The song hinted at by the puzzle is One, which features the refrain, “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.” The 5 theme answers are as follows:
- 13A, 28A, 23A – Three Dog Night – The late 60’s/early 70’s band that popularized (but did not write!) the song One.
- 1A – Magnolia – The soundtrack to this 1999 Paul Thomas Anderson movie prominently featured a version of One performed by Aimee Mann, first recorded in 1995 for a tribute album for the author of the song…
- 20D – Aerial – One was written and first performed by Harry Nillson on his album Aerial Ballet.
For no other reason than I heard it this week and thought it was interesting/hilarious, here is Paul F. Tompkins talking about attending a script reading for Magnolia.
All of the answers, with explanations:
1A – Magnolia – I + long(yearn) + am backwards (against the grain) + a
5A – Cliché – CLI (Just over 150 – 151 in roman numerals) + che (niche endings)
10A – Xia – X(unknown) + I + a (admit at first)
11A – True or False – dishonest, or anagrammed, “LeRue sat for”
12A – Piecemeal – Pie (baked good) + cemeal (cereal (cornflakes) with a new filling: a drop of milk (m) replacing the r)
13A – Three – hr (Human Resources) + tee (simple outerwear)
14A – Gazebo – Gaze (stare lovingly) + Bo (Bo Derek)
15A – Torment – men (dudes) amid tort (legal trouble)
19A – Grandpa – R (republican) in (middling) GA (Georgia) + ND (North Dakota) + PA (Pennsylvania)
21A – Sculpt – Scul (sound of mind, or skull) + PT (Barnum)
23A – Night – Nigh (close to) + t (the beginning)
26A – Reach into – Re (note) + a + chi (life force) + nto (not uncivilized, or anagrammed)
27A – Infestation – In + fe (iron) + station (train depot)
28A – Dog – D (five hundred) + o (or half) + g (1000)
29A – Seemed – seamed (stitched by the sound of it)
30A – Lapdesks – LAPD (Southern California cops) + esks (start to eat, swear, kibbitz, sometimes)
1D – Mixups – MX (missile) + I (solitary) + UPS (delivery company)
2D – Guatemala – Tea poured (anagrammed) into mug upright– Guatem + a la (as is done)
3D – On the mend – on (over) t (last of strict) + hem, end (limits)
4D – In utero – within mINUTE RObot
6D – Lo-fat – Loft (spacious floor-through apartment) + a
7D – Color – Col (lock up, strike (k) out) + or
8D – Elements – said Elle (French woman) + laments (bemoans)
9D – Goblet – Gob (old seadog) + let (commissioned)
16D – Roughened – Ghee (clarified butter) + Round (shell)
17D – Empanadas – Em (Dorothy’s aunt) + pa (father)+ nada (Jack, or nothing, in Spanish) + s (start to sample)
18D – Agencies – “can siege” diabolically, or anagrammed
20D – Aerial – Ariel (The Little Mermaid) in the sound
21D – Stamina – Animates (brings to life, almost – i.e., without the e) upside down (doing a handstand)
22D – Forges – Forages – a (scours for material lacking a)
24D – Gaffe – Gaffer – r (cutting off the tech…at the base)
25D – Taste – within fashionisTA STEreotypically