Think Twice

Answer: BONO

Explanation: All four 8- or 9-letter themers contain two Us (and no other vowels), hinting at the BAND U2 (note also the YOU and YEW). The band's lead singer is BONO, born on May 10, the date of this puzzle's release and the answer to our meta! Note also how BOWL's clue could satisfy BONO (so we were two letters away from revealing the answer to the meta at the last-across entry!). Have a "Beautiful Day," everyone!

Cubs! Cubs!

haha you almost got me... I was all set to enter U2 and then THUNK TWICE when I reread the prompt. Fun one and lots of puntastic clues - thanks!

Fortunately I have found what I was looking for. I'm catching on to your mysterious ways!

I was groaning (not from the puns, honest) thinking the answer was a singer with a U in his first and last name. Then the brain latched on. Also noticed YOU and YEW. Nice one, Mikey!

Fun Puzzle!

I found what I was looking for. Thanks, Mikey.

Cute!

Nice homage on his birthday!

Well almost second guessed myself.

Thank you for the fun puzzle and accessible meta!

Fun puz! .....Solved the meta All Because of "You" :D ...Thanks, Mikey!

Well, you haven't lost The Edge on the puns. Thanks for the puzzle, Mikey!

D'oh. I spent a while looking for singers with 2 Us in their name and no other vowels. Then I saw Bono for the 4th time and kicked myself.

If only you could have worked "With or without U" somewhere into the clues.

had to come back and see it was a week one, cause I was WAY overthinking it.

Fun! Of course 20D was our favorite clue :)

After missing U2 as the solution to my first Muller Monthly Music Meta (January 2021), I've been waiting for my chance to atone for that stupidity. Finally, more than four years later, with the metanism to this puzzle, you gave me that opportunity. Thanks.

It’s such a Beautiful Day you solve a meta!

I was soooo in the MikeyG clever and interesting mechanism that I went WAY beyond a level 1 in my thinking. I saw 1A and thought, "that's clued oddly" and figured it has to do with doubling the letters BAAB of ABBA of course, and I tried to fit Agnetha or Anni-Fridd in there. BUt, yes, I said, ABBA is familiar but the singer is not. What about the last clue PRO- "well it could be BOBO but I don't know any group named that, odd, it could also be BONO". OK there are 4 themers and two have two words that almost sound alike, but if he was doing that it would have been LUNCHCRUNCH or LUNCHMUNCH. Oh, wait I see it there are two U's and also a YOU and a YEW, Mike wants me to think twice so W!!! Ok, look at all clues starting with W (and there seemed an abnormal number)...great idea, but gibberish (as opposed to a BeeGees song which would be Gibberish), OK then just clues with TWO W's - nope PAOHAH isn't a singer I know. AHA, with 4 themers and two YEW/YOU I get 5 W's so who, what, where...well there is a WHO, three WHAT's and a WHICH so NOPE. DANG IT...two U's, I know that 1A has to be involved because of how oddly it was written which means that 52A is probably also involved, but BAND YEW, YOU, Two U's and BOWL...hey wait a minute didn't I say earlier that "Pro-BOWL could be Pro-BONO, 2 Us....DUH Tom, DUH!!!

I'm surprised you didn't work in Option to include a certain evergreen in your yard; with or without ___.

I gotta remember that when you saw it is a level 1 it IS a level one, as opposed to mine which I think are a kitten and they end up being a Persian or Puma.

Thanks Mike

Big mistake. After I filled in the first two themers, I spotted the "two-U" theme and keeping the prompt in mind, I figured the answer would be Bono. I was filling in the grid fast -- not as fast as MikeyG in his videos, but fast. When I got to 52A "Pro ___," I had the B fiom CONFAB so I just filled in BONO. Then I spent a long time wondering. Isn't there a rule that you can't put the answer in the grid? I Googled just to make sure there wasn't some other lead singer. Nope.

I thought of the title. Maybe it meant, "You may think you have it with Bono, but since that's in the grid, you better think twice." Finally, I said f*** it, tried "Bono" as the answer almost certain that it would be wrong, but much to my surprise, it was correct. Then I looked through some of these comments, went back and looked at the correctly filled grid in Crosshare, and saw my "mistake."