| 100% | SHEL | 4 | Silverstein who wrote the words and music for Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" |
| 50% | SHEL | 4 | Poet Silverstein who wrote "A Boy Named Sue," made popular by Johnny Cash |
| 47% | SHEL | 4 | Poet Silverstein who wrote the song "A Boy Named Sue" |
| 41% | SHEL | 4 | Silverstein who wrote "A Boy Named Sue" |
| 40% | SARA | 4 | Bareilles who wrote the music and lyrics for Broadway's "Waitress" |
| 38% | LEY | 3 | Writer Willy who wrote "The Conquest of Space" ('49) and for whom a crater is named on the far side of the moon |
| 38% | SARA | 4 | Singer Bareilles who wrote and composed the music for Broadway's "Waitress" |
| 37% | SARA | 4 | Bareilles who wrote the music and lyrics for "Waitress" |
| 37% | SONDHEIM | 8 | Stephen who wrote the music and lyrics for "Sweeney Todd" |
| 37% | SUE | 3 | "A Boy Named ___" (Johnny Cash song written by Shel Silverstein) |
| 37% | SUE | 3 | "A Boy Named ___" (Johnny Cash hit written by Shel Silverstein) |
| 35% | ALAN | 4 | Menken who wrote the music for "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" |
| 35% | SUE | 3 | "A Boy Named ___," Johnny Cash's highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 |
| 35% | SONY | 4 | Tech giant that originally got its name from a combination of the Latin word for sound and a slang term for a young boy |
| 35% | SUE | 3 | Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named ___" |
| 35% | SARABAREILLES | 13 | "Love Song" singer who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical "Waitress": 2 wds. |
| 35% | DOLLYPARTON | 11 | "Jolene" singer who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical "9 to 5": 2 wds. |
| 34% | CYNDILAUPER | 11 | "Time After Time" singer who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical "Kinky Boots": 2 wds. |
| 34% | WARIO | 5 | Video-game antagonist whose name is a portmanteau of the protagonist's name and the Japanese word for "bad" |
| 34% | SARABAREILLES | 13 | Singer/songwriter who wrote music and lyrics for the stage adaptation of "Waitress" (2 wds.) |
| 34% | NAMED | 5 | Johnny Cash's "A Boy ___ Sue" |
| 34% | NAMED | 5 | Johnny Cash's "A Boy __ Sue" |
| 33% | LYRICIST | 8 | One who writes the words for songs |
| 33% | SARABAREILLES | 13 | Singer-songwriter who wrote music and lyrics for the stage adaptation of the film "Waitress" (2 wds.) |
| 33% | BAIN | 4 | Donald who wrote a 1963 "memoir" seen in the first words of 17-, 30-, 46- and 60-Across |
| 33% | ECO | 3 | Umberto who wrote "The Name of the Rose" and "Foucault's Pendulum" |
| 32% | CARTLAND | 8 | English author Barbara, who wrote "The Wicked Marquis", and is referenced in the Guinness World Records for most novels published in a year |
| 32% | ECO | 3 | Umberto who wrote "Foucault's Pendulum" and "The Name of the Rose" |
| 32% | STYNE | 5 | Jule who wrote the music for "Funny Girl" |
| 32% | ALANMENKEN | 10 | EGOT winner who wrote the music for “Aladdin” |