Heroine in Verdi's Il Trovatore / SAT 5-2-20 / Obsessive fan slangily / Title song character who's asked Did your mom get back from her business trip / Slangy phrase following unpopular opinion / Do-si-do do

Constructor: Paolo Pasco

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (6:20)

THEME: none

Word of the Day:"STACY's Mom" (50A: Title song character who's asked "Did your mom get back from her business trip?") —

"Stacy's Mom" is a pop rock song by American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It is the third track on their third studio album, Welcome Interstate Managers. "Stacy's Mom" was released on the radio on May 20, 2003. The song was released as the lead single from Welcome Interstate Managers on September 29, 2003, through S-Curve Records and Virgin Records. "Stacy's Mom" was written by bassist Adam Schlesingerand vocalist Chris Collingwood, both of whom produced the song alongside Mike Denneen. Its subject matter was inspired by a friend of Schlesinger's when he was young who had a crush on his grandmother. It is a power pop song with which the group hoped to emulate the sound of The Cars.

"Stacy's Mom" reached number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's highest-charting hit in the United States. Additionally, the song peaked within the top 10 in Ireland and the top 20 in the United Kingdom and Australia. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 500,000 copies, and it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Pop Performance. The song was accompanied with a music video in which model Rachel Hunter plays the titular role. "Stacy's Mom" was the only mainstream hit by Fountains of Wayne.

The song has been frequently misattributed to pop punk band Bowling for Soup, who in response released their own cover version of the song in 2011. (wikipedia)

Well, helloooooo, Friday puzzle! Where were you yesterday, when I needed you most!? Oh well, better late than never, I guess. This one was more Friday-like in terms of difficulty *and* in terms of my enjoyment level than yesterday's ho-hummer, and I solved it (mostly) with great joy. Paolo Pasco simply doesn't disappoint. I don't think I've ever disliked one of his puzzles. That might not be 100% true, but it feels true. He's like Robyn Weintraub, in that I see his name on the byline and I feel certain I'm in good hands. It's a rare, nice feeling. Love the slanginess of this one ("... SAID NO ONE EVER,""DENY, DENY, DENY!") as well as the highly varied, wide-ranging fill. Written by a teenager, and it feels it (at times, in a good way) but it doesn't *over*-feel it. This thing goes from "Il Trovatore" to Mary Poppins to "STACY's Mom" (nice nod to co-songwriter and Fountains of Wayne co-founder Adam Schlesinger, who died of COVID-related illness last month). As modern as STAN and as old-fashioned as LAND'S SAKES ALIVE!—which, honestly, is the only weak part of the puzzle—not because it's quaint and bygone and olde-tymey, but because it's an unholy mashup of many different expressions: "Land's sakes!""Sakes alive!""My lands!" Who says all of those things at once!? A HOEDOWN chaperone? Seems pretty ... STAGY to me.


Was able to get into this one pretty easily via a few accurate Downs, namely: RIDS, EDS, HOEDOWN, INS, NEA, and GRETA. Built the top from there. Swung back around to the west where the "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" name wasn't in my repertoire but somehow ... honestly, for no good reason, LEONORA just came to me, with only the "L" and "N" in place (14D: Heroine in Verdi's "Il Trovatore"). I surprised myself when I plunked it down and the crosses started checking out. Had SLOP for GLOP (not *great* fill, but since I had to endure GLOOPS earlier this week, it seems fine). Had SOAPY for STAGY (34D: Excessively theatrical). Had STOIC for STONY (46D: Poker-faced). Got -STOCK and -TANK and was not immediately sure what words were supposed to precede them, but "DENY, DENY, DENY" went across easily, and I just built the lower part of the grid from there. Finished up at VOW (41A: Reason to raise one's hand), which, before I read the clue, I had entered as LOW. Turns out I had LIVID instead of VIVID for 41D: Striking. I think something that's LIVID can be striking. Anyway, this puzzle was striking. Good, smooth fun, overall.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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