History Music / RideOfTheValkyries

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->''"Never let it be said that a Chooser of the Slain can't make an entrance."''
-->-- '''[[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]]''', ''Literature/SmallFavor'', Chapter 43

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AlEvy0fJto Daa-da-da-da-DAA-da, da-da-da-DAA-da, da-da-da-''DAAA''-da, da-da-da-daaaaaaa!]] ([[Wrestling/BryanDanielson YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!]])

The "Ride of the Valkyries" (German: "Ritt der Walküren", or "Walkürenritt", as the composer referred to it) is a fanfare-like orchestral music theme originating from Music/RichardWagner's opera ''Die Walküre'' (''[[{{Valkyries}} The Valkyrie]]''), which is a part of the cycle ''Der Ring Des Nibelungen'' (''Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung'').

When Wagner wrote it, he already intended it to evoke images of epic battles, but what really made that music the StandardSnippet for military badassery in Western pop culture was the iconic helicopter raid in ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' ([[PopCulturalOsmosis even those who haven't seen the movie know that scene]], [[PopCulturalOsmosisFailure or at least used to]]). As a result, when the characters are charging on big machines, raining DeathFromAbove on their enemies or just riding a helicopter, either the soundtrack will play "Ride of the Valkyries", or a reference to it will be made.

The "Ride" has been popular as a standalone piece from the very moment it first premiered as part of ''Die Walküre'' in 1870. Ironically, Music/RichardWagner initially opposed the use and performance of the piece outside of the original opera, even going as far as to write letters of complaint to publishers who sold the sheet music as a separate work. Also ironically, the scene in ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' that served as the TropeCodifier was meant to allude to UsefulNotes/NaziGermany ([[HitlerAteSugar Hitler was a huge fan of Wagner]] and [[MusicToInvadePolandTo often used his music to rally his troops]]), reflecting how the soldiers in that scene are intended to be viewed as war criminals--[[DoNotDoThisCoolThing not that it worked]].

Compare ''Music/AlsoSprachZarathustra'' and ''Music/CarminaBurana''. Examples of this song in the media also qualify as PublicDomainSoundtrack. Often an example of OrchestralBombing.

----
!!This music has appeared in:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Advertising]]
* A {{N|otSafeForWork}}SFW commercial by Fleggaard features naked female skydivers to the ''Ride of the Valkyries'' to advertise a washing machine.
* A commercial for some Australian breath mint, in which two guys are at a football match. One guy is loud and crude, and keeps shouting at an apparently mediocre player named "Wilson". In the context of, "you're a joke Wilsoooon! come on Wilson!" The other guy gives him a really strong breath mint, the loud guy's face locks into "awed" position and "Ride of the Valkyries" starts playing to close out the commercial.
* Used in the trailer for ''The Informant!''
* Used in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uv1PxInJnY this]] 1980s Maxell commercial, and in parodies of it by ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' and ''Film/StayTuned''.
* Used in a Nissan Juke commercial.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea'', a film which already owes much to Wagner's ''Ring Cycle'', the eponymous hero bounds across a tsunami to a tune which borrows from the Ride of the Valkyries.
* ''Anime/UFOUltramaidenValkyrie'', unsurprisingly, employs a rather... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnEIXJGvjEc unique take]] on "Ride of the Valkyries".
* In episode 14 of Season Two of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Haruhi can be heard humming the song as she's leaving the rest of the characters for the day.
* ''Anime/MetalArmorDragonar'' also makes use of this song in an indirect sort of way. [[AcePilot Meiou Plato]] can be heard listening to it while [[AGlassOfChianti sipping from his wine glass]] shortly after pounding an entire squad of Earth troops flat, cementing him in the audience's mind as a complete badass.
* In the Japanese version of ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Zigfried plays his magic card, "Ride of the Valkyries" which happens to play this song itself in the background while the card's effect is being made.
* As a movie producer's ringtone in ''Anime/HanasakuIroha''.
* [[JerkAss Yozora]] hums this as she [[BlatantLies accidentally]] kills [[SitcomArchnemesis Sena]] with a bomb while playing a video game in ''LightNovel/{{Haganai}}''.
* In Literature/{{Gate}}'s 6th episode, the helicopters flew to the town of Italica armed and with speakers, ready to play the song as they join the fight against the bandits/mercenaries. This is a direct ShoutOut to ''Film/ApocalypseNow'', with JSDF troops quoting the lines "Why do you sit on your helmets?" "So we don't get our balls blown off!" from the movie. In the light novel version, Princess Piña Co Lada weeps when she hears it, having interpreted it has the gods mocking humanity. She imagines them singing:
-->Oh miniscule humanity!\\
Oh tragic and powerless humanity!\\
What of your power and authority? All those things you pass down through the generations, we shall destroy in the blink of an eye, like so!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the ''ComicBook/{{Midnighter}}'' comic book ''killing machine'' in which The Midnighter is unwillingly sent back in time to ''kill Hitler''. The ''[[TimePolice Time Cops]]'' come to arrest him and he fights back (with his usual brutal efficiency). The chief Time Cop chases him down in her ''flying tank'' and plays Ride of the Valkyries over the speakers as she does so. The Midnighter hears the song and hums along "pom te te pom pom, pom te te pom pom"... and realizes that he is about to get blown to kingdom come. Aside from the undeniable style, this is notable for being the second time somebody takes the Midnighter down EVER. Even Batman takes more opening act beatings on his way to victory.
* In Marvel's ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I. Joe]]'' series, Cobra Commander is disappointed after returning from a successful raid against the Joes' headquarters that, as the helicopters come in to land, "Ride of the Valkyries" is not being played for him ''as he has made standing policy''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* The {{Crossover}} FanFic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8381700/1/A-Gentleman-s-Game A Gentleman's Game]]'' by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/~Rassilon001 Rassilon001]] features this song, identified by name, as being blasted over the loud speakers when Murdoc of the Film/TheATeam makes a dramatic entrance.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', a drunken Jim Stark (Creator/JamesDean) hums it at the police station, among other inebriated antics.
* In ''Film/ThoseMagnificentMenInTheirFlyingMachines'' (about a [[TheBigRace big air race]] in 1910), the theme is [[PlayedForLaughs used humorously]] (and in a fully brass version) when the overweight Prussian colonel von Holstein can't control the side-car he's been left in after the German team's test flight went awry. He ends up crashing in the sewage farm nearby.
* ''Film/EightAndAHalf'' provides a notorious case of SoundtrackDissonance, as the tune is played to the sight of the resort for the elderly and frail. The music is eventually revealed to be diegetic, but this rather makes the whole thing even more absurd.
* ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' is, as mentioned above, one of the most famous uses in popular culture.
* One of the earliest uses of "Valkyries" was in ''Film/{{The Birth of a Nation|1915}}'' when the heroic Ku Klux Klansmen ([[ValuesDissonance no, really]]) ride to the rescue of the Cameron family.
* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'', when the Illinois Nazis go off the bridge and fall gracefully through the air during the climax to the epic ChaseScene.
* In ''Film/MyNameIsNobody'', the soundtrack song "The Wild Horde" features a short recall to Ride Of The Valkyries. It's mainly used in the scenes with the Wild Bunch (a group of 150 outlaws and a tribute to [[Film/TheWildBunch the omonimous film]]).
* ''Film/GhostRider'', when the helicopters land in the stadium before the big jump. Appears as a StandardSnippet.
* ''Film/{{Jarhead}}'', when the marines watch ''Film/ApocalypseNow''. The narration remarks that, to marines, [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing no film is an anti war film]].
* In ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'', it's played straight in the Vietnam flashback, with Dr. Manhattan playing the role of the Angel of Death. A non-standard usage also appears in the original print version of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. In one of the documents written by the first Nite Owl, he tells the story in how the music factored into the suicide of his boss while he was learning to be a mechanic. As a result he considers it a rather sad piece of music.
* ''Film/SuperTroopers'', during the final FightScene, when the Troopers leap out of the bushes and go on the offensive.
* In the CGI UsefulNotes/WorldWarII film ''WesternAnimation/{{Valiant}}'', the main villain (a German eagle who hunts Allied homing pigeons) is singing this as he is having a shower:
-->'''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Von Talon]]:''' Pin on my medals...pin on my medals...pin on my MEDALS...on my ''cheeeeeeeeeeeeest''!
* This song is played by the Mole Clan in ''{{WesternAnimation/Rango}}'', with banjos and other such instruments, ''while flying on bats''.
* ''Film/{{Valkyrie}}''. Outside the obvious name of the operation directly referring to the opera, the Ride is heard on a gramophone in Stauffenberg's house during an Allied air raid.
* The music plays when Yuri Orlov visits the Berlin arms convention in ''Film/LordOfWar''.
* In the TV movie ''The Great American Traffic Jam'' (AKA ''Gridlock''), a squadron of helicopters is deployed during the titular city-wide traffic snarl. As ''Valkyries'' triumphantly plays, they drop off their payloads: portable toilets for all the stranded motorists to use.
* The Flying Monkeys sing the tune while flying on their motorcycles in ''Film/TheMuppetsWizardOfOz'', much to the Witch's annoyance.
* A soldier in the opening scene of ''Film/{{Monsters|2010}}'' hums the tune while riding a Humvee and calls it his personal theme song.
* In ''Film/RepoMan'', by Otto's former friends while fleeing the scene of one of their crimes.
* In ''Film/SmallSoldiers'' when Chip Hazzard rides a helicopter into the house.
* It's used as the protagonists arrive at a concentration camp in the Italian film ''Film/SevenBeauties''. Note that this predates ''Apocalypse Now'' by a few years.
* Averted in the Creator/LouisDeFunes film ''Film/TheWingOrTheThigh''. As the chef protagonist prepares a dish on a radio show, a studio guy puts on "Ride of the Valkyries". He instantly objects, as that's music for large game, like boar or rhinoceros.
* In ''Film/{{Predators}}'', Noland hums this after mentioning that he served on the U.S. Air Cavalry (also an ActorAllusion, because ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' was one of Creator/LaurenceFishburne's earliest films).
* In ''Film/OneTwoThree'' the Ride is briefly played when [=MacNamara=] and co. have to dash to East Berlin at night to snatch Otto out of the jaws of the East German police.
* In ''Film/{{Casper}}'', the Ghostly Trio [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egI1TgDBF2Q do an acapella version of the Ride during breakfast while making a landing for the kitchen table like helicopters]].
* In ''Film/DeltaFarce'', a comedy about three dimwitted soldiers, as they prepare a raid, one tries to play "Ride of the Valkyries" on their jeep's stereo. The other two have never heard of it and think it is stupid, so they play "East Bound and Down" by Jerry Reed instead.
* In Creator/GoldenFilms' version of ''Literature/TheLittleMermaid'', when Lena is transformed into a human and ascends to the surface.
* In ''Film/ArmyOfThieves'' (the {{prequel}} to ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead''), safecracker Sebastian/"Ludwig Dieter" obligatorily has it play on his phone it when working on opening the ''Walküre'' safe.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** ''Literature/DeathMasks'' has Miss Gard, a tall blonde Nordic woman, piloting a helicopter carrying Marcone, Harry, and a Knight of the Cross into battle. Harry [[InvokedTrope remarks that all they're missing is some Wagner]], and Gard obliges by playing the "Ride" on the radio.
** The short story "Heorot" (set after ''Death Masks'') confirms that Gard is in fact an ''actual'' valkyrie.
** The page quote comes from a later book (''Literature/SmallFavor''), when Gard arrives to the battle [[GunshipRescue piloting a helicopter]] [[BigDamnHeroes with Hendricks wielding]] [[GatlingGood the mounted minigun]], while [[BigEntrance loudspeakers mounted on the bottom of the chopper blast the song]] (again).
* In Creator/EricFlint's ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'', "Ride of the Valkyries" is used to scare off an Imperial army.
* Later in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, one of the Havenite captain/admirals fancies this before heading into battle. A battle in which over ''two million'' people died in a [[UpToEleven Massive]] [[SpaceBattle Exchange]] of [[MoreDakka firepower]] between fleets of hundreds of [[CoolStarship superdreadnoughts]]. Odin probably got enough heroes to feast in his hall that day, but he may not have had enough {{Valkyries}} to process them for a long time. Still the Battle of Manticore was a great battle to play that tune for.
** In At All Costs, it's mentioned that the civilian head of the Navy of the restored Republic of Haven has allowed captains to use music to replace alarms on ships. When the Havenite Navy attacks the Manticore system, the flag captain of one of the Havenite fleets uses "Ride of the Valkyries" as the General Quarters alarm on her ship.
* At the climax of ''Literature/TheFullerMemorandum'', [[ActionGirl Dominique "Mo" O'Brien]] plays ''die Walkurenritt'' on [[InstrumentOfMurder her violin]], from atop a truck full of SAS soldiers, [[spoiler:to clear a path through a localized zombie apocalypse.]] The violin is an ArtifactOfDoom, so it's no surprise that her interpretation of the piece involves magical resonances that human ears were emphatically ''not'' meant to hear and that serves as a very effectively deterrent [[spoiler:against the zombies in the cemetery.]]
* In ''Literature/NightsAtTheCircus,'' famed ''aeriliste'' [[WingedHumanoid Sophie Fevvers]] performs to, what else, this piece. [[IntrepidReporter Walser]] thinks it's a bit on the nose.
* It makes an appearance in ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'' when Stephanie's father accidentally blares it at full volume and breaks the radio so he can't turn it down. Stephanie later takes inspiration from it [[spoiler: for her true name, Valkyrie Cain]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Reversed in an episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'', where the prisoners are playing it in the camp orchestra [[spoiler:(actually, it's a record player)]] to cover up their efforts to have a shot-down flier and a defecting baroness escape in a repaired fighter plane. Of course, they play it while the plane flies away.
-->'''Colonel Klink:''' ''[listening from his office]'' Amazing! Would you believe this is their first rehearsal?\\
'''Fraulein Hilda:''' They must be trained musicians.\\
'''Klink:''' These prisoners play Wagner like Germans!
* ''Series/TheWire''. Rawls plays this on his car's stereo as he gives the order to commence the major raid on [[spoiler:Hamsterdam, in the season 3 finale]].
* ''Series/HouseOfCardsUK''. Francis Urquhart hums this to himself when his political machinations are all working out exactly as he wanted.
* The ''Series/MythBusters'' played this during the episode in which they tested whether firing a gun would set off an avalanche, while riding in a helicopter. Definitely a ShoutOut there. They did a second time when seeing how much water would be needed to put out a grease fire. [[spoiler: They brought in a firefighting helicopter with a 500-gallon bucket of water. It was more than enough.]] And a third time, when they tested the impact from falling on pavement compared to water. [[spoiler: They dropped pig corpses sealed in body bags from, what else, a helicopter.]]
* An episode of ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' that featured Valkyries had them steal motorcycles and ride off on them as a rock remix played in the background.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Eureka}}'', a botanist blasts this out of a set of massive speakers while strafing his fields with a pesticide-spraying helicopter. Cue scenes with Fargo getting chased by the helicopter, having an idealistic conversation with Jack, and running around in military fatigues, all while the music plays.
--> ''[[ShoutOut I love the smell of pesticide in the morning. Smells like...grant renewal.]]''
* ''Series/WinBenSteinsMoney'' uses this song at the end of each episode.
* Episode three of ''James May's Man Lab'' features a remote-controlled helicopter [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill equipped with bottle rockets to blow up wasps]]. There is only one piece of music for such [[RuleOfCool glorious combat]].
* In an episode of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qltDPJa4ljU&t=0m46s Raj puts it on in the car when they're on a "quest" to retrieve something]].
* A fragment of this music appeared in ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Vienen" as MockingMusic. Agents Mulder and Doggett are in the communications room of an oil rig, pursued by crew members who have been infected by [[TheVirus the alien black oil]]. They are banging on the door, while Mulder tries to block the door by any furniture he can find and Doggett tries to get the radio working. The static changes to this.
-->'''Mulder:''' Wagner?\\
'''Doggett:''' What do you want?\\
'''Mulder:''' I take it back. It's perfect.
* In the ''Series/BreakingBad'' Pilot, Hank hums this very briefly.
* In the very short-lived ''Girls of Hedsor Hall," this snippet played during a pigeon shoot. The contestants seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.
* In the fourth Halloween Heist episode of ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'', Holt makes his entrance in front of a brass band performing this.
* ''Series/Loki2021'': In "Journey into Mystery", a remix of this plays when [[spoiler:Classic Loki creates an illusion of Asgard itself to distract the timelines-eating monster Alioth.]]
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Westworld}}'', a character gets injected with a drug called "Genre", which causes him to experience events going on around him as if he were in a movie, complete with soundtrack. During a car chase, he hears "Ride of the Valkyries".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] started using this as his entrance music after winning the US title from Wrestling/TheMiz. Up until he was released from the WWE, he used an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM4URPXK2WY even more kickass rock remix]], which fans can't listen to without chanting "YES! YES! YES!" while the music is playing.
* Wrestling/SaraDelRey, used the music at well. Incidentally, she's Bryan's protégé--she reportedly used it because Bryan suggested it. Apparently, he always thought it would be a great theme for a wrestler.
* Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara was using this before the both of them, mostly as a tribute to his master Wrestling/KarlGotch.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* In ''Theatre/IdiotsDelight'' Harry plays "Ride of the Valkyries" on the piano as French planes start dropping bombs around the hotel.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Return Fire,'' a video game on the [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3D0]] and UsefulNotes/PlayStation, played this when the player was flying a helicopter.
* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' the Siege Tank driver will hum a few bars of it if you click on the unit enough.
** Sgt. Hammer in ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' does the same thing if you own her and idle on her shop page.
* This serves as the main theme for Creator/MicroProse's AH-64 Apache simulator game ''Gunship.''
* Also used in the UsefulNotes/{{S|uperNintendoEntertainmentSystem}}NES game ''AirCavalry'' as the main and mission briefing themes.
* Used in ''VideoGame/LaCordaDOro Starlight Orchestra'' as one of the tracks played in Miyazaki levels.
* [[ShoutOut Unsurprisingly]], this is one of the songs that can be heard on the Classical station in ''Sim Copter''.
* And, of course, two of the ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'' games.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Nintendogs}}'', this plays when you use the toy helicopter.
* The old GameMod "Firearms" for the original ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' featured a MEDEVAC helicopter, which a player with [[CombatMedic advanced first-aid skills]] could call in to rescue [[OnlyMostlyDead incapacitated]] soldiers who were outdoors. About 5% of the time, the chopper would play this song, fading out as it left the map.
* ''VideoGame/SoldierOfFortune II: Double Helix'' has this song play for a brief time during the Helicopter Extraction level in Colombia, until a shot aimed at the chopper manages to destroy the pilot's boombox.
* ''VideoGame/HeartsOfIron'' uses the piece as a theme tune for both I and III. (II uses a different score altogether.) Parts of it remain in other parts of ''II'''s soundtrack though.
* In ''VideoGame/FullThrottle'' a version of this plays whenever a box of bunnies is unleashed, a hilarious mashup of orchestral and cheap synth.
* While not quite a video game, version 3 of ''VideoGame/AfterDark'' featured its iconic Flying Toasters screen saver (as usual). It also featured two songs that could be played with said toasters. One was a theme Berkeley Systems came up with, the other was "Ride of the Valkyries". Both songs could be subtitled if need be. The subtitles for "Ride of the Valkyries" read roughly the same as the page quote for this trope.
* In the [[SillinessSwitch What If? mode]] of ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2000'', a helicopter pilot will start singing this in one of the stages while he's trying to shoot down Spidey.
* In ''[[VideoGame/JustCause Just Cause 2]]'', cause enough damage in a helicopter, and the character will start humming this.
* In ''VideoGame/FarCry3'', the song first gets played on a record by [[spoiler: the villain [[AmoralAfrikaner Hoyt]], who comments on his personal taste in European music shortly before casually blowing up a boat full of hostages from his office.]] The second time it plays in the background when Jason and [[spoiler: Riley]] escape an airfield via helicopter.
* An arcade game from the early 1980s by Midway called ''VideoGame/SatansHollow'' used this as the game start jingle.
* In ''VideoGame/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' this is one of the songs that plays during flying scenes. In fact, there are two versions of "Ride of the Valkyries", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd0lhI9b8YE a straight orchestral version]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HAitQ-A2N8 an electric guitar version]].
* In ''VisualNovel/TheDevilOnGString'', the main character's sister, who is a figure skater, uses this music as background to her freestyle performance. The theme is also used as background music while the main character is planning his undying vengeance over a classmate who [[BerserkButton accidentally damaged one of his classical music CDs]] (appropriately, it was a performance of Wagner).
* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' this plays at the end of Come Fly with Me, as the rockets launch to take the ghouls to the Great Beyond. [[spoiler: The launch can be a success...or end badly, depending on your choices.]]
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' has it on the Classical Radio station.
* ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'' plays [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzdDGWiWdXg an awesome rock remix]] when Duke takes a mounted machine-gun turret on the flight to The Mighty Foot. The reference to ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' is fitting given Duke is a parody of 80s action heroes.
* Although it doesn't appear in the game itself, the [[AllThereInTheManual official strategy guide]] for the original ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial denies that GDI A-10 pilots listen to heavy metal and Ride of the Valkyries during combat.]]
** Covert Operations even shipped a version of it, however it went unused. Unofficial patches could re-enable it and ''Remastered Collection'' includes it as a jukebox option, allowing you to listen to it in ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert Red Alert]]'' as well.
* One of the songs you can play on the "radio" in ''[[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} Battlefield: Vietnam]]''. Best used in a Huey for maximum effect.
* Part of the song is used as Von Kaiser's intro music in ''VideoGame/PunchOut Wii''.
** Funnily enough, in the NES game it also played at the start of Rounds 2 and 3 of the fight against Great Tiger (who is a palette swap of Von Kaiser in that game).
* In ''GTA IV'', if you steal an ice cream truck and use the horn, this is one of the songs you hear.
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'': The bandit pilot of one of the aircraft manages to sing this tune. Somehow.
* ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes]]'' features this song as one of the Walkman songs Snake can listen to while sneaking around and in the helicopter.
* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'': The Dubstep Gun (DLC Remix) plays this when set to the Classical custom skin, and every clash of percussion is accompanied with an explosion. It doesn't just score the war, it ''performs'' the war!
* ''[[VideoGame/PlanetSide Planetside 2]]'' has a vehicle called the Valkyrie, a small VTOL aircraft with open sides. It has a snippet of the song available as a horn.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'', this song snippet is played briefly during Wally Warbles' battle theme, "Aviary Action".
* In ''The Tomb of Sammun-Mak'', the second episode of ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxTheDevilsPlayhouse'', we find out that [[LittleMissBadass little]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Amelia Earhart]] listens to "The Ride of the Valkyries" as a lullaby.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/AllMannerOfBad'': When the heroes come to the rescue of their co-workers in a pimped-out SUV, that's the music they play.
* Referenced in ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'', as part of a general ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' parody, involving Hannelore's super-advanced robotic cleaner.
* ''Webcomic/MetroidThirdDerivative'' has a flash comic depicting a horde of Zoomers storming the Space Pirate base to this music.
* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' got burana-bots [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2010-11-11 singing it]] upon their arrival as a part (if non-combatant one) of TheCavalry. Ennesby argues that it's inappropriate.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Games]]
* Can be heard in a cutscene of the ''[[VideoGame/{{Bionicle}} Mata Nui On-Line Game]]'', as the Le-Matoran prepare their Kewa bird for flight. As they take off, the tune goes all funky, and stays that way for the subsequent MiniGame.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Video]]
* In ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', when dozens of Warp Storms explode over Terra by the power of Emperor's wrath, this is what plays in the background. Presumably, it's better than hearing [[ClusterFBomb what His Majesty was saying at the time.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
** When Mr. Burns comes to have Homer's mother (who's been on the run for years after destroying Burns' germ warfare lab) arrested he attempts to play a tape of "Ride of the Valkyries", however it turns out that Smithers had taped over it with "Waterloo" by ABBA.
** In the episode where Apu and Manjula have their children. When the babies are put on show, this tune is used for the one dressed as "The Baron".
** One HalloweenEpisode has an army of Homer clones being created from an evil hammock.[[note]] If the previous sentence makes perfect sense to you, you may want to get yourself checked[[/note]] To get rid of them, several helicopters carrying giant doughnuts lure the clones into a giant canyon. The scene is a parody of ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' so, needless to say, "Ride of the Valkyries" is playing.
** In [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS33E8PortraitOfALackeyOnFire "Portrait of a Lackey on Fire"]], Mr. Burns (Creator/HarryShearer) asks Smithers (also Harry Shearer) to "put on the Wagner" as Mr. Burns gets to work on trying to solve a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle.
* Honorable mention to ''WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc'', although it doesn't quite fit in the above context.
** "[[ElmuhFuddSyndwome KILL DA WABBIT! KILL THE WABBIT! KILL DA WABBIT...]]"
** On ''Series/ThirtyRock'' Liz Lemon had this as her ring tone. [[PopCulturalOsmosis When asked if she liked Wagner, she replied that she was a fan of Elmer Fudd.]]
** On an episode of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' called "What's opera, Arnold?" they played an homage to the 1957 ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon and this song, complete with made up lyrics to describe [[StalkerWithACrush Helga's]] spite for Arnold's crush {{R|omanticFalseLead}}uth.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheMask''[='=]s episode "Bride of Pretorius", when Mask!Eve makes an effort to save [[DistressedDude Stanley Ipkiss]] from Pretorius, she becomes a Valkyrie and sings her battle cry to the tune of "Ride of the Valkyries":
-->Smash the bad guy! Slice the bad guy! Dice the bad guy, with a sword!
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', Duckman has installed a security system that goes berserk, attempting to kill the family with a laser defense system. The song begins playing as they all make a mad dash to the safety of the basement. Before they make it all the way to their goal, however, [[LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn the lasers obliterate a record player, ending the music]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/MakingFiends'', after an episode of trying to avoid the destructive affections of her [[ActionBomb exploding baby pigeon fiends]], Vendetta decides to toss all of them off a cliff to explode on their own... [[OhCrap only to watch in horror as they return, having learned to fly by that time]]. Cue the music as they fly after her in a V-Formation.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow'', [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor Thor]] sings this for karaoke. About the Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}} character, The Valkryie.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin May The Best Pet Win!]]", the song plays when Rainbow Dash is racing the pets through Ghastly Gorge, as a stock ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' shoutout.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ShaunTheSheep'' episode "[[PunnyName Pigs Swill Fly]]," the song plays as the pigs are flying - in a plane.
* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Animaniacs}}'', the song plays when the Goodfeathers set out to take revenge on Mr. Plotz by attacking Ralph, who ends up messing up Mr. Plotz's car in the process.
* At the beginning of the ''WesternAnimation/WhereOnEarthIsCarmenSandiego'' episode "Follow My Footprints", the song plays while Carmen is pursued on an air chase through the Himalayas.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'', when Pete's RV enters the campsite and almost runs over Goofy, who is setting up the tent.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'' has an alarm clock play the Kuzco Allegiance Day theme on that specific day.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* At Caltech, it's traditional to play "The Ride" very loud during finals week at 7 AM with the largest, loudest speakers available in order to make sure no one oversleeps. WARNING: Playing it at any other time (even on the same day) will get you stuffed into a shower if you're lucky.
[[/folder]]

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-->''[[WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit...]]''\\
[[Wrestling/BryanDanielson NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!]]
----

* In ''Film/ThoseMagnificentMenInTheirFlyingMachines'' (about a [[TheBigRace big air race]] in 1910), the theme is [[PlayedForLaughs used humorously]] when the overweight Prussian colonel von Holstein can't control the side-car he's been left in after the German team's test flight went awry. He ends up crashing in the sewage farm nearby.

* In ''Film/ThoseMagnificentMenInTheirFlyingMachines'' (about a [[TheBigRace big air race]] in 1910), the theme is [[PlayedForLaughs used humorously]] when the overweight Prussian colonel von Holstein can't control the side-car he's been left after the German team's test flight went awry. He ends up crashing in the sewage farm nearby.

* In the underrated CGI UsefulNotes/WorldWarII movie ''WesternAnimation/{{Valiant}}'', the main villain, is singing this as he is having a shower:

* In ''Where in the World is Franchise/CarmenSandiego?'' this is one of the songs that plays during flying scenes. In fact, there are two versions of "Ride of the Valkyries", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd0lhI9b8YE a straight orchestral version]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HAitQ-A2N8 an electric guitar version]].

* [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] started using this as his entrance music after winning the US title from Wrestling/TheMiz. Up until he was released from the WWE, he used an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM4URPXK2WY even more kickass rock remix]], which fans {{can't unhear|it}} without chanting "YES! YES! YES!" while the music is playing.
* Wrestling/SaraDelRey, used the music at well. Incidentally, she's Bryan's protégé--she reportedly used it because Bryan suggested it. Apparently, he always thought it would be a great theme for a wrestler.

* [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] started using this as his entrance music after winning the US title from Wrestling/TheMiz. Up until he was released from the WWE, he used an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM4URPXK2WY even more kickass rock remix]].
* Wrestling/SaraDelRey, used the music at well. Incidentally, she's Bryan's protege--she reportedly used it because Bryan suggested it. Apparently, he always thought it would be a great theme for a wrestler.