History Main / MindControlMusic

** The villainous Fiddler is a master hypnotist who can focus his abilities through his violin. His successors are Virtuoso of the ''Comicbook/SuicideSquad'' and ''Comicbook/{{Hawkman}'' enemy Thrasher (who uses an electric guitar).

** The villainous Fiddler is a master hypnotist who can focus his abilities through his violin.

* The ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}} Bravestarr]]'' episode that served as a PoorlyDisguisedPilot for the never-produced ''Sherlock Holmes In the 23rd Century'' [[note]]Not to be confused with Creator/DIC's ''WesternAnimation/SherlockHolmesInThe22ndCentury''[[/note]] involved Moriarty using a kidnapped alien child with hypnotic singing powers to try to take over the world with a rock concert.

* The ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}} Bravestarr]]'' episode that served as a PoorlyDisguisedPilot for the never-produced ''Sherlock Holmes In the 23rd Century'' [[note]]Not to be confused with Creator/DIC's ''WesternAnimation/ShelockHolmesInThe22ndCentury''[[/note]] involved Moriarty using a kidnapped alien child with hypnotic singing powers to try to take over the world with a rock concert.

This is the preferred method of the EnthrallingSiren and indeed pops up a lot in mythology. The EvilDiva also has a good chance of utilizing her music to enslave her fans. A SnakeCharmer often uses this kind of music as well. May involve SubliminalSeduction. Subtrope of MagicMusic. Inverted by TheMusicMeister who uses MindControl to make music (although the TropeNamer did both).

* The Dazzlings from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'' naturally employ this, as the three of them are both {{Enthralling Siren}}s and {{Evil Diva}}s. They mostly use it as a HatePlague, but the influence they exert on Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna heavily implies that they're capable of more traditional mind control as well.
** One of their songs, "[[VillainSong Under Our Spell]]," is ''about'' this in addition to ''being'' it. Of course, they don't perform it until it's already too late to resist.

* [[EnthrallingSiren Sirens]] in Myth/GreekMythology. Listening to their song causes sailors to wish to dash their ships on the rocks just to get closer.

This is the preferred method of the EnthrallingSiren and indeed pops up a lot in mythology. The EvilDiva also has a good chance of utilizing her music to enslave her fans. A SnakeCharmer often uses this kind of music as well. May involve SubliminalSeduction. Subtrope of MagicMusic. Inverted by the TheMusicMeister who uses MindManipulation to make music (although the TropeNamer did both).

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/TheFlash https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fiddlers_fiddle_0001.png]]]]

Music has great power. It can [[MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast soothe the savage beast]], [[MusicForCourage inspire courage in the hearts of men]] with a [[MusicToInvadePolandTo stirring march]], or bring tears to your eyes with an eulogy of loss and longing. Is it really such a stretch to assume that, with the right resonance, the right voice, the right instrument, it can fully control the very hearts of man?

This is the preferred method of the EnthrallingSiren, and indeed pops up a lot in mythology. The EvilDiva also has a good chance of utilizing her music to enslave her fans. A SnakeCharmer often uses this kind of music as well. May involve SubliminalSeduction. Subtrope of MagicMusic. Inverted by the TheMusicMeister who uses MindManipulation to make music (although the TropeNamer did both).

* Used in episode 79 of ''Anime/LupinIIIPartII'' by Kyoransky, an eccentric musician and the episode's villain. Whomever hears Kyoransky's music sets out to attack Lupin in a violent rage.

** The villanous Fiddler is a master hypnotist who can focus his abilities through his violin.

* The movie of ''Film/JosieAndThePussycats'' features a plot to build subliminal messages into the music of manufactured pop bands.
* ''Film/{{Help}}'': In an scene dropped from the final movie, Music/TheBeatles, at an acting school, are put into a trance by droning music played by Clang and his thugs. A scene that was used has them trying again, all crammed in a phone booth calling the band up while they're in Scotland Yard. Clang intones "Go... to... the... ''window!''... Go... to... the... ''window!''"

** One (lost) episode of First Doctor serial "The Celestial Toymaker", has Dodo and Steven come to a dance-floor, with the supposed prize of the TARDIS and possible escape waiting on the other side of the room. But as soon as they come into contact with the dance-floor, music starts to play and they find their feet magically compelled to dance. Steven and Dodo must find a way to overcome the magic power of the music long enough to make it to the other side of the floor and their chance at escape.

* ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds1988'': This is the EvilPlan in "Choir of Angels", though only one person is the specific target -- a scientist working on the serum what will make the Martians immune to Earth's bacteria. Harrison inadvertently listens to the music and becomes affected, [[FantasticDrug leading to a painful withdrawal.]]

* There is a Swedish folktale about the village of Hårga where the [[{{Satan}} Devil]] is disguised as a musician appears and plays a song on his fiddle that is so captivating that everyone just keeps on dancing to it's tune. The dancing crowd is then lead out by the fiddler to the top of Mount Hårga where they keep on dancing until everyone drop dead and the peak of the mountain is flattened.

** Beuford the Bard has a magical mandolin which controls the minds of people who listen to its music.

* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': This is Stephanie's specialty, and it gets stronger the more people who join in.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' has a CanonForeigner named TheMusicMeister, whose singing hits a certain frequency to mind control anyone who hears it. Another effect: those who fall under his spell [[MusicalEpisode burst into song themselves]]. Franchise/{{Batman}} is able to create a device which dampens its power, though.

* This is the premise of the Japanese mobile rhythm game/multimedia franchise ''Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle''. Following the advent of WorldWarIII that resulted in women become the dominant ruling power in Japan, the remaining CastFullOfPrettyBoys, divided into groups controlling territories in the country, battle each other for control by using the titular Hypnosis Microphones, special microphones with the power to influence the subconscious of their audience, to duke it out in rap battles.

* Used in episode 79 of ''Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket'' by Kyoransky, an eccentric musician and the episode's villain. Whomever hears Kyoransky's music sets out to attack Lupin in a violent rage.

* "The Smurphony of the Night" from the ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' story of the same name was used by Lord Vladimir Smurfula to control Smurfette's mind to draw her closer to him. Near the end of the story, Empath is able to disrupt its effect on Smurfette by whistling [[ThemeTuneCameo the Smurfs theme song]].

* The Sebastian Saga's MO from ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies. In "A Thing For Musicians", he tried to take over the world using a budding pop star's music. In "Stark Raving Mad", he used a rage-inducing song to make rave-goers destroy the spies' favorite hangouts, including Beverly Hills High School.

* ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'': The Phantom hypnotises Christina in the [[DarkReprise reprise]] of angel of music.

* The BigBad of the ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' series is [[spoiler:[[DumbassDJ DJ Octavio]], who uses his music to brainwash and control the Octarians]].
** The same series also features [[spoiler: an ''inversion'']] in the EarWorm known as [[spoiler:Calamari Inkantation, which is the signature song of the [[IdolSinger Squid Sisters]]. It's somehow able to override the brainwashing effects of Octavio's music: even the top-ranking Octarian engineer [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 Marina]] performed a HeelFaceTurn after hearing it]], as proven by [[spoiler: the second Sunken Scroll of the sequel and ''especially'' by the Octo Expansion's chat logs.]]

* The Satomi Tadashi pharmacy store jingle in ''VideoGame/Persona1'' and ''[[VideoGame/Persona2 2]]'' is an {{Earworm}} designer to brainwash the customers. In some cases,it's working.

* ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds''. This is the EvilPlan in "Choir of Angels", though only one person is the specific target -- a scientist working on the serum what will make the Martians immune to Earth's bacteria. Harrison inadvertently listens to the music and becomes affected, [[FantasticDrug leading to a painful withdrawal.]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'' Trilogy, Magnifico the jester uses a special musical instrument/holographic projector [[spoiler: which amplifies his own psychic powers]] to influence people's emotions and, in at least one case, to actually kill someone.

* ''Disney/HomeOnTheRange'': Cattle rustler Alameda Slim uses mind-control ''yodeling'' to put all the cows under his control. Luckily, tone-deaf Grace is immune to it and manages to snap Maggie and Calloway back to their senses.