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The posters curse. Have just spotted another “lack of” word. It is the things we should forget rather than the second word of the song title.

Pretty happy with both title words being synonyms of the second song word TBH - Chambers lists both as synonyms, and the second as definition 6.

As per previous posters, the presence of both thematics is necessary to match the plurality of the song title - if the theme were Naked Footballers, say, which would admittedly be a bit Eye-ish, the corresponding title could be An Ode.

Title: I now understand the thematic significance of both 'stripped', and the singular form of the full words in the title being rendered thematic by their pairing.

But, i think it gets much tricksier - Chambers defines the unstripped second word of the puzzle title as:
"(first word of the puzzle title) of (second word of the song title)";

and the unstripped first word of the puzzle title as:
"absence... of (second word of the song title)"

So - the restored puzzle title is actually not a straightforward cryptic rendering of the song title, but instead, of the first word of the song title and two antitheses of the second word of the song title.

Or have I missed yet another layer??
Oy!

Oh, quixote!
When I was a contestant on Countdown many moons ago, I remember commenting to Della Thompson in Dictionary Corner that, in defining a word, "you're just using words to describe other words", Her response was "Yes, but don't tell anyone"!

dsc -
'snot me - 'sChambers.

You're right about the antitheses, quixote - but some words can have contradictory definitions. The second word in the theme's title is worth looking at in this respect.

In all my years using the expanded second word of the puzzle title I have never used it to mean the second word of the song title.
I see Chambers shows this usage and it makes sense now it is pointed out to me. You live and learn.

I have everything fully solved and it all makes sense in the grid, but there are still a few bits of rationale eluding me...

The sixth letter of the Across-related thematic material—where does it come from? I just can't see it.

13ac. Man in Louisiana holds old vessel (6)
I have what I believe to be the answer, for thematic reasons, but I haven't a clue how to get there from the wordplay.

18d. Tries hold, nearly hoisted on board ship (5)
Definition makes sense, as does the end of the wordplay, but I'm not sure about the rest.

Very fun puzzle, I really enjoyed catching onto the theme after what was (to my neophyte self) quite a slow break-in!

Chrisremo, there's four-letter 'hold' (retain) word , minus its last letter, going up (hoisted) inside the ship.

Chrisremo, re 13a, Louisiana is a bit of a red herring. It just means an (allegedly - though I've never seen or heard it) American term for man. That would give the first and last letters of the entry. Then o for old, and the remaining three letters are a word for a type of vessel.