History Main / MockingMusic

** Pictured above from ''[[Recap/TintinExplorersOnTheMoon Explorers on the Moon]]'': The gang are left with a very limited time to repair the ship before they run out oxygen, so they listen to Radio-Klow while working to keep their spirits up... and as soon as it comes on, the announcer says they'll be playing Schubert's "The Gravedigger".

Related to ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere and TheWorldMocksYourLoss. SisterTrope to YourTelevisionHatesYou. A SuperTrope to LosingHorns, where it's just a musical sting that's used for mockery. Compare and contrast AMFMCharacterization, when the character's taste in radio listening also tells us something about their personality, but by choice instead of coincidence. See also SuspiciouslyAproposMusic, when a character is a musician InUniverse and provides a song that seems to comment on the story.

Related to ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere and TheWorldMocksYourLoss. SisterTrope to YourTelevisionHatesYou. A SuperTrope to LosingHorns, where it's just a musical sting that's used for mockery. Compare and contrast AMFMCharacterization, when the character's taste in radio listening also tells us something about their personality, but by choice instead of coincidence.

[[quoteright:263:[[ComicBook/{{Tintin}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mocking_music.png]]]]

-->-- ''Series/TheXFiles'', "Vienen"

* Franchise/{{Tintin}}:

** "[[Recap/TintinLandOfBlackGold Land Of Black Gold]]": In the original French version, The Thom(p)sons listen to the song "''Boum''" by Charles Trenet being used as an advertising jingle on their car radio when their car explodes.

* ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'': When RidiculousProcrastinator Peter is trying to cram for his finals the night before, he hurls a book at the stereo when "Time Is On My Side" by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} comes on; bitterly commenting that some songs are not intended for students.

* In ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromitCurseOfTheWereRabbit'', when Gromit is on a stake-out for the were-rabbit, he turns on the radio. It starts playing [[Music/SimonAndGarfunkel Art Garfunkel]]'s "Bright Eyes", from ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'', and he turns it off again.

* In ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' when [[TomatoInTheMirror the final four Cylons activate]] they repeatedly hear music playing, a song that only they can hear and [[WaxingLyrical repeat seemingly nonsense phrases]] [[spoiler: which turn out to be the lyrics to "All Along the Watchtower."]]

* ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond'': In one episode the squad gets an eccentric mentor who likes pancakes and the song "I Walk the Line". The day after their mentor [[spoiler: [[MentorOccupationalHazard is killed]]]] the Squad gets pancakes for breakfast (and subsequently dumps them out the airlock) while the song "I Walk the Line" plays.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'', episode "Vienen": Agents Mulder and Doggett are pursued by oil rig crew members who have been infected by [[TheVirus the alien black oil]]. They are banging on the door of the communications room. Mulder blocks the door by any furniture he can find and Doggett tries to get the radio working. The static changes to ''The Music/RideOfTheValkyries''.

* ''Series/StrangersWithCandy'': In an episode centered around eating disorders, Jerri is constantly bombarded by a song on the radio about someone who is very fat. There's even a Spanish version.
-->'''Jerri:''' [[LampshadeHanging I can't believe that's the #1 song!]]

** While Hobbes tries to relax with the radio [[TheTonsillitisEpisode as Calvin gets a tonsillectomy]], the [[RuleOfThree three]] songs he hears are "[[WesternAnimation/GarfieldSpecials So Long Old Friend]]", "Yesterday" by Music/TheBeatles, and "Missin' You".
** Inverted with a happy song that matches their feelings. When they reunite, the radio plays "[[WesternAnimation/GarfieldSpecials Together Again]]".

* From ''[[WesternAnimation/GarfieldSpecials Garfield in the Rough]]'', a broadcast about a vicious black leopard that had escaped from the zoo is followed with:

* In ''Film/GuessWho'' (the race-inverted remake of ''Film/GuessWhosComingToDinner''), the SaltAndPepper father and future son-in-law are driving along in steely silence to avoid talking about the big issue on their minds. The boy turns on the radio for a distraction and goes through a rote of such situationally ironic songs as "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul [=McCartney=] and Stevie Wonder, "Brother Louie" by Hot Chocolate, and "Walk On The Wild Side" by Lou Reed, just as it's singing:

--->'''Woman on radio:''' [[BlackComedyBurst So long, old friend!]] [[MythologyGag I wish that I could see you once again-]]\\

--->'''Bart:''' ''[whining]'' I'm tired. I'm hungry. Can't we just buy a new house?\\
'''Marge:''' Oh, Bart, cleaning doesn't have to be a chore! Here, work to the music. ''[turns on the radio]''\\

** There's "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy", where Homer and his father get run out of town by hicks while the radio plays banjo music. Spoofed when Homer points out the hicks only started chasing them when Abe put on the "getaway music," and their pursuers give up and disappointedly turn around once Homer shuts off the radio.

** In the Treehouse of Horror episode where an evil Krusty doll tries to kill Homer, Marge calls the customer service number. The hold music is "Everybody Loves A Clown" ("Everybody loves a clown, so why can't you?[=/=]A clown has feelings too").

* In ''Film/TheMartian'', it's bad enough Mark Watney's only source of music on Mars, millions of miles away from the nearest humans, is Commander Lewis' disco soindtrack which he detests, but the song selection seems to go out of its way specifically to mock his situation. For a standout example, after retriving a radioactive power generator to use as a heater so that he doesn't have to drain battery to keep himself warm, Mark notes that the least disco song he could find and play for the drive back to the Hab is Music/DonnaSummer's "Hot Stuff".

* In ''Film/TheMartian'', it's bad enough Mark Watney's only source of music on Mars, millions of miles away from the nearest humans, is Commander Lewis' disco soindtrack which he detests, but the song selection seems to go out of its way specifically to mock his situation. For a standout example, after retriving a radioactive power generator to use as a heater so that he doesn't have to drain battery to keep himself warm, Mark notes that the least disco song he could find and play for the drive back to the Hab is Creator/DonnaSummer's "Hot Stuff".

* Music/{{Eminem}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6czuQvKeIkc "Stan"]], which is about an obsessed fan, opens with a sample of Dido's "Thank You" treated to sound like diagetic music on Stan's radio (which then does a DiageticSwitch as he begins writing his letter).

** The sequel, "Bad Guy", opens with a CallBack to this -- Matthew complains that he gets sent right back to his trauma every time he hears Eminem's music on the radio:

** In Episode 1, Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" plays during the CurbStompBattle between Yusuke and Kuwabara despite Yusuke calling it "badass music".

* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/427645/chapters/719500 The Shinigami Wing Deal]]'' right after L tried to blackmail Light into [[SexualExtortion having sex with him or go to jail]] for [[TheAtoner his past crimes as Kira]], Matsuda brings in a stereo system playing "[[Music/{{Queen}} Bohemian Rhapsody]]". This annoys Light enough that he [[AgitatedItemStomping murders the hell out of Matsuda's stereo.]]

* ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'': "Who the 'ell put this on?" "It's on random... *sob*" Used for IronicEcho value. The first time, the hero is bemoaning his girlfriend dumping him when the jukebox has the nerve to play Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now". The second time, the jukebox pipes up with Music/{{Queen}}'s "Don't Stop Me Now!"... as the pub the characters are in is being surrounded by zombies and a loud, fast, pumping rock track seemingly designed to attract their attention is the ''last'' thing the characters want.

* From ''Literature/GoodOmens'': [[Music/{{Queen}} "Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me..."]] Unfortunately for rogue demon Crowley, it's more likely than you think.

** In [[WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv the Kpts4tv version]], while Kira suspects Light and Misa are stuck in [[spoiler: solitary confinement]], [[JerkAss L and the Taskforce]] take to singing "[[Music/{{Queen}} Bohemian Rhapsody]]" over the loudspeakers. [[TheChessmaster Light somehow anticipated that they'd do this]] and sings along, making the line [[FoeRomanceSubtext "So you think you can love me and leave me to die?"]] [[SpySpeak be the code for]] [[spoiler: forfeiting the notebook.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromitCurseOfTheWereRabbit'', when Gromit is on a stake-out for the were-rabbit, he turns on the radio. It starts playing Music/ArtGarfunkel's "Bright Eyes" , from ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'', and he turns it off again.

** "Land Of Black Gold": In the original French version, The Thom(p)sons listen to the song "''Boum''" by Charles Trenet being used as an advertising jingle on their car radio when their car explodes.