History LyricalDissonance / Film

* In ''Film/TradingPlaces'', in the lead-in to the scene where Louis Winthorpe (Creator/DanAykroyd) tries to borrow money from his "friends", the {{Gentleman Snarker}}s perform a lovely ''a cappella'' song for a group of young women sitting at a table. It's about how the girls are complete sluts. From their reaction, they apparently [[ICanLiveWithThat recognize that fact]].

* ''Franchise/SweeneyTodd'' (both the [[Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet original play]] by Music/StephenSondheim and the [[Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet cinematic adaptation]] by Creator/TimBurton) has the song "A Little Priest". Todd and Mrs. Lovett are singing about murdering random strangers and cooking them into meat pies... but it's such a pleasant and upbeat tune!

* "That Thing You Do" in the [[Film/ThatThingYouDo movie of the same name]] is an upbeat, [[Music/TheBeachBoys Beach Boys]]-esque song about a guy lamenting his girlfriend leaving him. In story, the songwriter intended for the song to be a slow ballad, but it became the peppy dance hall song it is after the new drummer decided to up the tempo without telling anybody.

* In ''Film/Barbie2023'', Barbie is introduced cheerily going about her morning while "Pink" by Music/{{Lizzo}} plays, the lyrics talking about how perfect and happy Barbie and her life are. The next morning, after Barbie's existential crisis has begun, the same song plays with new lyrics about her "inescapable thoughts of death".

** In a deleted scene (available on the DVD), after the breakup of Spinal Tap, David St. Hubbins discusses his long-time desire to create an [[ExcitedShowTitle classic, upbeat-style musical a la]] ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}'' titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bytig-oavY&ab_channel=MetalRockerInside "Saucy Jack"]], [[AllMusicalsAreAdaptations based on the life of]] UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, with the melody of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from ''WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''.

* The 2005 ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' film opens with the Guide narrating to us about how man was only the third-most intelligent species on the Earth. The second most intelligent species were in fact dolphins, who curiously enough knew of [[EarthShatteringKaboom the impending destruction of the planet Earth]][[note]]Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons.[[/note]]. They made many attempts to alert mankind to the impending doom, but most of their communications were misinterpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits. So they eventually decided to leave Earth by their own means. The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double backward somersault through a hoop while whistling "The Star-Spangled Banner", but in fact the message was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_dUmDBfp6k "So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish"]], an upbeat big band jazz song with these catchy lyrics:

* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'': Yzma's song "[[VillainSong Snuff Out the Light]]"-when the film was pitched as a musical called "Kingdom of the Sun"-has the villainess sing about the sun's destruction and lamenting her age, all set to a funky salsa beat.

* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Icv0CKh3k "Family of Me"]], sung by Music/BenFolds and playing during the opening credits. It's a jaunty and upbeat song, but the lyrics are patently written as the words of someone merely trying to assure themselves into feeling confident in what is clearly a trying and lonely situation, acting very much as troubled [[ConMan smooth-talking]] [[TheDrifter drifter]], [[LovableRogue RJ's]] character song at this point in the movie.

* ''Film/{{Nope}}'': The ShowWithinAShow, Gordy's Home, uses the song ''(You're a) Strange Animal'' by Gowan as its opening theme song. The show uses the song to emphasize the [[SillySimian silliness of monkeys]] as a suburban family adopts one of the monkeys from NASA. When in actuality, the music video for the song features a wild animal (played by Gowan) being taken out of its natural habitat, being experimented on, and the lyrics stating that this isn't a good thing. Tellingly, the show cuts out the poignant verses of the song.
--> ''They've been trying to stick a line in your system\\
Analyzing the defenses you hold\\
Trying to open wide, hoping to step inside\\
Your soul''

* ''Film/{{Annie}}'' has "It's a Hard Knock Life", sung by the girls about how they're living in an OrphanageOfFear, but the tune seems very upbeat, barring the "Don't you feel like the wind is always howling..." lyrics.

:: : At the end, with some nice upbeat chords: "[[TitleDrop You've been hoodwinked, baby!]] Oh, yeahhh!"

* In ''Film/PetesDragon1977'', there's the villain song "In These Hills," a happy-go-lucky song about the worst kind of child abuse you can imagine.

* In the original 1977 version of ''Pete's Dragon'', there's the villain song "In These Hills," a happy-go-lucky song about the worst kind of child abuse you can imagine.

* Downplayed in "Sailing to Adventure" in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', which is ''mostly'' played straight but includes a few much darker interjections in a BlackComedyBurst kind of way...with only one of them changing the music to match[[note]]the tune gets a lot darker while Polly Lobster, Clueless Morgan and Mad Monty are talking about their favourite ways of killing people[[/note]]. Most notably, the last line before the chorus is delivered loudly and enthusiastically by all the singers at once, whether that line is "Underway and off to see the world," "Margaritas at the midnight buffet," or "And people die by falling overboard!"
* ''Sweeney Todd'' (both the [[Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet original play]] by Music/StephenSondheim and the [[Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet cinematic adaptation]] by Creator/TimBurton) has the song "A Little Priest". Todd and Mrs. Lovett are singing about murdering random strangers and cooking them into meat pies...but it's such a pleasant and upbeat tune!
* The 1971 film ''Taking Off'' contains a scene in which a young {{Ingenue}}-looking girl sings very sincerely and accompanies herself on the lute. The music is charming, restrained and reminiscent of the Elizabethan era. The lyrics, by contrast, are filthy. The LyricalDissonance is played up when the word "fuck" is, several times, given classical melismatic treatment. Can be watched [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSqleyVVluM here]].
* ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' features a parody of Theatre/{{RENT}}'s songs and the subject matter with an uplifting song of: "EVERYONE HAS AIDS! AIDS AIDS AIDS!" et cetera.
* "That Thing You Do" in the [[Film/ThatThingYouDo movie of the same name]] is an upbeat, Beach Boys-esque song about a guy lamenting his girlfriend leaving him.
** In story, the songwriter intended for the song to be a slow ballad, but it became the peppy dance hall song it is after the new drummer decided to up the tempo without telling anybody

** At one point in the film, guitarist Nigel Tufnel plays a short piano piece. It's a hauntingly beautiful excerpt from a trilogy he's composing in D-minor, "The saddest of all keys", inspired by his love of Mozart and Bach. The name of this melancholy tune? [[spoiler: "Lick My Love Pump".]] Admittedly, his inspiration might have been Mozart's own [[spoiler:"Leck mich im Arsch".]]
** In a deleted scene (available on the DVD), after the breakup of Spinal Tap, David St. Hubbins discusses his long-time desire to create an [[ExcitedShowTitle classic, upbeat-style musical a la ''Oliver!'']] titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bytig-oavY&ab_channel=MetalRockerInside "Saucy Jack",]][[AllMusicalsAreAdaptations based on the life of]] UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, with the melody of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Uglydolls}}'' has "The Ugly Truth", a bouncy funk song where Lou points out how "ugly" everyone else is compared to himself, and "All Dolled Up", an upbeat song about changing how you look in order to be like everyone else.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Over The Hedge}}'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Icv0CKh3k "Family of Me"]], sung by Music/{{Ben Folds}} and playing during the opening credits. It's a jaunty and upbeat song, but the lyrics are patently written as the words of someone merely trying to assure themselves into feeling confident in what is clearly a trying and lonely situation, acting very much as troubled [[ConMan smooth-talking]] [[TheDrifter drifter]] [[LovableRogue RJ's]] character song at this point in the movie.
--> ''Ooooh, and it's alright\\
[[EmptyPromise Yeah it is, I swear, you'll see\\
(It's not really)]]\\
Yeah, and it's alright\\
'Cause I've always got my, [[TheAloner family of me]]''

* What is the best way to promote [[Film/IndependenceDay Roland]] [[Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow Emmerich's]] ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve''? Give it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oRHqKteYvE a trailer tune]] sung by ''[[Series/AmericanIdol Idol]]'' runner-up Adam Lambert, that's what! And the title of this song is "Miracle", of all things.
* ''Film/AirAmerica'' has a pair of Chinese singers singing America's "Horse with no name" a song about desperate loneliness in an upbeat longue-singer fashion.

* ''Film/{{Annie}}'' has "It's a Hard Knock Life", sung by the girls about how they're living in an OrphanageOfFear, but the tune seems very upbeat, barring the "Don't you feel like the wind is always howling.." lyrics.
* One of the songs in the movie ''Film/BeginAgain'' has a song called "A Step You Can't Take Back". If you listen to the lyrics, it's pretty clear the song is about someone committing suicide, but you wouldn't know it from the upbeat melody.

-->'''Clown:''' (''singing cheerfully'') Hey, kids, it's me! I bet you thought that I was dead! But when I fell over, I just broke my leg and got a hemorrhage in my head!

* In ''Film/{{Borat}}'', Borat sings the National Anthem of fictional Kazakhstan to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
* Buster's Mal Heart features a folk songesque version of "Starving In The Belly Of A Whale" which lyrically is all about how foolish it is to have hope.

** Perhaps the most JustForFun/{{egregious}} example is [[BlackComedyCannibalism the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzmzZaB0kss&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=2 Augustus Gloop song]], which is done as a UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} dance number about how poor Augustus is going to be [[TheSecretOfLongPorkPies mixed into Wonka's fudge.]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F7ANlvZORE&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=3 Violet Beauregarde]]'s send-off is in the style of 1970s funk and Music/MichaelJackson music video and it's about how if she keeps on chewing gum, her chin will "stick out just like a violin" and she'll bite her tongue in two.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtf9nmtTC7Q&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=4 Veruca Salt]] gets dismissed with one in the style of 1960s Music/TheBeatles about how she'll go down the trash chute.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaM4GHbEw8U&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=5 Mike Teavee]] gets a HardRock[=/=]HairMetal song... about how his imagination and intellect will get mutilated [[NewMediaAreEvil from watching TV]].
* Music/RichardCheese [[LoungeLizard swanks out]] a cover of Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness" in the 2004 remake of ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004''. This is, of course, his entire schtick.
* ''Film/GeorgyGirl'': the theme is about how the protagonist is insecure but you can't tell it from the outside...but it has a very light, upbeat tune.
* The movie ''Film/GrumpierOldMen'' starts with a bouncy song about the singer killing his wife's lover and leaving his corpse for the crows
-->"I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you\\
I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you,\\
(Verse 1) I'm gonna kill you just for fun, the birds can have you when I'm done, (Verse 2) You slept with my wife, now I'm gonna take your life\\
I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you"
* ''Film/TheHangover'' has a band playing [[Music/FiftyCent 50 Cent's]] "Candy Shop" in lounge style as well.

* The 2005 ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' film opens with the Guide narrating to us about how on Earth, man was only the third-most intelligent species on the Earth. The second most intelligent species, were in fact dolphins, who curiously enough knew of [[EarthShatteringKaboom the impending destruction of the planet Earth]][[note]]Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.[[/note]]. They made many attempts to alert mankind to the impending doom, but most of their communications were misinterpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits. So they eventually decided to leave Earth by their own means. The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double backward somersault through a hoop while whistling the Star-Spangled Banner, but in fact the message was this: *ding!* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_dUmDBfp6k "So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish",]] an upbeat big band jazz song with these catchy lyrics:

So long, so long, and thanks for all the fish!''
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wSBC5Dyds8 "Share and Enjoy"]] song from [[Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy the radio series.]] A cheerful little ballad, which must be sung a flattened fifth out of tune by a badly-programmed choir of robots, about how when malfunctioning Sirius Cybernetics robots tear off doors and [[BlackComedyRape rape cats,]] the company's complaints department ([[IncompetenceInc which takes up the masses of three planets and is the only part of the company to turn a profit]]) won't give a fig. "Go stick your head in a pig!"
** Disaster Area's song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq_cmaFSD4k&ab_channel=SOTCAA "Only the End of the World Again"]] can be heard on the now-rare ''Hitchhiker's Guide'' EP (with the rubber duck on the sleeve). It's a heavy rock ballad about a guy who kills his best friend to be with his girlfriend, takes her for a crash in her dad's car, and then makes out with her as the moon explodes for no adequately explored reason.

* Lana Del Ray's cover of "Once Upon A Dream" for 2014's ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' takes the sweet, happy Disney love song and gives it a creepy new feeling.

* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' has "Brave Sir Robin", who was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways indeed.
* ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'' contains the song "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life," with such lyrically dissonant lines as, "always look on the bright side of death", being sung by Brian during his own crucifixion.
** Later incorporated into ''Theatre/{{Spamalot}}'', the stage adaptation of ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''.
** And famously sung by British sailors assigned to HMS ''Sheffield'' during UsefulNotes/TheFalklandsWar. [[StiffUpperLip While their]] [[GallowsHumor ship was sinking.]]
* The opening number for ''Film/PhantomOfTheParadise'', "Goodbye Eddie Goodbye," is about a singer who commits suicide in order to promote the sales of his upcoming album. The song is sung in catchy 50's style complete with "ya-ya-ya-yaahs" and the lead singer pantomiming Eddie's death throes.
** The end credits song contains a bouncy piano breakdown along with the lyrics "Good for nothing / Bad in bed / Nobody likes you / You're better off dead / Goodbye."

* Ansel Beauregard's signature song "Better Life" from ''WesternAnimation/ArloTheAlligatorBoy''. Sure it's a fun Broadway number about Ansel's success as a businessman and how he changed to fit in, but little does Arlo know, Ansel is actually distracting him from what is really going on, and was only trying to reinvent his personality if he wants to fit in to the world just like him. And it's only until after the song was over does he realize what Ansel was really doing despite trying to reconnect with him, which indeed "breaks himself".
* The children's movie ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' contains a song near its end which the other wiki sums up perfectly: "''Worthless'' is sung by the junkyard's broken down cars, each singing a few verses about their life before being smashed and killed by the compactor." However, they fail to mention the upbeat music it's sung to.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' has the "Song of Mor'du", an upbeat folk song about the bear Mor'du, the many people he's killed in gruesome ways (including children and babies), and how the clans plan to slaughter him in return.
* [[http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=imKPenpVyPQ "L'il Ark Angel"]] from ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance'' starts with Darla singing about the world being destroyed in a flood and people and animals drowning in exactly the same cheerful tone she later sings about the various animals she's rescuing. If you hadn't already realized she'd be the BigBad of the film from the foreshadowing in the intro, it's hard to miss it after that.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'': The lyrics for "Remember Me" make it seem like it's from a place of love, true pure love, yet as performed by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YexJzu9aSZ0 Ernesto de la Cruz,]] it has a fast-paced and upbeat melody, as if it's a frivolous and show-offish love. [[spoiler:That's because it's not Ernesto's song to begin with, but Hector's. Hector wrote the song to be played at a much slower and melancholic tempo, which feels more genuine and heartfelt. It's something that only Hector was able to write, because it came from his heart. For Ernesto, music is a tool for him to achieve fame and nothing more. He has no care for using music as a tool to express his feelings, which is why the only way he could achieve anything was to steal music from somebody who legitimately cared about the art: Hector. However, while Ernesto stole the lyrics and melody of the song from Hector, the one thing he couldn't steal was the heart and passion of the song, which is why Ernesto's version is glorified and over-the-top.]]
* Creator/TimBurton is a master of mixing the macabre and the lighthearted, so it's no surprise that the music in his movies is the same. The best example is "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4p9WKnDQzQ Remains of the Day]]" from ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'', a swinging jazzy tune about death and murder. Even while you're tapping your feet to the beat, you probably don't miss the extremely dark chorus:
--> "Die, die, we all pass away, but don't wear a frown, cause it's really ok! You might try to hide, and you might try to pray, but we all end up the remains of the day!"
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXSsagwvo3M "Batty Rap"]] from ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest''. It has a fast and springy beat and tune...with the lyrics being about how Batty was used in animal testing laboratory, with strong implications that ''he was conscious throughout all the processes''. Due to its 'adult' nature, quite a bit of the song was cut from the film, but was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1g5Oajn5UE left in on the CD.]]

** The tune's single most horrifying line: "As you see, the animals don't really feel pain, ''THEY JUST GET USED TO IT!!!''"

** "Let it Go", an uplifting-sounding song by Elsa about finally accepting her powers...which is also about choosing to live a life in isolation and cut herself off from the world. Ironically enough that's ''inverted'' on a meta level, seeing as by many people it's viewed as an empowerment anthem and has actually encouraged many, which is arguably the ''opposite'' of what some dissonance may suggest it means for Elsa. Also of note is that it was originally intended to be a VillainSong before Creator/IdinaMenzel's performance led the writers to completely changing the story, and the song led people to treat it as...well, the exact opposite. Irony at its finest.
** Downplayed for "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?". While the last verse does indeed sound sad, the first two verses sound happy, even though it's about a little girl who's lonely because her big sister never wants to play with her anymore and won't tell her why.

--> Even Meaner? You mean it? Worse than the widows and orphans you drowned?
* ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZcsrtiUac "Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo"]] starts in a very sinister D minor as Alameda Slim monologues and boasts to his minions, then it turns into an upbeat Western ballad in F major, during which he steals $50 million worth of cattle just by yodeling them into hypnosis (including yodeling parts of the William Tell Overture, "Yankee Doodle" and "Ode to Joy"), which is depicted for the cows as the equivalent of [[DisneyAcidSequence an acid trip.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hoodwinked}}'': Boingo's VillainSong, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG7S1-DC_KY Top of the Woods]]," is about oppressing other creatures, getting children addicted to junk food until they become morbidly obese, and becoming a ruthless dictator, [[https://genius.com/Andy-dick-top-of-the-woods-lyrics to an upbeat jazz melody.]]

-->''"When your only desire is to dominate the land of the wolves and the squirrels\\
You've got to think with a open mind and learn to detest little girls\\

Except [[MediumAwareness there won't be a rescue before the credits roll]] cause I'm gonna be top of the woods!"''

-->''"Now the kids will be packed with my [=BoingoSnax=]\\

As I maniacally plot from my evil lair!"'' [''cue [[EvilLaugh evil laugh]]'']
** At the end, with some nice upbeat chords: "[[TitleDrop You've been hoodwinked, baby!]] Oh, yeahhh"

** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93lrosBEW-Q "Shiny"]], Tamatoa veers back in forth in tone between the menacing tones of a VillainSong...and upbeat '70s glam rock. While most of the song consists of {{Badass Boast}}s that fit the tone of both halves, Tamatoa's intent to kill and eat Moana and Maui is mostly expressed in the bouncy parts, and the lyrics do not at all sugarcoat this desire. Just look at the way the lyrics [[MoodWhiplash swerve...]]

Now it's time for me to take apart your aching heart''

--->''Maui, now it's time to kick your ''heinie''\\

** The tail-end of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79DijItQXMM "You're Welcome",]] Maui's IAmGreatSong, starts out with a recap of all the awesome things he's done, but near the finish suddenly declares he's stealing Moana's boat, and then traps her in a cave, while still keeping the upbeat melody.
--->''Well, anyway, let me say "You're welcome!" (You're welcome!)\\
For the wonderful world you know\\
Hey, it's okay, okay,\\
"You're welcome" (You're welcome!)\\
But come to think of it, I gotta go!\\
Hey, it's your day to say\\
"You're welcome" (You're welcome!)\\
'Cause I'm gonna need that boat\\
I'm sailing away, away\\
You're welcome (You're welcome!)\\
'Cause Maui can do everything but float!\\
You're welcome! (You're welcome!) You're welcome! (You're welcome!) You're welcome!''\\
And thank you!

* Don Bluth's adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina|1994}}'' has a song with a syrupy-sweet melody performed in an equally saccharine tone by Carol Channing, with the following lyrics:
--> ''Here comes the bride is a lovely little ditty\\

True it's a fact that he's not exactly witty\\

THEY'RE DEAD! DEAD! VERY VERY DEAD\\

Dearie, Marry the Mole!\\
Marry the Mole!\\
Marry that Moooole\\
M is for money. O-L-E''

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F7ANlvZORE&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=3 Violet Beauregarde]]'s send-off is in the style of 1970s funk and Creator/MichaelJackson music video and it's about how if she keeps on chewing gum, her chin will "stick out just like a violin" and she'll bite her tongue in two.

* The 2005 ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' film opens with the Guide narrating to us about how on Earth, man was only the third-most intelligent species on the Earth. The second most intelligent species, were in fact dolphins, who curiously enough knew of [[EarthShatteringKaboom the impending destruction of the planet Earth[[note]]Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.[[/note]].]] They made many attempts to alert mankind to the impending doom, but most of their communications were misinterpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits. So they eventually decided to leave Earth by their own means. The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double backward somersault through a hoop while whistling the Star-Spangled Banner, but in fact the message was this: *ding!* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_dUmDBfp6k "So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish",]] an upbeat big band jazz song with these catchy lyrics:

* Ansel Beauregard's signature song "Better Life" from ''WesternAnimation/ArloTheAlligatorBoy''. Sure it's a fun Broadway number about Ansel's success as a businessman and how he changed to fit in, but little does Arlo know, Ansel is really distracting him from what is really going on, and was only trying to reinvent his personality if he wants to fit in to the world. And it's only until after the song was over does he realize what Ansel was really doing despite trying to reconnect with him, which indeed "breaks himself".

* Speaking of Tim Burton, in his [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory adaptation]] of ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', the Oompa-Loompas' {{morality ballad}}s are all fun and energetic, but the lyrics graphically detail the potential gruesome fates of misbehaving children. It's worth noting that all those lyrics came directly from Creator/RoaldDahl's original novel, which shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with Dahl's trademark style of BlackComedy. What's more, Music/DannyElfman was responsible for putting those lyrics to musical accompaniment, and Elfman is no stranger to LyricalDissonance, as Music/OingoBoingo fans will readily attest.

* Don Bluth's adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina|1994}}'' has a song with a syrupy-sweet melody performed in an equally saccharine tone by Carol Channing, with the following lyrics:
--> ''Here comes the bride is a lovely little ditty\\
But marrying for love is a foolish thing to do\\
'Cause love won't pay the mortgage or put porridge in your bowl\\
Dearie, marry the mole\\
True it's a fact that he's not exactly witty\\
He's blinder than a bat, but at least his eyes are blue\\
His breath may be alarming but he's charming, for a troll\\
Dearie, marry the mole\\
Romeo and Juliet\\
Were very much in love when they were wed\\
They honored every vow and where are they now?\\
THEY'RE DEAD! DEAD! VERY VERY DEAD\\
Poor Thumbelina, your brain's so itty bitty\\
I hate to seem a pest, but I know what's best for you\\
Just think of all the ways that you can decorate a hole\\
Take my advice, I'll bring the rice\\
Dearie, Marry the Mole!\\
Marry the Mole!\\
Marry that Moooole\\
M is for money. O-L-E''

* "Let It Go" from ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'', an uplifting-sounding song by Elsa about finally accepting her powers...which is also about choosing to live a life in isolation and cut herself off from the world. Ironically enough that's ''inverted'' on a meta level, seeing as by many people it's viewed as an empowerment anthem and has actually encouraged many, which is arguably the ''opposite'' of what some dissonance may suggest it means for Elsa. Also of note is that it was originally intended to be a VillainSong before Creator/IdinaMenzel's performance led the writers to completely changing the story, and the song led people to treat it as...well, the exact opposite. Irony at its finest.

* The children's movie ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' contains a song near its end which the other wiki sums up perfectly: "''Worthless'' is sung by the junkyard's broken down cars, each singing a few verses about their life before being smashed and killed by the compactor." However, they fail to mention the upbeat music it's sung to.
* [[http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=imKPenpVyPQ "L'il Ark Angel"]] from ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance'' starts with Darla singing about the world being destroyed in a flood and people and animals drowning in exactly the same cheerful tone she later sings about the various animals she's rescuing. If you hadn't already realized she'd be the BigBad of the film from the foreshadowing in the intro, it's hard to miss it after that.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXSsagwvo3M "Batty Rap"]] from ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest''. It has a fast and springy beat and tune...with the lyrics being about how Batty was used in animal testing laboratory, with strong implications that ''he was conscious throughout all the processes''. Due to its 'adult' nature, quite a bit of the song was cut from the film, but was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1g5Oajn5UE left in on the CD.]]
-->"The eye makeup, when inserted rectally, has some effect...\\
Remove the brain cap...\\
If you notice, by dipping the bat in a series of paints...\\
After 600 packs of cigarettes, the animals seem to exhibit some carcinogenic tendencies..."\\
Oh God, I'm bleeding by my genitals!
** The tune's single most horrifying line: "As you see, the animals don't really feel pain, ''THEY JUST GET USED TO IT!!!''"

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'': The lyrics for "Remember Me" make it seem like it's from a place of love, true pure love, yet as performed by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YexJzu9aSZ0 Ernesto de la Cruz,]] it has a fast-paced and upbeat melody, as if it's a frivolous and show-offish love. [[spoiler:That's because it's not Ernesto's song to begin with, but Hector's. Hector wrote the song to be played at a much slower and melancholic tempo, which feels more genuine and heartfelt. It's something that only Hector was able to write, because it came from his heart. For Ernesto, music is a tool for him to achieve fame and nothing more. He has no care for using music as a tool to express his feelings, which is why the only way he could achieve anything was to steal music from somebody who legitimately cared about the art: Hector. However, while Ernesto stole the lyrics and melody of the song from Hector, the one thing he couldn't steal was the heart and passion of the song, which is why Ernesto's version is glorified and over-the-top.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZcsrtiUac "Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo"]] starts in a very sinister D minor as Alameda Slim monologues and boasts to his minions, then it turns into an upbeat Western ballad in F major, during which he steals $50 million worth of cattle just by yodeling them into hypnosis (including yodeling parts of the William Tell Overture, "Yankee Doodle" and "Ode to Joy"), which is depicted for the cows as the equivalent of [[DisneyAcidSequence an acid trip.]]

* "That Thing You Do" in the [[Film/ThatThingYouDo movie of the same name]] is an upbeat, Beach Boys-esque song about a guy lamenting his girlfriend leaving him.
** In story, the songwriter intended for the song to be a slow ballad, but it became the peppy dance hall song it is after the new drummer decided to up the tempo without telling anybody

* ''Film/TheHangover'' has a band playing [[Music/FiftyCent 50 Cent's]] "Candy Shop" in lounge style as well.

* What is the best way to promote [[Film/IndependenceDay Roland]] [[Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow Emmerich's]] ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve''? Give it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oRHqKteYvE a trailer tune]] sung by ''[[Series/AmericanIdol Idol]]'' runner-up Adam Lambert, that's what! And the title of this song is "Miracle", of all things.
* ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' features a parody of Theatre/{{RENT}}'s songs and the subject matter with an uplifting song of: "EVERYONE HAS AIDS! AIDS AIDS AIDS!" et cetera.
* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' has "Brave Sir Robin", who was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways indeed.
* ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'' contains the song "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life," with such lyrically dissonant lines as, "always look on the bright side of death", being sung by Brian during his own crucifixion.
** Later incorporated into ''Theatre/{{Spamalot}}'', the stage adaptation of ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''.
** And famously sung by British sailors assigned to HMS ''Sheffield'' during UsefulNotes/TheFalklandsWar. [[StiffUpperLip While their]] [[GallowsHumor ship was sinking.]]
* Music/RichardCheese [[LoungeLizard swanks out]] a cover of Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness" in the 2004 remake of ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004''. This is, of course, his entire schtick.
* ''Film/MaryPoppins'' invokes this with a soft, sleep-inducing lullaby called "Stay Awake".
* The most popular song in ''Film/AnnaAndTheApocalypse'' is "Hollywood Ending", an enthusiastic group song where all the students sing about how reality doesn't have the happy ending they were made to believe when they were younger.
* ''Sweeney Todd'' (both the [[Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet original play]] by Music/StephenSondheim and the [[Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet cinematic adaptation]] by Creator/TimBurton) has the song "A Little Priest". Todd and Mrs. Lovett are singing about murdering random strangers and cooking them into meat pies...but it's such a pleasant and upbeat tune!
* Speaking of Tim Burton, in his [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory adaptation]] of ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', the Oompa-Loompas' {{morality ballad}}s are all fun and energetic, but the lyrics graphically detail the potential gruesome fates of misbehaving children. It's worth noting that all those lyrics came directly from Creator/RoaldDahl's original novel, which shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with Dahl's trademark style of BlackComedy. What's more, Music/DannyElfman was responsible for putting those lyrics to musical accompaniment, and Elfman is no stranger to LyricalDissonance, as Music/OingoBoingo fans will readily attest.
** Perhaps the most JustForFun/{{egregious}} example is [[BlackComedyCannibalism the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzmzZaB0kss&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=2 Augustus Gloop song]], which is done as a UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} dance number about how poor Augustus is going to be [[TheSecretOfLongPorkPies mixed into Wonka's fudge.]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F7ANlvZORE&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=3 Violet Beauregarde]]'s send-off is in the style of 1970s funk and Creator/MichaelJackson music video.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtf9nmtTC7Q&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=4 Veruca Salt]] gets dismissed with one in the style of 1960s Music/TheBeatles.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaM4GHbEw8U&list=PLBrzB1wDN9fpkMgSPSrzm1X-gIGzxlQkj&index=5 Mike Teavee]] gets a HardRock[=/=]HairMetal song.
* ''Film/AirAmerica'' has a pair of Chinese singers singing America's "Horse with no name" a song about desperate loneliness in an upbeat longue-singer fashion.
* In ''Film/{{Borat}}'', Borat sings the National Anthem of fictional Kazakhstan to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
* The movie ''Film/GrumpierOldMen'' starts with a bouncy song about the singer killing his wife's lover and leaving his corpse for the crows
-->"I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you\\
I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you,\\
(Verse 1) I'm gonna kill you just for fun, the birds can have you when I'm done, (Verse 2) You slept with my wife, now I'm gonna take your life\\
I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you"
* In ''Film/BillyMadison'', during the musical number where Billy vows to go back to school, [[BrickJoke the clown who fell down during a party earlier in the film]] suddenly comes to life and starts singing.
-->'''Clown:''' (''singing cheerfully'') Hey, kids, it's me! I bet you thought that I was dead! But when I fell over, I just broke my leg and got a hemorrhage in my head!
* Lana Del Ray's cover of "Once Upon A Dream" for 2014's ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' takes the sweet, happy Disney love song and gives it a creepy new feeling.
* One of the songs in the movie ''Film/BeginAgain'' has a song called "A Step You Can't Take Back". If you listen to the lyrics, it's pretty clear the song is about someone committing suicide, but you wouldn't know it from the upbeat melody.
* Creator/MelBrooks's ''Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'' features a catchy BusbyBerkeleyNumber about UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition.
* The 1971 film ''Taking Off'' contains a scene in which a young {{Ingenue}}-looking girl sings very sincerely and accompanies herself on the lute. The music is charming, restrained and reminiscent of the Elizabethan era. The lyrics, by contrast, are filthy. The LyricalDissonance is played up when the word "fuck" is, several times, given classical melismatic treatment. Can be watched [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSqleyVVluM here]].
* In ''Film/TradingPlaces'', in the lead-in to the scene where Louis Winthorpe (Creator/DanAykroyd) tries to borrow money from his "friends", the {{Gentleman Snarker}}s perform a lovely ''a cappella'' song for a group of young women sitting at a table. It's about how the girls are complete sluts. From their reaction, they apparently [[ICanLiveWithThat recognize that fact]].
* Downplayed in "Sailing to Adventure" in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', which is ''mostly'' played straight but includes a few much darker interjections in a BlackComedyBurst kind of way...with only one of them changing the music to match[[note]]the tune gets a lot darker while Polly Lobster, Clueless Morgan and Mad Monty are talking about their favourite ways of killing people[[/note]]. Most notably, the last line before the chorus is delivered loudly and enthusiastically by all the singers at once, whether that line is "Underway and off to see the world," "Margaritas at the midnight buffet," or "And people die by falling overboard!"
* Buster's Mal Heart features a folk songesque version of "Starving In The Belly Of A Whale" which lyrically is all about how foolish it is to have hope.