The structure of many songs is ABA, with an opening section A repeated at the end after section B, often known as the middle eight. In this puzzle, all eight-letter answers are the middle eight letters of song titles (popular or traditional), clued by an anagram of the remaining letters. Numbers in parentheses in these clues give the number of words in the title. Thus ROIL (1) would lead to (Li)LLIBURLE(ro).
ACROSS
1 CLONER (4)
7 People getting University’s list of courses (4)
10 Utter fool loses head after rejection of one (7)
11 Rebutted argument about Old English swain (5)
12 DR H.T. (3)
13 Aware of one negative vote from Paris (4, two words)
14 Sailor placed to go round lake (4)
17 Nobleman that is seen by King before the due time (7)
20 Lout in yard a gangster cut (5)
21 Some vacuous impersonal smiles (7)
23 Animal with end of hind foot trapped is unable to srtir (7)
26 Meadow has mum attaching line to control dog (5)
28 Run Act I in play – until this? (7)
30 Very interested in chanting? Not half (4)
34 Hooter’s sound one ignored (4)
35 ERGS (1)
36 Female lecturer rejected article (5)
37 Engineers agreement to occupy property? That’s a record (7)
38 Girl, one tucking into nuts (4)
39 PISA (3)
DOWN
1 Mysterious act, deposing duke with little power (4)
2 Just feasible? Ends in total disarray (4)
3 Grub mostly for party, on reflection (4)
4 Rioting lets us engage in fisticuffs (6)
5 Town that’s religious, in short (6)
6 Head of army base picked up as a deserter? (4)
7 I take in extinct bird’s fate (5)
8 HOGMEN (4)
9 T. ERRED (3)
15 A princess of operetta – or of opera (4)
16 Animal showing elements of muntjac or giraffe (5)
17 ITCHER (3)
18 Eastern prince always supporting a leader of Muslims (5)
19 HAG HAT (4)
22 Money and skill evident in trading area (4)
24 Man, a fool, going up to bore (6)
25 Fur wrap, new, could make you hot (6)
27 Outlay is penny? Close (5)
29 Fruit, no end of a splendid example (4)
31 A great deal for very little – head off (4)
32 Mountain – you’ll see the write on top of it (4)
33 Be dubious, rejecting wife’s claim (4)
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