| 100% | CHEEKS | 6 | "Nice and rosy" things in the song "Sleigh Ride" |
| 50% | SEA | 3 | "Shining" thing in the song "America the Beautiful" |
| 47% | THELAW | 6 | In the song, Bobby Fuller fought it, and it won |
| 47% | MITTENS | 7 | Items of apparel in the song "My Favorite Things" |
| 46% | ATREE | 5 | "___ in the Park" (Rodgers and Hart song) |
| 45% | CANDLE | 6 | __ in the Wind, song by Taupin and John |
| 45% | PETSOUNDS | 9 | Beach Boys album with the hit "Wouldn't It Be Nice" ... or things hidden in 17-, 31-, 37- and 49-Across |
| 44% | YOUNG | 5 | In the saying and song, only the good die this way |
| 44% | BROWNSKINGIRL | 13 | “The best thing in the world,” per a 2019 Beyoncé song |
| 43% | IVES | 4 | Currier & ___ (company referred to in the Christmas song "Sleigh Ride") |
| 43% | TAX | 3 | Nice thing about purchases in Delaware and Oregon |
| 43% | BELLE | 5 | The first song in "Beauty and the Beast" |
| 43% | APHRODITE | 9 | Goddess mentioned in the song "She's So High," after Cleopatra and Joan of Arc |
| 43% | MOTTST | 6 | N.Y.C. thoroughfare in the Rodgers and Hart song "Manhattan" |
| 43% | NELLY | 5 | Rapper with the songs "Hot in Herre" and "Air Force Ones" |
| 43% | KEVINHART | 9 | The actor and comedian in Ride Along and Jumanji |
| 42% | SPEEDTRAPS | 10 | Things feared in the 80s and 90s? |
| 42% | BELLE | 5 | First song in "Beauty and the Beast" |
| 42% | GOT | 3 | First book in the series "A Song of Ice and Fire," familiarly |
| 42% | BUCKLEUP | 8 | Strap yourself in and prepare for the ride |
| 42% | ITSAHELLUVATOWN | 15 | Lyric in the song named by the starts and ends of 19-, 27-, 45- and 53-Across |
| 42% | COLOR | 5 | Thing cued in the game Hues and Cues |
| 41% | LONG | 4 | Lengthy, just like the song titles in 21a, 28a, 52a, 7d, and 43d |
| 41% | SURF | 4 | Drop in and ride the barrel, at the beach |
| 41% | HESA | 4 | "___ Tramp," Peggy Lee song in "Lady and the Tramp" |
| 41% | COMES | 5 | What's between here and the sun, in song? |
| 41% | RUBYDEE | 7 | Actress in "Do the Right Thing" and the "Roots" miniseries |
| 41% | SADIE | 5 | Title woman in songs by the Beatles and the Spinners |
| 41% | RUT | 3 | Stuck in a ___ (doing the same thing over and over) |
| 40% | DANCING | 7 | "___ in the Street," song covered by David Bowie and Mick Jagger that was recorded in 1985 |