                                            53
                                                            54
                                                            55
                                                            56
                                                            57
                                                            58
                                                            59
                                                            60
                                                            Across
                                                            1. 1A
                                                              Unit of power
                                                            2. 5A
                                                              Part of a geisha's attire
                                                            3. 8A
                                                              Antagonist of AMC's "Hell on Wheels," with "The"
                                                            4. 13A
                                                              Blue shade
                                                            5. 14A
                                                              Split
                                                            6. 15A
                                                              Brings together
                                                            7. 16A
                                                              "Florida room," essentially
                                                            8. 18A
                                                              Start of many Hope and Crosby movies
                                                            9. 19A
                                                              Fork features
                                                            10. 20A
                                                              Singing contest in which everyone loses
                                                            11. 22A
                                                              States as fact
                                                            12. 23A
                                                              ___ Special
                                                            13. 26A
                                                              Some toothpastes
                                                            14. 27A
                                                              Losing streak?
                                                            15. 28A
                                                              Start to man or maiden
                                                            16. 29A
                                                              MDs and RNs work there
                                                            17. 30A
                                                              Minnesota ___
                                                            18. 31A
                                                              Imposing residences
                                                            19. 33A
                                                              In pain
                                                            20. 34A
                                                              Called
                                                            21. 35A
                                                              The old college try
                                                            22. 38A
                                                              This, for one
                                                            23. 39A
                                                              "This one's on me!"
                                                            24. 42A
                                                              #1 on the Mohs scale
                                                            25. 43A
                                                              Female lobsters
                                                            26. 44A
                                                              Parts company
                                                            27. 45A
                                                              Company parts
                                                            28. 48A
                                                              Marine ___
                                                            29. 49A
                                                              Mosquito-borne disease
                                                            30. 50A
                                                              Writer Norton, called the "Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy" (who I thought, for too many years to admit, was a grand guy...)
                                                            31. 51A
                                                              Plod
                                                            32. 53A
                                                              Rodin, for one
                                                            33. 55A
                                                              "May you live 100 years!" in Poland
                                                            34. 56A
                                                              See 39A
                                                            35. 57A
                                                              Drift away
                                                            36. 58A
                                                              You can't ignore them...
                                                            37. 59A
                                                              ...because these guys won't ignore you
                                                            38. 60A
                                                              Piece of mind?
                                                            Down
                                                            1. 1D
                                                              Gradual dissipation
                                                            2. 2D
                                                              Agog with anticipation
                                                            3. 3D
                                                              Does a boring job?
                                                            4. 4D
                                                              Dies out
                                                            5. 5D
                                                              That hockey guy again...no! Sheena Easton's birthname
                                                            6. 6D
                                                              Talk about people when they're not around
                                                            7. 7D
                                                              Takes a breath
                                                            8. 8D
                                                              "___ John B.," Beach Boys song
                                                            9. 9D
                                                              He was always getting sand kicked in his face in a series of Charles Atlas ads
                                                            10. 10D
                                                              Makes beloved
                                                            11. 11D
                                                              "Silent Spring" subject
                                                            12. 12D
                                                              Paul Anka hit, "___ Beso"
                                                            13. 15D
                                                              Scottish hillside
                                                            14. 17D
                                                              CIA forerunner
                                                            15. 21D
                                                              "A Hard Day's ___," fictional parody album featuring Eric Idle and Neil Innes
                                                            16. 24D
                                                              Nighttime table leg locator
                                                            17. 25D
                                                              Naval rank (abbr.)
                                                            18. 27D
                                                              Take off suddenly
                                                            19. 30D
                                                              Not against
                                                            20. 31D
                                                              Pin cushions?
                                                            21. 32D
                                                              ___ Popovic, hot Serbian blues singer/guitarist
                                                            22. 33D
                                                              Comfortable in a crowd
                                                            23. 34D
                                                              Business trip expense
                                                            24. 35D
                                                              Hot time in Paris
                                                            25. 36D
                                                              Website's information booth
                                                            26. 37D
                                                              Bewilder
                                                            27. 38D
                                                              Pieces of cartilage
                                                            28. 39D
                                                              Car roof style
                                                            29. 40D
                                                              Give the okay to
                                                            30. 41D
                                                              Cast the deciding volts
                                                            31. 43D
                                                              Spike Jonze movie about a man in the final stages of his divorce
                                                            32. 44D
                                                              Amateur
                                                            33. 46D
                                                              Appeals (not a kangaroo word, but definitely a letter bank)
                                                            34. 47D
                                                              K follower
                                                            35. 48D
                                                              James' "East of Eden" role
                                                            36. 51D
                                                              W.W. II craft: Abbr.
                                                            37. 52D
                                                              Actress Hagen, from "The Other" (adapted from Tom Tryon's incredible debut novel)
                                                            38. 54D
                                                              Delivery company, and a hint to solving this meta
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