History Main / TheDayTheMusicLied

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' does this occasionally, for example during Ash's final battle against Brandon when Charizard loses against Dusclops.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In "Kill The Moon", Clara asks the Doctor what they're to do to solve their latest world-endangering crisis. The music builds at we wait for some awesome IndyPloy... then stops as the Doctor tells his companion it's not his problem.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Message In A Bottle", the Doctor successfully retakes the Starfleet vessel ''Prometheus'' from Romulan captors with some help from the ''Prometheus'''s EMH. However, they still have to deal with the Romulan fleet awaiting them along with a Starfleet fleet that thinks the ''Prometheus'' is still in Romulan control. So, the EMH takes the tactical station and fires a photon torpedo at a Romulan warbird, and the music triumphantly plays... until the torpedo hits one of the Starfleet ships, instead.

* In the anime adaptation of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'', Kakyoin fights DIO in one of the last episodes. Having trapped DIO with a special barrier, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gjg3Ib-y54 Noble Pope]] starts to play, being an almost signature theme of Kakyoin. He launches a 20-meter radius emerald splash attack against DIO, but just then, the music abruptly stops as DIO [[CallingYourAttacks shouts out "The World!"]]. [[spoiler: All of the surrounding barrier is then broken, and Kakyoin is fatally blown away before anyone can understand what happened.]]

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'': When [[TheHero Josuke]] suggests that [[DumbMuscle Okuyasu]] use his [[FightingSpirit stand]] [[PowerOfTheVoid "The Hand"]] to take care of [[PhantomZonePicture Atom Heart Father]], Okuyasu's {{leitmotif}}, fittingly named [[AwesomeMusic/JojosBizarreAdventure "The Hand"]], kicks in as Okuyasu charges ... and promptly cuts off as [[RunningIntoTheWindow Okuyasu runs headfirst]] [[Funny/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable into a window]].

* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'' the theme charge of the [[TheCavalry Rohirrim]] cut short the moment the line met the [[WarElephants mûmakil]]. Not pretty.

** A rare villainous example from the original {{Funimation}} dub of ''Anime/DragonballZ'' shows [[spoiler:Vegito]] utterly dominating [[spoiler:Buuhan]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woHtuw_xtcc Super Buu's Theme]].

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Message In A Bottle", the Doctor successfully retakes the Starfleet vessel ''Prometheus'' from Romulan captors with some help from the ''Prometheus'''s EMH. However, they still have to deal with the Romulan fleet awaiting them along with a Starfleet brigade that thinks the ''Prometheus'' is still in Romulan control. So, the EMH takes the tactical station and fires a photon torpedo at a warbird, and the music triumphantly plays... until the torpedo hits one of the Starfleet ships, instead.

-->'''Richard Dawson:''' "A state that begins with the letter M". You said: Mississipi. You need 41 points. Survey said...

** ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' does it again. [[spoiler:You're about to fight the fifth boss, but the stage clear music is playing. What? No boss at all? ...But when you thought that the final part of the Lor Starcutter is for the taking, it suddenly goes away from you and said fifth boss reveals itself to be Grand Doomer, ''truly'' beginning the boss battle.]]

* Crocomire in ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''. After it falls into an acid bath which dissolves its flesh, its skeleton crashes through the wall and the boss music starts up again... then the skeleton collapses.

* ''Manga/ShamanKing'' has a notable example in the Japanese version of the anime. All the main characters(bar one) have gathered together to defeat Hao, and we are treated to an almost full rendition of one of the ThemeMusicPowerUp songs as the characters bind him in place and recalls their friend. Then they finally fire their supposed finishing blow, complete with Hao's only real friend shouting out his name in alarm... Then the theme song abruptly stops as Hao breaks the bind with ease and send the supposed finishing blows off target without trying.

* ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm'': [[Franchise/AceAttorney Phoenix]] finds what it seems to be a massive hole in the prosecutor's case, and confidently objects as the triumphant ''[[ThemeMusicPowerUp Pursuit ~ Cornered]]'' starts playing -- Only for then to be interrupted by [[StunnedSilence a stunned courtroom]] and ChirpingCrickets. Turns out his outburst was [[CriticalResearchFailure critically wrong]] on one rather important detail.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'': Stinkmeaner possesses Tom and tries to get his revenge on Robert... but then Huey and Riley jump in and Huey tosses Robert his [[WeaponOfChoice belt]] as remix of the [[ThemeMusicPowerUp show's theme starts]]. The three of them proceed to [[CurbStompBattle get their asses kicked]] while the music is playing.

* In the first ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', one board has Bowser giving players black stars. At first, it might seem that they count because of the fanfare... Then they [[LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand Let The Air Out Of The Band]] to let you know you were forced to pay for nothing.
** And his fake stars cost double (40 coins instead of 20)

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue:'' Near the end of Episode 10 of Season 11, the Blood Gulch Gang is about to deteriorate into a violent melee, [[ShutUpGunshot when a lone gun shot is heard]]. The theme of Agent Tex, badass to the extreme, begins to play...until the shooter is revealed to be [[PinkIsFeminine Donut]].

* Is sometimes [[InvokedTrope invoked]] when a heel is in the ring either mocking an absent babyface or ranting about [[NothingCanStopUsNow his/her supposed invincibility]]. In the middle of the segment, the face's distinctive music will hit and the heel will affect an OhCrap expression...only to start laughing when the supposed entrance of the face is merely 1) a fake-out orchestrated by the heel or 2) one of the heel's minions dressing up as the face for mockery. (See Wrestling/{{Edge}} and Wrestling/{{Lita}}'s wedding for an example of the former and Michelle [=McCool=] calling Mickie James a fat "piggie" for the latter.)

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague: [[{{OVA}} The New Frontier]]''. {{Superman}}, being Superman, rouses and unites a divided group of superheroes, then, with heroic music playing in the background, charges off to scout and engage the enemy...only to be hit with an energy beam so powerful it knocks him several miles back and into the sea, pretty much removing him from the movie (Supes doesn't save the day in this one).

TheHero is squaring off with the BigBad. His [[ThemeMusicPowerUp theme song]] picks up and all doubts are cast out of your mind as he moves in to attack. Some asskicking is ''[[MusicalSpoiler assured]]'' once that starts playing. But all of a sudden... No! The hero is soundly defeated! It looked like such a sure thing! It looks like today is [[TitleDrop The Day the Music Lied]].

** Five years later, after many a NextTierPowerUp, Ichigo finally turns the tables on him -- stopping both his sword [[CallBack in nearly the same fashion]] and his theme song on the height of its [[OminousLatinChanting Ominous English Chanting]]. For the rest of the battle, the music shifts to Ichigo's own.
* A gag in one ''Manga/PopTeamEpic'' strip had Popuko waking up, with a caption indicating "Morning Mood" from ''Theatre/PeerGynt'' is playing. Then she opens the curtain and sees it's still night out. Cue Popuko [[HairTriggerTemper losing her shit]] and [[BreakingTheFourthWall beating the crap out of the caption]] for lying to her.

* ''Anime/SailorMoon'': [[spoiler: Galaxia orders mind controlled Uranus and Neptune to kill Usagi and the Sailor Starlights, and as they prepare to do just that an ominous music is playing. Which suddenly cuts out and gets replaced by their theme music when they throw their [[MindControlEyes disguise]] and blast Galaxia. And then *that* music cuts out too when the attack proves to be utterly ineffective.]]

* The [[WhamEpisode very well known third episode of]] ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': [[spoiler:Mami was fighting quite joyously to the tune of her {{Leitmotif}} Credens Justitiam. When the witch, [[KnightOfCerebus Charlotte]] appeared, the music changed to the fast paced battle music Venari strigas as Mami seemingly delivers a CurbStompBattle. The music turns sinister when the witch reveals its OneWingedAngel form. It completely ''stops'' when the witch [[GutPunch bites her head off]] and proceeds to devour the rest of her corpse.]]

* In ''Film/{{Seabiscuit}}'', during the historic match race against War Admiral, Seabiscuit jumps out to an early lead. After a while, though, he begins to slow, accompanied by mournful music, allowing War Admiral to catch up. But Seabiscuit slowing was a BatmanGambit on the part of his jockey, George Woolf, and (injured) regular jockey, Red Pollard, who knew that the horse would push himself harder if the other horse was matching his speed. It worked, and Seabiscuit won. This was, as Laura Hillenbrand's book described, TruthInTelevision (well, except for the music).
* As SF Debris noted in a review, Flash Gordon's theme-music usually plays when he's losing a fight.

** In "Anne", Buffy has run away to Los Angeles in her HeroicBSOD after Angel's death, working at a diner to pay the bills. In one scene Buffy waits on two trucker types. She instructs Trucker #1 to pay at the counter, and he offers to [[DoubleEntendre pay in trade]]. Trucker #2 slaps Buffy's behind as she walks away. She glares over her shoulder, and from the music we're meant to think an ass-kicking is imminent, but instead she keeps walking.

** The game uses a variation earlier: enemies jump out, the characters get into their battle stances, but the action bar never shows up. Instead the music stops and the enemies' boss shows up to [[UnexpectedGenreChange challenge you to a race]].
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue''. The {{butt monkey}} ninja has an awesome over the top theme that activates when you use Furinkazan which basically makes you super fast and near impossible to hit. Cue [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U158VC5u6kk epic facepalm]].
* In the first ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', one board has Bowser giving players black stars. At first it might seem that they count because of the fanfare... Then they [[LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand Let The Air Out Of The Band]] to let you know you were forced to pay for nothing.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Uninvited}}'' game, when you meet the Scarlet O'Hara lookalike, the music sounds VERY upbeat. As if you're going to have a pleasant time. Doing anything aside of a select few will cause her to reveal her face as she rips you apart while said music turns into utter horror. This is noteworthy because usually dangers in the game were accompanied with an eerie music, rather than such upbeat music.

* At the end of the second phase of the final boss battle in ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'' the music changes to Tables Turn, a song that plays when the heroes gain the upper hand in a boss battle. The player is given a simple quick time event to initiate the final blow... only for the boss to get back up and stop the attack with a single punch. The heroes eventually recover and the game's main theme starts playing (which occasionally plays when a boss is about to be defeated). The heroes charge up an even bigger attack... and once again the boss ends the whole thing with a single punch, this time hitting them hard enough to completely exhaust and depower the heroes.

* A gag used in ''Series/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', when Arthur and Ford are trapped in the Vogon airlock, about to be blown into space. Ford says "No, wait! What's this switch!" accompanied by a hopeful swell of music... only he's just being a jerk. There's no switch, and they do get blown out of the airlock.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' does this with the TrueFinalBoss fight. [[spoiler: The song starts off very slow and ominous sounding, before swelling into an ''epic'' reprise of "Reach Out to the Truth," the original battle theme. It seems like a ThemeMusicPowerUp, but the fight actually ends with the boss ''killing your entire party''. It's the only battle in the entire game that is ''impossible'' to win outright.]]

** After the protagonist John discovers that Fruit Gushers are a Betty Crocker product, he begins to have a [[HeroicBSOD mental breakdown]] - until the music [[RecordNeedleScratch squeals to a halt]] with the flashing words [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002879 THIS IS STUPID]].
** Happens in [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002655 the flash animation]] where the Wayward Vagabond has a RaceAgainstTheClock, where he has to escape [[ExactTimeToFailure with only seconds to spare]]. He almost makes it out in time, but slips on a ladder, while the music in the background slows to a halt.\\

** In [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005596 the 4/2/11 update,]] where [[spoiler: John and Rose square off against their parents' killer, a suitably epic remix of Chorale starts up, a big Round 1 appears at the top of the screen - and then John is stabbed through the chest, at which point the music '''stops'''.]][[note]]Of course, this example could also count as a MusicalSpoiler. Chorale is one of the songs related to Rose (although it was originally Jaspers's {{Leitmotif}}), [[spoiler: and she continues the battle after John falls.]][[/note]]

TheHero is squaring off with the BigBad. His [[ThemeMusicPowerUp theme song]] picks up and all doubts are cast out of your mind as he moves in to attack. Some asskicking is ''[[MusicalSpoiler assured]]'' once that starts playing. But all of a sudden... No! The hero is soundly defeated! It looked like such a sure thing! It looks like today is The Day the Music Lied.

The name of this trope is a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died The Day the Music Died,]] as recounted by Don [=McLean=] in the 1971 song "American Pie".

* In final episode of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'', Steven is about to [[spoiler:leave town for who knows how long]]. The entire episode, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl haven't shown any reaction, so just as he's driving off the beach and the ending song starts playing, he suddenly slams on the breaks and goes back to the Temple to question why they aren't sad about it. [[spoiler:Only then do they breakdown in tears and admit they were trying to put up a strong front so he wouldn't be compelled to cancel his trip.]]