Puzzle #17: Famous Last Words

I thought of this theme a few weeks ago, but my wife wisely suggested I hold it until President’s Day, so here we are. The word HOME is repeated, but hopefully that didn’t diminish your enjoyment. If you got even one of these songs stuck in your head while solving, I consider that a success.

In the trickiest spot (made tricky by my getting fancy with those long Downs), I initially had UPI crossing PBS, but thought that UTI/TBS was more interesting and about the same level of difficulty. I was pleased to give Cynthia ERIVO her crossword debut; though I know she’s not a household name (yet), she’s a Broadway star and will be appearing as Harriet Tubman in a movie later this year. Here she is performing a song from “The Color Purple” on the Tony Awards (starting at the 2:50 mark). Her star is rising, that’s for sure, and she’s sure to become a crossword staple thanks to her vowel-heavy and vowel-alternating name.

As for the clues, I resisted the urge to mention MAINE’s racist governor. You’re welcome.