Amy

@Steve L of course it was. James Webb was the head of NASA in the 60s. I don't think he had time to write songs. But I wasn't talking about the clue. Only the answer.

@SP This was my experience with this puzzle too, and many others. For years I thought I could only finish a Saturday by looking stuff up. Often, I'd get stuck early on and look something up so I could get a foothold. Or I'd look up a clue or two at the end to finish up. Then I read here in the comments someone who said he thought every puzzle was doable but you just have to be patient and keep working at it. I decided to try it and, lo and behold, I can indeed finish almost every puzzle by myself, even when they seem insurmountable, like this one.

@SP The thing is, not only are they getting easier, but this one was even easier than recent Thursday puzzles. Case in point, the rebuses were marked with a circle. If you know where the rebus is, it's hardly a challenge -- especially if they are all the same word. And the fill was Monday-level. Thursday is my favorite puzzle. This did not live up to the day. I understand encouraging new solvers, but they can do Mondays and Tuesday to gain confidence and take on later-in-the-week puzzles only if they are ready for a challenge.