History Main / MockingMusic

* Pictured above from ''[[Recap/TintinExplorersOnTheMoon Tintin: 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".

* At one point in ''Literature/WetGoddess'', Zack turns on the radio to take his mind off [[spoiler:Ruby's death]]. Cue ''[[Music/TheRollingStones Ruby Tuesday]]'' playing.

* ''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/TheRollingStones comes on; bitterly commenting that some songs are not intended for students.

* In ''Series/That70sShow'', when Eric broke up with Donna, the next morning every song on the radio station was about breaking up, e.g. Eric Carmen's "All By Myself". Worse, Ritchie Valens' "Donna" starts to play.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6czuQvKeIkc "Stan"]] by Music/{{Eminem}}, which is about an obsessed fan, and samples Dido's "Thank You":
-->''And even if I could it'll all be gray,\\

A character is upset about something. They turn on the radio, only to be confronted with a song that seems to mock exactly the thing that's upsetting them.

* Having left her husband Need after finding out that he's a bigamist, ''Series/GeneralHospital'''s Lois is driving back to her parents house, frantically changing radio stations as every one of them is playing a sappy love song. She finally shrieks "Doesn't anyone sing about anything else, ''dammit''!", pulling over and bursting into tears.

* In ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGrommitCurseOfTheWereRabbit'', when Grommit 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.

* In ''Film/BedtimeStories'', Skeeter worries that he'll catch fire because his nephew told a story in which Skeeter's character is incinerated. On the radio, Skeeter keeps changing the station and each one is playing a fire-themed song: "Disco Inferno," "[[Music/TheBangles Eternal Flame]]," "[[Music/BruceSpringsteen I'm On Fire]]," and others. [[spoiler:In the end, by "fire", it meant he was going to be fired from his job.]]

Related to ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere. See also 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.

* "Songs About Rain" by Music/GaryAllan devotes its chorus to [[SongOfSongTitles listing all the sad songs]] the singer hears on the radio while trying not to think about his breakup. (The title is because all of the songs have "rain" in their titles, e.g. "[[Music/ElvisPresley Kentucky Rain]].")

* In ''Film/TheFinalDestination'', when the Klansman mechanic that ends up killed by set on fire and dragged behind his own truck in his attempt to put a burning cross on the black character's lawn, Death adds a bit of extra insult to injury by kicking his truck's radio on with "Why Can't We Be Friends" by War.

* In The ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' parody of ''Film/Jaws2'', the mayor of Amity is reopening the beaches and thanks the town band for their accompaniment, but thinks they could have picked something more appropriate than "[[Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera The shark has pretty teeth, dear]]".

* In The ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' parody of ''Film/JawsII'', the mayor of Amity is reopening the beaches and thanks the town band for their accompaniment, but thinks they could have picked something more appropriate than "[[Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera The shark has pretty teeth, dear]]".

* In ''Film/BetterOffDead'', John Cusack's character's girlfriend has just broken up with him. As he drives despondently, every radio station is playing a breakup song - he rips the radio out and hurls it out the window.

* In ''Film/TheFinalDestination'', when the Klansman mechanic that ends up killed by set on fire and dragged behind his own truck in his attempt to put a burning cross on the black character's lawn, Death adds a bit of extra insult to injury by kicking his truck's radio on with "Why Can't We Be Friends" by War.

* In the ''Literature/AgentOfHel'' book ''Autumn Bones'', when Daisy Johanssen and Sinclair have come back to Daisy's apartment together after a somewhat awkward date during which they avoided discussing having had sex together for the first time under complicated supernatural circumstances, Sinclair starts a conversation about Daisy's musical tastes and asks to hear her favorite song. It's only after Daisy starts up the music that she realizes that "At Last" by Etta James is a bit too on the nose.

* At the end of the ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' episode "The Last Dance", Zack and Kelly are breaking up (due to Kelly falling in love with Jeff) while the gang is inside the gym playing "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You".
* In the ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' episode [[Recap/LegendsOfTomorrowS2E5Compromised "Compromised"]], just after Mick, who's not really one for sharing his feelings, finally admits [[spoiler: how much his misses the dead Captain Cold]], he turns on the radio... only for "(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight" by Cutting Crew to play. [[MoodWhiplash Mick punches the radio and complains that he hates]] TheEighties.
* Having left her husband Need after finding out that he's a bigamist, ''Series/GeneralHospital'''s Lois is driving back to her parents house, frantically changing radio stations as every one of them is playing a sappy love song. She finally shrieks "Doesn't anyone sing about anything else, ''damnit''!", pulling over and bursting into tears.
* ''Series/TheBoys2019''. A brief version occurs when Starlight goes on a [[RoadTripEpisode mission with Hughie and Mother's Milk]] to get away from the stress of working as a CelebritySuperhero. She turns on the car radio only to find herself singing a cheesy power ballad, then changes channels only to find the same song, before finally finding Music/BillyJoel.
* ''Series/BPositive'': In the pilot, protagonist Drew Dunbar, in renal failure, calls the National Kidney Registry helpline for aid in finding a donor. The hold music is "[[Music/TheBeeGees Stayin' Alive]]".
* In ''Series/FullHouse'', the popular song performed by the Rippers (now with [[Series/TheBradyBunch Barry Williams]] as its leader) serves as this to Jesse in "Making Out is Hard to Do", as it's a painful reminder that the Rippers are more popular with Barry now than they ever were when Jesse was leading the band. Unfortunately for Jesse, all of the local radio stations -- including the Spanish-speaking one -- play it frequently due to the sheer popularity of the song, much to his immense exasperation.

* "The Hits" by Perfect Stranger has a similar premise in that the narrator is reminded of his breakup by hearing sad country songs on the radio. Among the ones referenced are "[[Music/RonnieMilsap It Was Almost Like a Song]]", "[[Music/TravisTritt Help Me Hold On]]", "[[Music/GeorgeStrait Am I Blue]]", and "[[Music/DollyParton I Will Always Love You]]".

* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGlpxviu8PY "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda"]], the narrator, an ANZAC who lost his legs at Gallipoli, finds the use of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqtttbbYfSM "Waltzing Matilda"]] as patriotic music for ANZAC Day to add insult to injury.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* In a ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strip, Schroeder mentions that he heard Lucy skinned her knees while roller skating. Lucy crabbily replies that she doesn't want to talk about it, and Schroeder apologizes for bringing it up. Then he begins to play a piano piece entitled "Music for Skinned Knees."
[[/folder]]

* In a ''ComicStrip/Peanuts'' strip, Schroeder mentions that he heard Lucy skinned her knees while roller skating. Lucy crabbily replies that she doesn't want to talk about it, and Schroeder apologizes for bringing it up. Then he begins to play a piano piece entitled "Music for Skinned Knees."

Related to ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere. See also 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 tells us something about their personality.

Related to ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere. See also YourTelevisionHatesYou. A SuperTrope to LosingHorns, where it's just a musical sting that's used for mockery. Compare AMFMCharacterization, when the character's taste in radio listening tells us something about them.

Related to ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere. See also YourTelevisionHatesYou. A SuperTrope to LosingHorns, where it's just a musical sting that's used for mockery. Not to be confused with TheVillainSucksSong or TheHeroSucksSong, where a character ''deliberately'' makes music that mocks another one. Also don't confuse with MockingSingSong, that little tune children sing to tease someone.

** Subverted when Homer, frustrated by his inability to get tickets to the Springfield Atoms game, turns on the radio to hear the song "Two Tickets to Paradise" by Eddie Money. At first he is unhappy, but soon starts singing along and playing air guitar.

** There's another episode 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 ''Film/EvanAlmighty'', God wants Evan Baxter to build an Ark for an impending flood. Evan is resistant, and at one point, he sits in his car, only to find that all that's on the radio are songs that involve the word "rain".

%%* In ''Film/OhGod'', God wants Jerry Landers to build an Ark for an impending flood. Jerry is resistant, and at one point he sits in his car and all that's on the radio are songs that involve the word "rain".

* In ''Film/OhGod'', God wants Jerry Landers to build an Ark for an impending flood. Jerry is resistant, and at one point he sits in his car and all that's on the radio are songs that involve the word "rain".