History Main / SongFic

The third way is to intersperse the lyrics in the text. In a basic Songfic they are italicised to distinguish them from the rest of the story, and can disrupt the flow, betraying a rush-job. It used to be very popular but because there was so much of it, it ended up giving songfic a bad name. However in the more skilled examples they may choreograph the song to the events passing, turning it into a kind of music video, with a gentle word of advice for when to start playing. The most dedicated will have characters speaking the lyrics of the song, adapted to turn them into a conversation or remove repetition. It can really add to the drama if it comes at a major [[WhamLine Wham Moment]]. The ultimate goal is to have the song meld with the scene, preferably right down to the timing of introductions and solos. It's a complicated business that requires the writer to listen to the song over and over while writing until thoroughly sick of it.

* While not a fanfic per say(though it was originally a WoW parody)''WebComic/LookingForGroup'' periodically has character periodically break into song, such as Richard singing ''Never gonna give you up'' by Rick Astley [[http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/144/ 144]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13065487/1/Figured-You-Out Figured You Out]] uses this fairly straight, with Anger and Disgust using the lyrics to "[[Music/Nickelback Figured You Out]]" as their dialogue as they get to third base together. The chorus is left out of their dialogue and some lyrics are slightly edited to avoid repetition, but the make-out is still so tightly choreographed that you'll hardly notice.

* The ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13065487/1/Figured-You-Out Figured You Out]] uses this fairly straight, with Anger and Disgust using the lyrics to "[[{{Nickelback}} Figured You Out]]" as their dialogue as they get to third base together. The chorus is left out of their dialogue and some lyrics are slightly edited to avoid repetition, but the make-out is still so tightly choreographed that you'll hardly notice, with the author complaining that she had to listen to the song almost 300 times while writing.

* The ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13065487/1/Figured-You-Out Figured You Out]] uses this fairly straight, with Anger and Disgust using the lyrics to "Figured You Out" as their dialogue as they get to third base together. The chorus is left out of their dialogue and some lyrics are slightly edited to avoid repetition, but the make-out is still so tightly choreographed that you'll hardly notice, with the author complaining that she had to listen to the song almost 300 times while writing.

* The ''InsideOut'' fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13065487/1/Figured-You-Out Figured You Out]] uses this fairly straight, with Anger and Disgust using the lyrics to "Figured You Out" as their dialogue as they get to third base together. The chorus is left out of their dialogue and some lyrics are slightly edited to avoid repetition, but the make-out is still so tightly choreographed that you'll hardly notice, with the author complaining that she had to listen to the song almost 300 times while writing.

Sooner or later you'll run into somebody who really does know how to write songs, and has composed their own lyrics to their own tune, but since it's in (italics) text, you can't see the tune. Guess you'll just have to find your own tune.

The second is to intersperse the lyrics in the text. In a basic Songfic they are italicised them to distinguish them from the rest of the story, and can disrupt the flow, betraying a low-quality fanfic. In the more skilled examples they may choreograph the song to the events passing, which can add to the drama if done at a major [[WhamLine Wham Moment]]. However some writers may choreograph so that the scene becomes a kind of music video, advising when to start playing with the characters themselves ''speaking'' the words to the song rather than sing it. The ultimate goal is to have the song meld with the scene, often right down to the timing of introductions and solos. It's a complicated business that requires the writer to listen to the song over and over while writing.

The third way is to actively rewrite the lyrics of a song and replace them with lyrics of the author's creation. There's a very good chance readers won't recognize it unless you specifically spell out which song or band you're "covering", so to speak, and even then it could just as easily detract from the experience. Some fanfiction is nothing ''but'' Song Fic, essentially rewriting the lyrics into a poem that fits whatever franchise they're writing about.

* ''Fanfic/TotalDramaIslandByGilbertAndSullivan'' takes the song fic concept to [[UpToEleven reality warping levels]]. Instead of just one song, it’s over 70 percent of the total verse content from a whole series of 14 light operas. The thousands upon thousands of lines of Creator/GilbertAndSullivan lyrics are collected in a separate section with a cross-referencing system that allows the reader to quickly jump back and forth between the episode synopses and the lyrics. The overall effect is to turn the canon story arc of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'' into a comic opera.

* The PhoenixWright / VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents crossover ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3695862/1/To_Each_A_Tempo To Each A Tempo]]'' has at least three Song Fic chapters, [[JustifiedTrope which makes sense, as they're set during EBA missions.]] The fic also [[WaxingLyrical slips other song lyrics into the dialogue]] at several points, such as when the Judge very briefly Rick Rolls the court.

* The DeconstructiveParody, "[[Fanfic/TheConversionBureau The Conversion Bureau: Metal Ripper]]" has the lyrics of {{Sabaton}}'s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZm4zseMok0 Primo Victoria]] complete with Youtube links at the end where the group defeats Celestia.

The second is to intersperse the lyrics in the text. In a basic Songfic they are italicised them to distinguish them from the rest of the story, and can disrupt the flow, betraying a low-quality fanfic. In the more skilled examples they may choreograph the song to the events passing, which can add to the drama if done at a major [[WhamLine Wham Moment]]. However some writers may choreograph so that the scene becomes a kind of music video, advising when to start playing with the characters themselves ''speaking'' the words to the song rather than sing it. The ultimate goal is to have the song meld with the scene, often right down to the timing of introductions and solos. It requires listening to the song over and over while typing to execute properly.

The second is to intersperse the lyrics in the text. In a basic Songfic they are italicised them to distinguish them from the rest of the story, and can disrupt the flow, betraying a low-quality fanfic. In the more skilled examples they may choreograph the song to the events passing, which can add to the drama if done at a major [[WhamLine Wham Moment]]. However some writers may choreograph so that the scene can be read with the music playing, advising when to start playing. Perhaps the characters themselves may ''speak'' the words to the song rather than sing it. The goal is to have the song meld with the scene, often right down to the timing of solos. Skilled or not, it certainly isn't easy, and requires listening to the song over and over while typing to execute properly.

There are three main ways of writing a song fic. One is to intersperse the lyrics in the text, often italicising them to distinguish them from the rest of the story. This may disrupt the flow, but it can also add to the drama, particularly if it's done at a major [[WhamLine Wham Moment]]. By listening to the song over and over while typing, some writers can actively choreograph so that the story can be read with the music playing.

Another method is to turn the fic into a kind of musical, and have a character actually listening to or performing a particular song that fits the mood of the story so far. This may fit in more neatly with the text, and is frequently a way that LiveActionTV shows intersperse famous background music - namely, by setting the scene in a bar or club and having the actual musicians performing onstage. If the story isn't completely a musical, a chapter may be set during a bar's karaoke night, which always features one character singing a song specifically to another; the rampant abuse of SuspiciouslyAproposMusic involved in this one is part of why so many people hate it. The combination of timing movements and music leads to the Dance Fic, in which two characters' actions are choreographed to a song that is actually playing (although that they don't need to be dancing).

There are three main ways of writing a song fic. One is to intersperse the lyrics in the text, often italicising them to distinguish them from the rest of the story. This may disrupt the flow, but it can also add to the drama, particularly if it's done at a major [[WhamLine Wham Moment]]. Some writers actively choreograph their Whams so that the story can be read with the music playing.

The third way is to actively rewrite the lyrics of a song and replace them with lyrics of the author's creation. There's a very good chance readers won't recognize it unless you specifically spell out which song or band you're "covering", so to speak, and even then it could just as easily detract from the experience. Some fanfiction is nothing ''but'' SongFic, essentially rewriting the lyrics into a poem that fits whatever franchise they're writing about.

This trope is a classic example of how TropesAreTools and TropesAreNotBad. While {{Song Fic}}s are deplored by some people and major sites like [[http://www.fanfiction.net/guidelines/ Fanfiction.Net]] forbid the use of non-public domain lyrics due to copyright issues (not that they enforce it much), they can be highly effective if they're used correctly and can add more depth to a story than you might think.

* An example of the third variety: ''[[http://www.accessdenied-rms.net/rwb.shtml We Belong]]'', a ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' SongFic by troper @/LooneyToons, set around the song of the same name by Music/PatBenatar. (And written in 1998, before songfics wore out their welcome.)

** Of course, the ''actual'' meaning of ''Closer'' can be useful for writing {{Angst}}. Take, for instance, [[http://xmen.adultfanfiction.net/story.php?no=600090653 this]] (NotSafeForWork) Franchise/XMen SlashFic. So yes, not all uses of ''Closer'' in a SongFic are MisaimedFandom.

* The PhoenixWright / VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents crossover ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3695862/1/To_Each_A_Tempo To Each A Tempo]]'' has at least three SongFic chapters, [[JustifiedTrope which makes sense, as they're set during EBA missions.]] The fic also [[WaxingLyrical slips other song lyrics into the dialogue]] at several points, such as when the Judge very briefly Rick Rolls the court.
* A ''comedic'' use of SongFic was Bruinhilda's [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/207196/1/Too_Sexy "I'm Too Sexy."]] The song in question is blasting over the music system of what turns out to be exactly the ''wrong'' kind of establishment...

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'', being a show about a high school show-choir, is practically made for SongFic of the performing version. The quality varies.

--> Credit for the above lyrics go to the band America ("Horse With No Name"), Music/PinkMartini ("Dosvedanya, Mio Bombino"), Jim Croce ("Had to Say I Love You In a Song"), and Music/TheBeatles ("Sun King.")

* A curious example is the ''Manga/DeathNote'' fic ''Requiem'' by firelordzuko, which is at a songfic based on the [[OminousLatinChanting Greek and Latin lyrics]] of the traditional Catholic Mass for the Dead (or Requiem Mass). The music is the Requiem in d-minor by Creator/WolfgangAmadeusMozart. The plot follows Near at L's funeral, where Mozart's Requiem is performed.

The third way is to actively rewrite the lyrics of a song and replace them with lyrics of the author's creation. This is probably the most dubious method, since there's a very good chance readers won't recognize it unless you specifically spell out which song or band you're "covering", so to speak, and even then it could just as easily detract from the experience. Some fanficition is nothing ''but'' SongFic, essentially rewriting the lyrics into a poem that fits whatever franchise they're writing about.

There are three main ways of writing a song fic. One is to intersperse the lyrics in the text, often italicizing them to distinguish them from the rest of the story. This may disrupt the flow, but it can also add to the drama, particularly if it's done at a major [[WhamLine Wham Moment]].

Another method is to turn the story into a kind of musical, and have a character actually listening to or performing a particular song that fits the mood of the story so far. This may fit in more neatly with the text, and is frequently a way that LiveActionTV shows intersperse famous background music-namely, by setting the scene in a bar or club and having the actual musicians performing onstage. There's also the variant of this set during the bar's karaoke night, which always features one character singing a song specifically to another; the rampant abuse of SuspiciouslyAproposMusic involved in this one is part of why so many people hate it.

* The PhoenixWright / EliteBeatAgents crossover ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3695862/1/To_Each_A_Tempo To Each A Tempo]]'' has at least three SongFic chapters, [[JustifiedTrope which makes sense, as they're set during EBA missions.]] The fic also [[WaxingLyrical slips other song lyrics into the dialogue]] at several points, such as when the Judge very briefly Rick Rolls the court.

* Not exactly a fanfic... or a song, for that matter, but Creator/RichardCorben & RichMargopoulos' ''HauntOfHorror'' has several stories where the panels are juxtaposed with poetry from EdgarAllanPoe or Creator/HPLovecraft. One particularly amusing example would be Poe's ''Israfel'' on a story about a GangstaRap beef.

There are three main ways of writing a song fic. One is to intersperse the lyrics in the text, often italicizing them to distinguish them from the rest of the story. This may disrupt the flow, but it can also add to the drama, particularly if it's done at a major WhamMoment.

* A character called Alice miscalculates during a lesson in preparing a hallucinogenic incapacitant. She inadvertently goes on a mind-bending trip and encounters smoking caterpillars, talking chessmen and a dormouse in a teapot. See Creator/AAPessimal's ''{{Discworld}}'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5169257/1/White-Rabbit White Rabbit]]''. A Music/JeffersonAirplane song is intimately involved. Alice Band even finds herself merging with the essence of Grace Slick to sing it.

* An example of the third variety: ''[[http://www.accessdenied-rms.net/rwb.shtml We Belong]]'', a ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' SongFic by troper @/LooneyToons, set around the song of the same name by PatBenatar. (And written in 1998, before songfics wore out their welcome.)

* [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/9/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality Chapter 9]] of Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality contains a spoof of the Film/{{Ghostbusters}} theme. Chapter 10 contains an apology for chapter 9.

* The song ''Closer'' by NineInchNails is a frequent choice for {{Lemon}} fics because of the lyrics. Specifically, the "I Wanna Fuck You Like An Animal" portion of the lyrics. However, this is MisaimedFandom since ''Closer'' is meant to be about a self-loather using sex as an escape, a way he can delude himself into thinking he's somebody else.

--> Credit for the above lyrics go to the band America ("Horse With No Name"), Music/PinkMartini ("Dosvedanya, Mio Bombino"), Jim Croce ("Had to Say I Love You In a Song"), and Music/TheBeatles ("Sun King.")