Muller Monthly Music Meta, February 2026

Title: “Pete’s Excellent Metas Deliver Ample Surprises” by Pete Muller, Mack Meller, and Andrew White
Prompt: The meta for this puzzle is a famous pop album.
Solution: “1989” by Taylor Swift

Muller Solving time: puz: 11ish
meta: DNF [3.75 avg; 2 ratings] rate it

Well, I used to miss Muller Metas 0 or 1 times per year, but now it’s happening all the !@#$%^* time! Come on, Pete — throw me a few easy ones so I get my confidence back!

Mathy puzzle this month, with several clues containing mathematical symbols. I’m leaving my usual brackets off clues this month to avoid confusion. First take the theme songs in the grid:

19-A: ((“A little old place where we can get together” + = LOVE SHACK. Great album. That song wasn’t even in the top 3 in my book.
29-A: “A hundred days have made me older”) / = HERE WITHOUT YOU
46-A: “I’m more than a bird. I’m more than a plane”) x = SUPERMAN
48-A: (“Hello there, the angel from my nightmare” – = I MISS YOU
61-A: (“In the city, the city of Compton, we keep it rockin'”) + = CALIFORNIA LOVE
77-A: (“Bow down before the one you serve …”) = HEAD LIKE A HOLE

So what’s happening? We’re doing some math, since each act represented here has a number in its name. Like so:

19-A: [((“A little old place where we can get together” +] = B-52s
29-A: [“A hundred days have made me older”) /] = 3 DOORS DOWN
46-A: [“I’m more than a bird. I’m more than a plane”) x] FIVE FOR FIGHTING
48-A: [(“Hello there, the angel from my nightmare” -] = BLINK-182
61-A: [“In the city, the city of Compton, we keep it rockin'”) = 2PAC
77-A:/86-A: [“Bow down before the one you serve …you’re going to get what you deserve” = NINE INCH NAILS

Now use the mathematical symbols and numbers in each clue to get this equation:

((52 + 3)/5) * (182 – 2) + 9 = contest answer 1989, which was released in 2014 (not relevant to the meta). I should add that I stupidly missed this meta by screwing up the math (and being so sure that my answer was correct, which was Prince’s “1999.” Oops!

Super-creative meta from Pete and the Gang. How did you do? Nobody tell Taylor that I messed this one up…she’ll be really upset with me and I don’t need that right now! Also, I have to admit that I still don’t get the title. Help!!

–Matt