September 10, 2022

Title: ABA SONG FORM

Constructor: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

TIME AFTER TIME (19A: 1983 Cyndi Lauper hit)

PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE (38A: 1984 Depeche Mode hit)

SORRY NOT SORRY (57A: 2017 Demi Lovato hit song)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is a SONG whose title follows the ABA FORM in that the first and last words are the same.

Things I learned:

• TE'O (49A: NFL player Manti ___) In college, Manti TE'O played for Notre Dame. During his senior year (2012) he was a contender for the Heisman Trophy (coming in second to Johnny Manziel). Manti TE'O played in the NFL until 2020, for the San Diego Chargers (2013-2016), New Orleans Saints (2017-2019), and Chicago Bears (2020). In 2012, Manti TE'O was the subject of a catfishing scandal, and that is the subject of a Netflix documentary released last month, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist. In this NBC article about the movie, Manti TE'O, who was born in Hawaii, says he hopes when people watch the documentary they see a man that "practiced what he preached about having the aloha spirit...choosing to love them rather than hate."
• INDIE (21D: Like a non-AAA video game) Not playing many video games, I was not familiar with the AAA terminology as applied to gaming. The term, borrowed from the bond ratings, has been used to refer to video games produced and distributed by mid-size and major publishers since the 1990s. INDIE video games, on the other hand, are those developed by individuals or small teams.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MINT (15A: Herb in tabbouleh) Tabbouleh is a salad in Mediterranean cuisine made of chopped parsley, tomatoes, MINT, onion, and bulgur combined with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I was in graduate school the first time I had tabbouleh. One of my fellow grad students had made it and I remember being struck by how fresh it tasted. Although I like tabbouleh, I've never made it, but I just bookmarked this tabbouleh recipe for the next time I have a supply of MINT.
• TIME AFTER TIME (19A: 1983 Cyndi Lauper hit) Although this puzzle offers plenty of options to choose from for an earworm, Cyndi Lauper's "TIME AFTER TIME" may well be the one to stick with me. It is the only one of the theme answers I am familiar enough with that I was able to fill it in without any help from crossing answers. We saw TIME AFTER TIME as a theme answer in the January 26, 2021 puzzle. That puzzle featured a similar theme, but the answers were not all song titles. We've also seen TIME AFTER TIME as a puzzle title, on December 7, 2021.
• TEN (23A: Number of points the Z is worth in Scrabble) I'm always happy to see a Scrabble clue. As I've previously shared, my history with the game of Scrabble dates back to before I was born. There are only two Scrabble tiles with a value of TEN points, the Z and the Q.
• PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE (38A: 1984 Depeche Mode hit) "PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE" was the first U.S. hit for the English band, Depeche Mode. This song definitely has earworm potential: "PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE, so why should it be / You and I should get along so awfully..."
• ISLAM (45A: Religion with five pillars) The Five Pillars of ISLAM are basic acts considered mandatory by believers, and are the foundation of Muslim Life. In Sunni ISLAM, the Five Pillars are Shahada (Profession of Faith), Salat (Prayer), Zakat (Almsgiving), Shawm (Fasting), and Hajj (Pilgrimage). Shia ISLAM has the same basic acts, but they differ in naming and numbering.
• SORRY NOT SORRY (57A: 2017 Demi Lovato hit song) If you don't have a song going through your head yet, here's another option, "SORRY NOT SORRY." Interestingly, the January 26, 2021 puzzle in which we saw TIME AFTER TIME as a theme answer, SORRY NOT SORRY was also a theme answer. However, although "TIME AFTER TIME" was clued as the song, SORRY NOT SORRY was not. For the record, puzzles with similar themes and repeated use of theme answers don't bother me. If I didn't write this blog and accumulate data about the puzzles, it's unlikely I would have even remembered we'd seen a similar theme almost two years ago.
• MEN (70A: "What ___ Want" (Taraji P. Henson rom-com)) In the 2019 movie What MEN Want, Ali Davis - played by Taraji P. Hensen - drinks a concoction that enable her to hear what MEN are thinking.
• NINA (59D: "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" singer Simone) In case the theme answers didn't offer enough earworm choices, here's another one, NINA Simone's 1969 song, "To Be Young, Gifted and Black." NINA Simone first performed this song at the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969, a performance that was included in the 2021 documentary movie, Summer of Soul.

Geography review:

• ITALY (25D: Country shaped like a boot) One of the reasons I added a Geography Review section to the blog shortly after it began is that geography is not my strong suit. However, I can identify ITALY on a map thanks to its characteristic boot shape. I also know that Sicily (which is part of Italy) is the island that ITALY appears to be kicking. The capital of ITALY is Rome.

The ABA SONG FORM refers to songs that have three parts, with the opening and closing sections being the same. A classic example of the ABA SONG FORM is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." In today's puzzle it is the SONG titles that exhibit the ABA FORM. I thought this was a fun twist on a classic theme type. In addition to the theme, I liked the answers SIDESTEPS, PEEP TOE, VROOM, and YOU LOST ME. Thank you, Enrique, for this puzzle that was an enjoyable way to start my Saturday.