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A technique used mainly in television and film. A character is shown singing/playing a song for in-universe reasons. The camera then cuts to a different scene with different characters in a different place. However, the audience can still hear the first character's song.
Very similar to Diegetic Switch, minus the switch. In this trope, the music that's heard in the second scene remains diegetic (In-Universe) to the work.
Also related: Two Scenes, One Dialogue; Distant Duet; Suspiciously Apropos Music; Transition Track; Left the Background Music On.
Examples:
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Film
- The climax of Agent Cody Banks 2 has an orchestra performing "William Tell Overture" and "War" as a command performance as the main characters duel it out in another area.
- In The Fifth Element, the Diva's aria is heard continuously over shots of her singing and of a fight scene happening elsewhere at the same time.
- The gorgeous spirituals being sung by enslaved characters in Harriet often carry over into ensuing scenes to beautiful effect.
- While Pippin is singing for Denethor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the scene cuts to Faramir and his soldiers trying and failing to recapture Osgiliath from Sauron's troops.
- In Muppet Treasure Island during the song 'Love Led Us Here' the camera cuts away from the two lovers to show the triumphant pirates basking in their new wealth. This pirate scene is silent, and only the song is heard when it's playing.
- In The Death of Stalin, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 continues to play over the long opening sequence through scenes occurring far from the concert hall where the concerto is being performed and the drama associated with the unanticipated demand for an encore performance.
- In Shredder Orpheus, Hades singing "Lazy River" for an EBN broadcast switches to scenes of Orpheus wading through the Styx's shredded paper hallways as the song continues playing, then back to Hades to close the song.
Live Action TV
- Babylon 5: In "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place," we cut between gospel singers performing the titular (and thematically appropriate) gospel song and Refa's fitting end at the hands of enraged Narns, hearing the singers' performance throughout.
- Community:
- In episode "Environmental Science", Abed starts one of these by singing "Somewhere Out There" for a reason that Makes Sense In Context. The camera jumps between him and two other scenes, and in one of the other scenes, a band starts playing, resulting in an amazing Distant Duet that continues through all three scenes.
- In "Studies In Modern Movement", Jeff and the Dean's karaoke song "Kiss From a Rose" carries over to scenes with Pierce at Annie's place, Annie at Troy and Abed's place and Britta/Shirley in their car.
- Game of Thrones: Right before the Red Wedding, a band begins to play the Rains of Castamere. Cut to Arya and the Hound outside, where the music is still fully audible.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: In '' The Great wave", as the orcs are chasing Arondir, Theo and Bronwyn through the woods, a One-Woman Wail is heard in the background, carrying over to scene where is revealed is a plea to the rocks sang by princess Disa, in the same time the others try to escape their captors.
- In the second season of Parenthood, there's an episode when Amber performs a song for an open-mic. While she's singing, the scene shifts to the next few days with various members of the extended family, before ending on her singing the song with her brother at her house.
- In the Stargate Atlantis episode "Critical Mass", Teyla sings a song called "Beyond the Night" for a funeral. We hear the song while the rest of the base personnel are frantically preparing to evacuate in anticipation of a Wraith attack.
- Supernatural: In one episode, Dean is playing a radio next to a comatose Sam. Cut to what Sam is dreaming, and he's driving down the road, listening to the same song on the car radio.
- The West Wing closes a Christmas Episode by cutting between a White House Christmas ceremony where a boys' choir is singing "The Little Drummer Boy", and the Lonely Funeral of a homeless Korean War veteran. The song continues throughout; the only other audio is a three-volley salute.
- Paired with Soundtrack Dissonance on General Hospital. Laura Spencer sings Brahms Lullaby to her baby girl Lulu. Then we get scenes of gunfire erupting as her husband's business partner Sonny Corinthos is attacked by a rival mobster—his nightclub, his apartment, and the Spencer home.
Music
- This usually happens in Dan Bull's video game raps. For example, at the beginning of his Mass Effect One and Two Epic Rap, there's an image of Shepard talking, and it's assumed that he is rapping. However, as we switch to the rest of the video, his raps are still heard.
Theatre
- In City of Angels, Oolie sings the first chorus of "You Can Always Count Of Me" while getting into bed. The lights go out on her Film Noir bedroom and come up on Donna's bedroom. The music continues as underscoring, and after some dialogue, Donna, played by the same actress as Oolie, continues the song.
- The In Medias Res opening of Grey Gardens: The Musical has Big Edie and Little Edie listening to a record of "The Girl Who Has Everything", which transitions to the cast performing the song in the flashback.
Video Games
- In Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia, when a Hymnnos song starts anywhere in the Tower, it acts as the background music everywhere.
Western Animation
- In the South Park episode "Quintuplets 2000", Kenny sings a rendition of "Con te partirò" in his room. His song can still be heard after the camera pans over to show a scene at Stan's house.
- In the Steven Universe episode "Jail Break", Garnet sings "Stronger Than You" while fighting Jasper. The song starts off being diegetic, since we can see her singing, but can still be heard when the scene cuts to the other Crystals Gems doing other things. Near the end, Garnet meets up with them and is talking over her own singing.
