History Main / MusicalTrigger

* Sorta used in ''TanteiGakuenQ'', where [[spoiler: the ''Banquet of Evil'' melody is used to bring a violinist insane with guilt and fear - years after he and other violin players conspired to get their biggest rival to inherit their teacher's prized violin out, which results in her being mutilated and commiting suicide afterwards.]]

* LooneyTunes and MerrieMelodies: A standard "explosion" gag, where the cartoon's antagonist -- trying to blow up his foe -- attempts to attach dynamite or other explosives to a certain key, hoping that his unwary opponent will press it while playing the song, always "Those Endearing Young Charms." However, the good guy keeps up his guard and (perhaps intentionally) plays the incorrect note to avoid pressing the wrong key; after a few attempts, the frustrated antagonist will shoo off his opponent and demonstrate the correct playing of the song ... always leading to playing the rigged note and taking the explosion.

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'' - the jump co-ordinates needed in the series finale were derived from Starbuck playing the main theme from "All Along The Watchtower". While being nuked near a black hole, no less.

* {{Shivers}}. By playing the siren's song on the organ in the "Mysteries of the Deep" room, a door opens up to reveal the way to the "Subterranean World" maze.

* ''{{Zoolander}}'': The song "Relax" causes Derek's brainwashing to kick in, [[ManchurianAgent transforming him into a mindless assassin]].

* ''ElfenLied'' has a music box playing the theme song "Lillium" that causes Nyu to shift to her virulently murderous side Lucy.

** ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'' took the Lullaby's relationship with the Triforce to [[http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/comic140.html its semi-logical conclusion]].

* In Film.TheThreeStooges movie ''Punch Drunks'', Curly goes berserk whenever he hears "Pop Goes the Weasel".

* In ''Film/{{Inception}}'', the team uses "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" by Edith Piaf to time their awakening from the lower dream levels. At the end of the song, their accomplice on the first level will crash the van they are all in into the river. They need the musical countdown due to the time dilation effect.

* In ''FamilyMatters'', one episode had Steve Urkel invent gunpowder that was set off by the finale of "Roll Out the Barrel." When it was mistaken for pepper and used to cook dinner for a party, [[HilarityEnsues hilarity ensued.]]

* ''EagleEye'': The pentultimate trumpet note of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the signal for the detonator.

* In ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'', JamesBond has a keyring that emits a stunning gas when he whistles Rule Britannia and explodes when he gives a wolf whistle.

* In ''{{Inception}}'', the team uses "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" by Edith Piaf to time their awakening from the lower dream levels. At the end of the song, their accomplice on the first level will crash the van they are all in into the river. They need the musical countdown due to the time dilation effect.

* Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid uses "mind control music" to control Meryl. When you hear it on the way to the commander room, looking in first person view shows the perspective of Mantis looking at you implying that you are also being manipulated.

* Inverted in ''{{Bioshock 1}}''. Sander Cohen ties a former student of his to a piano, which is rigged to explode unless the performer successfully plays a specific song composed by Cohen. Unfortunately, "Cohen's Masterpiece" is a song specifically designed to be nigh-impossible for a pianist to complete, and missing too many notes causes the bomb to go off. It goes off.

* ''{{Thunderbirds}}'' offers the cham-cham, a coded musical instruction to air pirates signalling the time to attack and directing them to their target. When this is discovered, Lady Penelope [[spoiler:sings an altered version of the song, redirecting the hapless pirates' flight-path right over a military airbase.]]

* ''Left4Dead 2:'' Get Jonathan Coulton's ''[[SuspiciouslyAproposMusic Re: Your Brains]]'' song to play on the jukebox and the chorus will result in a Horde being summoned.

** Classic-era Warner Bros. appearances include "Ballot Box Bunny," "Show Biz Bugs" and "Rushing Roulette."

* The most famous example is the eponymous instrument from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''; various melodies on the Ocarina can teleport TheHero to set locations, change night into day, summon a rainstorm, reverse time, and so on. The keystone melody in the game - Zelda's Lullaby - is basically a [[ContextSensitiveButton generic activator]] for a wide variety of effects.
** Other musical triggers in the franchise include melodies from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker's'' titular conductor's baton and the Harp of Ages from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Ages]]'', grass whistles and Wolf Link's howls in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', and the Ballad of the Wind Fish in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening.'' Several games, such as ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'', also feature a flute or similar instrument used to summon a bird to fly Link to set checkpoints, while the ''Oracle'' saga games featured flutes to summon Link's mounts.

* In TheThreeStooges movie ''Punch Drunks'', Curly goes berserk whenever he hears "Pop Goes the Weasel".
* Likewise, in the LaurelAndHardy movie ''Saps at Sea'', Oliver Hardy goes berserk whenever he hears horns.

** [[spoiler:This was also the secret behind the mysterious vampire killer; he used a special modified oboe to fire two poisoned needles into the victim's neck when he played high C.]]

* In the ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?", a door has three possible keys, labelled "A, C, and D". The D key causes two blades to fly at Batman and Robin. When Batman tries to use the A key, [[spoiler: Robin stops him, saying there will be ''three'' blades--the Key of A and the Key of D have three and two sharps, respectively. The correct answer is the Key of C, which has ''no'' sharps.]] They get through the puzzle.

[[AC:Fanfic]]

[[AC: FanFiction]]

* In Olga Chigirinskaya's novel ''Fanfic/BeyondTheDawn'', a particular song performed by a particular minstrel was the key to undoing the protagonist's MemoryGambit.

* A WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cartoon has DaffyDuck trying to sabotage a BugsBunny concert by rigging the piano with explosives. However Bugs keeps misplaying the tune and skipping the trigger piano key. Finally Daffy, frustrated, kicks Bugs out of the piano to show him how to play the tune correctly- and of course blows up. (As Bugs probably intended.)

* ''TheGreatMouseDetective'': The trigger of Ratigan's DeathTrap for Basil was tied to a phonograph tonearm, so it would set off the trap when it reached the end of the record.

* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer:'' Spike's trigger in season 7 is an old English folk song, "Early One Morning."