Tropes about scores, soundtracks, background music, and their interaction with the other parts of a medium.
Compare Sound FX Tropes. See also Music Tropes for general music tropes and Music and Sound Effects for works.
Tropes:
- Accordion to Most Sailors: Instruments from the accordion family associated with seafarers.
- African Chant: Background music in the jungle is accompanied by chanting in an African language (usually Swahili or Zulu), or at least a mock-up thereof.
- Amazing Freaking Grace: The hymn "Amazing Grace" is played at funerals.
- AM/FM Characterization: A character's music they play in the car says something about their personality.
- Anachronistic Soundtrack: The movie's soundtrack includes songs that wouldn't have existed yet in the time period the movie takes place in.
- Angry Mob Song: A group of angry people singing.
- Associated Composer: The director and the composer are buddies.
- Autobots, Rock Out!: Rock music plays during action scenes.
- Avian Flute: The use of flutes and piccolos in imitation of birdsong.
- Awesome Music: A Sugar Wiki entry for talking about music you find cool.
- Background Music: Music played in the background to convey ideas and emotions.
- Bad to the Bone: When a certain song is played so many times in movies, that when it's played, the audience knows what it's signifying.
- Battle Theme Music: Music that plays during battle scenes in video games.
- Big Finale Crowd Song: A large crowd song near the end of a work.
- Boléro Effect: A song that gets louder and louder.
- Bootstrapped Leitmotif: A piece of music becomes a character, place, or thing's theme.
- Bootstrapped Theme: A piece of music turns into the theme tune.
- Boss Remix: The boss theme is a remix of another piece of music from the video game.
- Captivity Harmonica: Someone in jail plays the harmonica.
- Cartoon Conductor: In cartoons, conductors control what music the audience plays as if by magic.
- Chaos of the Bells: When "Carol of the Bells" is used as a soundtrack to underscore suspense, action, and/or dread.
- Cherubic Choir: A kids' choir signifies victory or that the danger is over.
- Circus Synths: Circus music played with electronic instruments.
- Climactic Music: The music gets more dramatic during the most exciting part of the plot.
- Credits Medley: Closing credits are scored with a playlist of different songs from the movie or game.
- Creepy Children Singing: A scene is made disturbing by accompanying it with children singing in a creepy manner.
- Creepy Circus Music: Circus music played to induce fear.
- Creepy Jazz Music: Jazz music used to signify creepiness, often a particular villain.
- Crowd Song: A large group of people sing perfectly in unison.
- Cult Soundtrack: When a movie becomes popular mainly because of its music.
- Cyber Punk Is Techno: Electronic music signifies a gritty sci-fi setting.
- Dark Reprise: A sadder or scarier version of a previously sung happy song.
- The Day the Music Lied: Music seems to signify something, but that something doesn't happen.
- Descent into Darkness Song: A song that starts out upbeat, but gets darker.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: The theme song is played, whistled or hummed in-universe.
- Diegetic Switch: A song is played in-universe, then it stops but the song keeps playing out-of-universe.
- Disney Acid Sequence: A song with trippy visuals.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: Cast member(s) of a particular work performing to contribute for its soundtrack.
- Dramatic Choir Number: A choir joins the lead singer in singing the song.
- Dramatic Pause: A moment where there isn't any dialogue and there's no (or hardly any) music, played for drama.
- Dreadful Musician: Someone who's horrible at playing music.
- Dream Melody: A character likes to sing or hum a certain tune that's mysterious to them.
- Drone of Dread: Droning music played as unsettling.
- The Elevator from Ipanema: All elevators play "The Girl from Ipanema".
- Establishing Character Music: Background music establishes someone's personality.
- Ethereal Choir: A choir singing in harmony to signify otherworldiness.
- Everything Is an Instrument: Using things besides musical instruments to make music.
- Everything's Louder with Bagpipes: Playing the bagpipes to annoy people.
- Familiar Soundtrack, Foreign Lyrics: A cover of a popular song in a foreign language, used to provide a sense of familiarity, but also signify that they're in a foreign country or a character is from one.
- Fanfare: Uplifting brass instruments, used to celebrate something.
- French Accordion: French settings are scored to the sounds of the accordion-based bal musette.
- Follow the Bouncing Ball: A ball bounces along the lyrics to a song so that the audience can sing along.
- Foreign Re-Score: A work gets re-scored when it's shown in a different country.
- Forgotten Theme Tune Lyrics: The theme song has lyrics that aren't used.
- Future Music: Either characters in the future listen to different music, or works set in the future have music that has either theremins, sci-fi noises, copies of modern-day songs, or disco music.
- Gospel Choirs Are Just Better: Gospel choir music signifies "this scene is important".
- Gratuitous Mariachi Band: Mariachi bands pop up randomly.
- Happy Birthday to You!: It's someone's birthday, but nobody sings "Happy Birthday" because the work was made during the time when the song was under copyright.
- Happy Circus Music: Circus music that sets a fun mood, usually at an actual circus or similar.
- Heartbeat Soundtrack: Music meant to mimic a heartbeat, signifying that a character is going to die or is afraid.
- "The Hero Sucks" Song: The villain sings a song insulting the hero.
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: People who can't sing well sound exaggeratedly awful.
- Holy Pipe Organ: A pipe organ means that something is sacred or religious.
- Iconic Sequel Song: A song that came from a later instalment but is iconic for the franchise as a whole.
- Image Song: A song about an anime character.
- Incessant Chorus: A character who sings this particular song in every scene they're in.
- Interscene Diegetic: A character is singing, the scene changes, but you can still hear the singing.
- In-Universe Soundtrack: Background music is played in-universe.
- Invisible Backup Band: Whenever someone in-universe plays an instrument, there will be inexplicable background vocals or instruments.
- Ironic Nursery Tune: A nursery rhyme used to set a creepy atmosphere.
- Isn't It Ironic?: The work uses a song the creators assumed to be appropriate, but paying close attention to the lyrics will reveal that this song actually doesn't fit the scene it is being played in.
- "I Want" Song: Heroes express their ambitions or dreams through a musical number before their heroic journey.
- Jungle Jazz: Jazz music for scenes in the jungle.
- Last Episode Theme Reprise: The theme song plays in the background of a climatic scene in the finale.
- Left the Background Music On: The background music turns out to be coming from an in-universe source that is then turned off.
- Leitmotif: A piece of theme music associated with a specific character, group, recurring event or location.
- Leitmotif upon Death: The character's personal musical score plays during their death.
- Letting the Air out of the Band: The background music slows to a stop upon revealing something not so good.
- Level 1 Music Represents: The first level theme music of a video game becomes iconic.
- Local Soundtrack: The soundtrack has a connection to the story's Real Life setting.
- Location Song: A song about a place.
- Lohengrin and Mendelssohn: If there's a wedding, the "Here Comes the Bride" song or the intro to A Midsummer Night's Dream will play.
- Lonely Piano Piece: Sad piano music that plays during sad scenes, especially when a character is alone.
- Love Theme: When romance has its own theme.
- Massive Multiplayer Ensemble Number: A song that sums up the attitudes of all the main characters before a major event, sometimes with plenty of counterpoint.
- The Mel Brooks Number: A song that sounds like a sad song, but is actually funny because the lyrics, context, or characters' behaviour is.
- Melodramatic Pause: A pause to convey drama, similar to Dramatic Pause, except this time with a hammy orchestra.
- Merry in Minor Key: Songs that are primarily in minor keys, but have positive meanings or messages, defying the stereotype that "major keys are happy, minor keys are sad."
- Mickey Mousing: The music illustrates the physical movements.
- Minsky Pickup: A certain old-timey intro fanfare.
- Mocking Music: A character is in a bad mood, but when they try to listen to music, the song is about what put the character in the bad mood.
- Moody Trailer Cover Song: Trailers use a cover of a pop song sung in an alto voice and with moody instruments.
- Musical Episode: An episode where everyone sings.
- Musical Gag: A joke in the soundtrack.
- Musical Gameplay: A video game in which the sound effects are, or contribute to, the music.
- Musicalis Interruptus: Interrupting a song.
- Musical Nod: A tune returns sometime later, usually in a video game.
- Musical Pastiche: Making an existing song darker by changing the instruments.
- Musical Spoiler: The first sign that something is going to happen is that the score changes.
- Musical Trigger: When a character plays a certain tune, it triggers off an event.
- Music Box Intervals: A song has intervals of music that sound like they came from a music box.
- Music Video Syndrome: A work is cut to look like a music video, even though it isn't one.
- National Anthem: A country's theme song.
- Near Victory Fanfare: Video game music that plays if you're close to victory.
- Nostalgic Music Box: Music box tunes used for nostalgia.
- Nothing but Hits: Radios only play popular songs.
- Ominous Latin Chanting: Latin chanting used during ominous scenes.
- Ominous Music Box Tune: A music box tune that's creepy due to sounding off or playing at an inopportune time.
- Ominous Pipe Organ: A villain has organ music as their theme.
- One-Man Song: Songs named after guys.
- One-Woman Song: Songs named after women.
- One-Woman Wail: A woman or a child wailing melodiously used for sad scenes.
- Orchestra Hit Techno Battle: Rave music used for battles.
- Orchestral Bombing: Orchestra music used for a battle, especially if it involves aerial warfare.
- Orchestral Version: A song from a video game gets an orchestral version done.
- Playing the Heart Strings: String music used for dramatic, sad scenes.
- Playlist Soundtrack: The game's soundtrack in an area or over an entire game is composed of multiple songs playing randomly one after the other like a playlist on shufffle.
- Pop-Star Composer: The work's composer is famous.
- "Psycho" Strings: Sharp notes on a string instrument signify insanity, evil, or otherworldliness.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: The soundtrack uses music that is in the public domain.
- Rearrange the Song: A different version of the theme song is played.
- Record Needle Scratch: The background music stops with the sound of a record needle scratching to signify something abruptly changing or stopping.
- Recurring Riff: A series has its own theme, but it's not a theme song.
- Recycled Soundtrack: Background music from a work gets used again in another work.
- Recycled Trailer Music: The music from the trailer comes from another work, or is a song in its own right.
- Regional Riff: Musical instruments used to signify places.
- Re-Release Soundtrack: A song is changed for the movie's home release.
- Sad Battle Music: Sad music is used to add pathos to a battle scene.
- Saved by the Church Bell: Triumph and salvation is accompanied by the sound of church bells.
- "Setting Off" Song: A song about going on a trip.
- Sentimental Music Cue: You can tell that the conflict is going to be resolved when sentimental music plays.
- Serendipitous Symphony: Background noises are turned into music.
- Sexophone: A saxophone solo is used to illustrate sensual or romantic scenes or characters.
- Shave And A Haircut: That little tune that plays at the end of songs that goes "Dun dun dun dun dun... DUN DUN!".
- Sidekick Song: The good guys' sidekicks have their moments to shine with a song.
- Silent Credits: Music does not play during the end credits.
- Simple Score of Sadness: Sad music is slow and has few instruments.
- Sinister Tango Music: Tango music sets a creepy atmosphere.
- Soap Opera Organ Score: A tremolo electric organ announces a soap opera, a Soap Within a Show parody, or a soap-opera-like, comically melodramatic situation.
- Softer and Slower Cover: A slower, quieter cover of a song.
- Solo Duet: When it sounds like a duet but the singer is actually alone.
- Songs in the Key of Panic: Video game music that plays when someone is running out of time or in danger.
- Sound-Coded for Your Convenience: Video game sounds that provide info.
- Sound Test: An option in a video game where you can listen to all its music.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: The music does not match the tone of the scene it is accompanying.
- Soundtrack Lullaby: As someone is sleeping/falling asleep, the soundtrack plays a lullaby-like tune.
- Source Music: Background music that is actually playing in-universe.
- Standard Snippet: Certain pieces of music commonly used.
- Steel Drums and Sunshine: Steel drums are played for happy scenes, especially at the beach, jungle, on islands, or underwater.
- Sting: A brief bit of music played for drama or comedy.
- Stock Trailer Music: Famous songs in music trailers.
- Sudden Soundtrack Stop:
- Sung-Through Musical: In a musical number, dialogue is sung.
- Suspiciously Apropos Music: When a character plays music, it's oddly relevant to the matter at hand.
- Suspiciously Similar Song: A song or piece of music that sounds like a copyright-friendly version of another song or piece of music.
- Theme-and-Variations Soundtrack: The songs are all variations on a theme.
- Theme Music Abandonment: The theme song goes away.
- Theme Music Power-Up: When a character does something amazing, their theme plays loudly.
- Theme Music Withholding: The theme song goes away for a few episodes, but then comes back.
- Theme Song Reveal: Elements of the plot are suggested via the theme song.
- This Is a Song: A song that is, at least partially, about itself.
- Tick Tock Tune: Music with a ticking motif.
- Title Theme Drop: The title screen theme for a game shows up within the actual game.
- Triumphant Reprise: A happier version of a previous song that was depressing in tone.
- Un-Duet: During a breakup, characters try to duet but because the other side is a no-show, they end up with a Solo Duet instead.
- Variable Mix: When game music occasionally changes.
- Victorious Chorus: A chorus signifies triumph.
- Villain Song: The villain sings about their villainy.
- "The Villain Sucks" Song: The hero sings a song insulting the villain.
- Walking in Rhythm: A character walks to the beat of the background music.
- Wanderlust Song: A song about roaming.
- Westminster Chimes: Those "bing bong bing bong, bong bing bing bong" chimes associated with Big Ben.
- With Lyrics: An instrumental song is given lyrics.
- Xylophones for Walking Bones: Skeletons and xylophone music is associated.
