| 100% | SIMPLYRED | 9 | “Holding Back the Years” band, whose first incarnation was the Frantic Elevators |
| 51% | TOTO | 4 | Band whose first hit was 1978's "Hold the Line" |
| 48% | ABBA | 4 | Band whose first hit in the US was "Waterloo" |
| 44% | RED | 3 | "Holding Back the Years" band Simply ___ |
| 43% | TEARSFORFEARS | 13 | 19-Across and 31-Across band whose first album in 18 years, "The Tipping Point," will be released tomorrow (3 wds.) |
| 42% | ABBA | 4 | Band whose new album "Voyage" is their first in 40 years |
| 42% | ARCADEFIRE | 10 | Indie rock band whose "The Suburbs" was the Grammys' 2010 Album of the Year |
| 42% | MCMIII | 6 | Year the first Tour de France was held |
| 42% | AUGUSTWILSON | 12 | "Fences" Tony-winning playwright whose first name is a month of the year (2 wds.) |
| 42% | JANUARYJONES | 12 | "Mad Men" Emmy nominee whose first name is a month of the year (2 wds.) |
| 42% | EON | 3 | The Hadean was the Earth's first, ending about 4 billion years back |
| 41% | MOTLEYCRUE | 10 | 1980s hair band whose first Top 20 hit was "Smokin' in the Boys Room" (2 wds.) |
| 41% | REM | 3 | Band whose debut album, "Murmur," was Rolling Stone's 1983 Album of the Year |
| 41% | REM | 3 | Band whose first hit single was "The One I Love" |
| 41% | PUMAS | 5 | Black ___, band whose "Colors" was nominated for a 2021 Grammy for Record of the Year |
| 40% | ZZTOP | 5 | Rock band whose name is suggested by the first row of this puzzle |
| 40% | REM | 3 | Band whose first top-10 hit was "The One I Love" |
| 40% | STARWARS | 8 | Movie whose first sequel was "The Empire Strikes Back": 2 wds. |
| 40% | CRUSOE | 6 | Fictional hero whose first words are "I was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York ..." |
| 40% | NANCI | 5 | Griffith whose backing band was called the Blue Moon Orchestra |
| 40% | GENIE | 5 | "Aladdin" character whose first line is "Oy! 10,000 years will give you such a crick in the neck!" |
| 40% | REM | 3 | Band whose first album was 1983's "Murmur" |
| 40% | REM | 3 | Band whose first single was "Radio Free Europe" |
| 40% | ABBA | 4 | Band whose song "I Still Have Faith in You" was Grammy-nominated for Record of the Year |
| 39% | JUNECARTERCASH | 14 | "Ring of Fire" songwriter and five-time Grammy winner whose first name is a month of the year (2 wds.) |
| 39% | ONEREPUBLIC | 11 | Pop band whose first hit was "Apologize" |
| 39% | BOGOTA | 6 | Capital whose first inhabitants were the Muisca |
| 39% | NEONPILL | 8 | Cage the Elephant studio album that was the band’s first in five years (May, 2024) |
| 39% | NEWYORKMARATHON | 15 | Event held on the first Sunday in November, and whose path is recreated in this puzzle |
| 39% | TESLA | 5 | Car company whose first model was the Roadster |