| 100% | SAWYER | 6 | Tom __, Rush song inspired by a character |
| 54% | ROCKETMAN | 9 | 1972 hit song inspired by a Ray Bradbury story |
| 54% | LOLITA | 6 | Lana Del Rey song inspired by a Nabokov novel |
| 54% | MARIANA | 7 | Tennyson poem inspired by a character from “Measure for Measure” |
| 51% | MAD | 3 | ___ Hatter, DC supervillain inspired by a Lewis Carroll character |
| 50% | ANGOLA | 6 | "___, Louisiana" (Gil Scott-Heron song inspired by a dubious murder conviction of a 17-year-old) |
| 49% | LADY | 4 | ___ Gaga, "Poker Face" singer whose name was inspired by a Queen song |
| 49% | RADIOHEAD | 9 | "Paranoid Android" band whose name was inspired by a Talking Heads song |
| 49% | LAYLA | 5 | Title character of a song inspired by both a seventh-century Persian story and George Harrison's then-wife |
| 49% | LUCYINTHESKY | 12 | With 29-Across, Beatles song inspired by a drawing Julian Lennon made in nursery school: 4 wds. |
| 49% | GLASS | 5 | With 27 Across, 2022 film whose title was inspired by a Beatles song |
| 47% | CRACKLINROSIE | 13 | Neil Diamond song inspired by the music director of a Canadian radio station (2 wds.) |
| 47% | DEEP | 4 | ___ Purple, "Smoke on the Water" band whose name was inspired by a Peter DeRose song |
| 46% | NAENAES | 7 | Does a dance inspired by a Martin character |
| 46% | KENTUCKYWOMAN | 13 | Neil Diamond song inspired by female fans during a tour of the U.S. South (2 wds.) |
| 45% | LET | 3 | "___ It Snow," holiday classic inspired by a California heatwave that wasn't originally written as a Christmas song |
| 45% | ROLLING | 7 | The ___ Stones, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" band whose name was inspired by a Muddy Waters song |
| 45% | TUT | 3 | Egyptian king who inspired a novelty song by Steve Martin |
| 44% | STAN | 4 | Slang term for an obsessive fan, inspired by an Eminem song about such a person |
| 44% | JONHAMM | 7 | Emmy winner for portraying a character partially inspired by the Leo Burnett creative director Draper Daniels |
| 43% | PRETTYWOMAN | 11 | 1990 Garry Marshall film starring 17-Across and 28-Across whose title was inspired by a Roy Orbison song (2 wds.) |
| 43% | ICARUS | 6 | "Flight of ___," song by Iron Maiden that references a Greek mythological character |
| 43% | THOUSAND | 8 | "Death By a ___ Cuts," 2019 song by Taylor Swift that was inspired by the film "Someone Great" |
| 43% | ODDITY | 6 | "Space ___," 1969 song by David Bowie about a fictional astronaut named Major Tom |
| 42% | ARC | 3 | Story ___ (narrative path followed by a character) |
| 42% | WINDSOR | 7 | House inspired by a castle |
| 42% | HAMLET | 6 | "___ (Pow, Pow, Pow)" song by The Birthday Party featuring a famous Shakespearean literary character |
| 41% | AETNA | 5 | Company name inspired by a volcano |
| 41% | THEMOLDAU | 9 | Smetana composition inspired by a river |
| 41% | LUST | 4 | Emotion inspired by a hottie, maybe |