History Main / PublicDomainSoundtrack

* Successful completion of each level in ''VideoGame/{{Peggle}}'' is met with a rousing rendition of "Ode to Joy". Renfield's theme is "Music/ToccataAndFugueInDMinor", and "Morning Mood" plays when the game is launched.

* Partial example: While ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' contains many original songs, the BackgroundMusic also includes arrangements of Music/FelixMendelssohn's "Scherzo in E minor" and Mussorgsky's ''Music/NightOnBaldMountain".

* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' Season 2 Episode 6 uses the "Largo" from Handel's opera "Xerxes".

* ''VideoGame/PunchOut'': The NES version has many instances:
** "Sakura, Sakura", a traditional Japanese folk song, is used for Piston Honda's ring entrance. This is referenced in the Wii game (where he was renamed "Piston Hondo").
** "Ride of the Valkyries" is used as the themes to Von Kaiser and a couple other boxers.

* The original ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' barely ended up averting this trope, thus avoiding a ''Metal Gear Solid''-like situation. Originally, the plan was to have an arrangement of Ravel's "Bolero" play on the title screen, but on the day before the developers compiled the ROM, it was discovered the song wasn't out of copyright yet. An original theme based on the overworld music (which had already been composed) was whipped up in one night to replace it.

* The ''Creator/GoldenFilms'' movies are ''notorious'' for this, especially for using tracks that are just too associated with another work (for instance: using [[Theatre/TheNutcracker "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"]] in [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeastGolden1992 their adaptation]] of ''Beauty And The Beast'') or using [[StandardSnippet StandardSnippets]] in tonally inappropriate places (for instance: "Hall Of The Mountain King" accompanying [[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameGoldenFilms annoying musical instruments trying to climb a set of stairs for the umpteenth time]] or "Ride Of The Valkyries" playing as Anastasia and her family are being herded into the basement to be executed.)

* ''ARG/WelcomeHome'': One of the prologue's hints is an [[https://www.clownillustration.com/singingmp4 audio file]] in which Wally sings Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer," presumably to Home as a lullaby. Wally sounds utterly forlorn throughout the entire clip.

* The final episode of [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' contains two arrangements of Chopin's Etude #3 as BackgroundMusic.

* The theme song of ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' is "Yankee Doodle". "I Love You" is "This Old Man".

* Mr. Passion, a mid-boss in Chapter 2 of ''VideoGame/Mother3'', is a ghostly composer, so naturally, his battle theme comprises a medley of various classical music excerpts.[[note]]starting with the First Movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, moving into Etude for Ghosts (a battle theme in the game which seems to be based on the Third Movement of Piano Concerto No. 2 by Saint-Saëns), then into Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, and finally into Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor before looping[[/note]] [[GuideDangIt If you know]] when to come back and challenge him again as [[BonusBoss Lord Passion]], he'll have a brand new battle theme with different classical pieces.[[note]]starting again with Beethoven's 5th, it'll then move into ''Toccata and Fugue in D Minor'' by Bach, then into Handel's Messiah, and finally the First Movement of Music/AntonioVivaldi's Four Seasons: Spring[[/note]]

* In ''Zool 2'' for Amiga and DOS, the first level is named "Swan Lake". Guess what the BackgroundMusic's a remix of...
* Hudson Soft's Famicom game ''Binary Land'' uses Erik Satie's "Je Te Veux" as its BackgroundMusic, and [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven's]] "Ode to Joy" as the victory music.
* The arcade and NES game ''City Connection'' uses Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1 as its BackgroundMusic... but in a rock arrangement. Even better, though, when one runs over a cat in the game, a little polka plays; the Japanese name of that tune translates as, appropriately enough, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Flohwalzer "I stepped on the cat"]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' frequently uses Romantic Era music in the background; Tchiakovsky's [[Theatre/TheNutcracker Nutcracker Suite]] and Music/AntoninDvorak's Symphony #9 "From the New World" were particularly popular.
** The yodeling song used in the title card for "The Boy Who Cried Rat" was later used in ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'' episode "Bee Afraid" and ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''' "Truth or Square".
** Many of the music cues and background songs from ''Ren and Stimpy'' are stock music library tracks that have been used in many other cartoons like ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes''; and even in several live-action shows like ''Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' has this so smurfing much. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smurfs_%28Hanna-Barbera_series%29#Use_of_classical_music See The Other Wiki for more details.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/RoughnecksStarshipTroopersChronicles'' uses a remix of Beethoven's "'Pathetique' Sonata #8 Op. 13".
* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQDD52itP-s Symphony Hour]]'' (1942) is about Mickey conducting an orchestra that plays Suppe's "Light Cavalry Overture." The rehearsal suits the trope fully. For the main concert, the instruments become a problem and the soundtrack is a bit... strange.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' has made great use of public domain music, mostly in ending credits, to play with a theme (holidays were the most frequent). One episode had Spidey beat up bad guys to Mozart. [[RuleOfCool Yes, it was awesome!]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' uses a portion of Vivaldi's ''Spring'' from the Four Seasons suite, a version of Johann Strauss' ''Blue Danube Waltz'', Jacques Offenbach's ''Infernal Galop'' (Music/TheCancanSong) and a number of others.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' incorporates both "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and "Flight of the Bumblebee" in the opening theme. Incidentally, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" is used as Robotnik's theme song in the show and plays in segments set in his lair.
* One of the songs on the ''WesternAnimation/StreetFighter'' cartoon's soundtrack is a rendition of "Music/{{Toccata and Fugue in D Minor}}", which notably plays over M. Bison's infamous "[[MemeticMutation YES! YES!]]" scene.
* While they did a few original songs (most notably, "Witch Doctor"), the 1960s-era [[Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks Chipmunks]] otherwise did mostly public domain songs, albeit their own personal takes on them (e.g., "Old Macdonald Cha-Cha-Cha").
* Invoked/parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' when Roger joins Steve's band and plays rock n roll version of "Jimmy Cracked Corn" and "Ba Ba Black Sheep". He even goes on to say they have over a hundred hits already.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': ''WesternAnimation/WakkosWish'' has a musical number sung to the tune of the second "Hungarian Rhapsody".
** Being a nod to the classic shorts (as was WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures in a way), a lot of the BackgroundMusic in Animaniacs had nods to popular pieces of the Romantic Era, and a huge portion of the songs were based on classical pieces too. Making a full list would take too way, way too long.
* ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'' was known to use public domain music for its background score.
** A piece composed by Charles Williams for BBC radio, "The Devil's Gallop" was used in two episodes' chase scenes (as well as two episodes of ''Monty Python'').
** When Wufgang Bach makes his appearance in "Play It Again, Wufgang," he is performing ''Toccata And Fugue In D Minor'' on the organ.
* ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake''
** The 2003 series features the Trepak from ''The Nutcracker'', the ''William Tell'' Overture, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, "Flight of the Bumblebee", "Ride of the Valkyries", ''Night on Bald Mountain'', the Farandole from Bizet's ''L'Arlesienne'' suite, the Toreador March from ''Carmen'', ''The Rite of Spring'', Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, and "Korobeiniki" played in the most Season 1 and 2 episodes as well the specials. Purple Pieman and Sour Grapes are introduced with the Promenade from ''Pictures at the Exhibition''.
** The 2009 reboot uses "Flight of the Bumblebee" when introducing Postmaster Bumblebee, the fourth movement of Beethoven's ''Pastoral'' Symphony when Cherry and Strawberry encountering storms, "Korobeiniki" when Berry girls in swimsuits enjoying rain at the beach, ''Night on Bald Mountain'' when Berry girls scared to camping at night, "Waltz of the Flowers" when Plum dances, and the last season features the ''William Tell'' Overture" or Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 when Apple Dumplin encounters Berry girls as villains.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' uses "Music/RideOfTheValkyries" in a couple episodes, including "Maid of the Myth," which appropriately features vikings as part of the plot, and Part 2 of "Super Ducktales."

** Music/FranzLiszt's second Hungarian Rhapsody just might be the most used work in WesternAnimation. WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes used it in "WesternAnimation/RhapsodyRabbit", ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' used it in "Cat Concerto" (these two were so similar, each studio accused the other of plagiarism), ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'' used it, and it was used in the WesternAnimationDonaldDuck[=/=]Daffy Dueling Pianos skit at the Ink & Paint Club in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''.

* The Famicom/NES game ''Tetrastar: The Fighter'' uses several classical music pieces, including Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" and Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance".

** In episode 6, the song of choice is Edvard Grieg's "Morning Mood" from "Peer Gynt." The Goshogun pilots recognize the music and comment on it, saying "Grieg would roll over in his grave."

* In ''Anime/GoShogun'', Bundle's battleship flies around with gigantic speakers that blare out Johann Strauss' "On The Beautiful Blue Danube". In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', this is the ''only song'' that can override any other, including the memetic "TROMBE!"

* ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' uses Tchaikovsky's Fourth, Shostakovich's Seventh, and music from Ravel's ballet ''Daphnis et Chloé'' in "The Day of Sagittarius" and Mahler's Eighth in the finale. ''[[TheMovie The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' features Satie's Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes along with "Je te veux".

* ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'' features Charles Gounod's Ave Maria, a piece played in piano by Sachiko (In episode 3 of the 1st season), and later sung by Shizuka (In episode 13). Fitting enough, ''VideoGame/{{Maribato}}'' also features a rendition of this piece in the character selection screen, as well as the Greenhouse stage.

* ''Manga/KemekoDeluxe'' used [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven's]] "Ode To Joy"[[note]]or "Friedrich Schillers ''Ode To Joy'' sang to the the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony", for you classical music buffoons[[/note]] when [[MundaneMadeAwesome Izumi's bikini top falls off]] and she lands an ArmorPiercingSlap on Sanpeita.

* ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' uses "[[StandardSnippet Funiculi, Funicula]]" as the (Italian, of course) title characters' {{leitmotif}}.

* ''Film/PoultrygeistNightOfTheChickenDead'':: General Lee Roy fights off a zombie chicken in the bathroom while In "The Hall of The Mountain King" is playing in the background.

* The ''Creator/GoldenFilms'' movies are ''notorious'' for this, especially for using tracks that are just too associated with another work (for instance: using [[Theatre/TheNutcracter "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"]] in [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast1992 their adaptation]] of ''Beauty And The Beast'') or using [[StandardSnippet StandardSnippets]] in tonally inappropriate places (for instance: "Hall Of The Mountain King" accompanying [[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameGoldenFilms annoying musical instruments trying to climb a set of stairs for the umpteenth time]] or "Ride Of The Valkyries" playing as Anastasia and her family are being herded into the basement to be executed.)