Line #57 Main/ThePowerOfRock


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5	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/BrutalLegend https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dcc9ec838a704348f9f0bab6b2a3c459.jpg]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:[[Music/{{Metallica}} Ride the]] [[Music/RideTheLightning Lightning]], baby.]]
7
8	->''"Hey, Antichrist-a! Beelzeboss!\
9	We know your weakness, our rockin' sauce!\
10	We rock the casbah, and blow your mind!\
11	We will defeat you, for all mankind!\
12	You hold the scepter, we hold the key!\
13	You are the devil, '''we are the D!'''"''
14	-->-- '''Creator/JackBlack of Music/TenaciousD''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOBKxUT9Da4 "Beelzeboss"]]
15
16	''[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere Describe The Power Of Rock Here, and THROW UP THE HORNS!!!]]''
17
18	In which the world is saved and the BigBad defeated, not through ThePowerOfLove or ThePowerOfFriendship, but through ROCK!!!
19
20	Yes, for some reason, music is the most capable form of creative expression when it comes to defeating the forces of evil. The battle often takes the form of a rock concert or [[MusicVideoTropes music video]]. That in itself helps to explain why it's almost ''always'' music that saves the world. It'd take a very imaginative writer/director to defeat the villain with the power of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolism_%28arts%29 Symbolism, also known as Modern Expressionism.]]
21
22	Incidentally, it's only "The Power of Rock" because 99 percent of the time rock is the musical genre of choice for this trope. Rock [[EpicRocking tends to be]] [[RuleOfCool loud and theatrical]], and therefore more powerful. If the main character ever harnesses such power, expect them to do so with an electric guitar as their weapon of choice, in what is the musical instrument equivalent of HeroesPreferSwords. As the examples below show, other kinds of music work too.
23
24	Can also refer to the many, many works of fiction in which characters fight for their right to rock (or party, or dance, or whatever as long as it involves music). Expect any video game involving musicians to have the "rocking heroes fight CulturePolice" plot.
25
26	Seen quite a lot in shows that feature a literal FiveManBand or a FakeBand, and associated performances. The weapon of choice of TheRockStar when he goes adventuring.
27
28	'''Note: Not to be confused with MusicalAssassin.''' This trope involves actual music playing that the audience can appreciate, not just characters playing instruments with the sonic power to kick ass. There are few game examples of The Power Of Rock outside of music-based games.
29
30	Also not to be confused with DishingOutDirt or GemstoneAssault, which are about power ''over'' rocks.
31
32	A form of MagicMusic or DiscoTech.
33
34	Compare LoudOfWar, MusicForCourage, CareBearStare, ThePowerOfLove, ThePowerOfFriendship, AutobotsRockOut, ALittleSomethingWeCallRockAndRoll, GreatBallsOfFire, BrownNote, RockMeAsmodeus, MakeMeWannaShout, ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve, SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic. Contrast SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll. May be presented as a form of CoolAndUnusualPunishment.
35
36	----
37	!!Example subpages:
38
39	[[index]]
40	* ThePowerOfRock/AnimeAndManga
41	* ThePowerOfRock/ComicBooks
42	* ThePowerOfRock/FanWorks
43	* [[ThePowerOfRock/LiveActionFilms Films – Live-Action]]
44	* ThePowerOfRock/{{Literature}}
45	* ThePowerOfRock/LiveActionTV
46	* ThePowerOfRock/{{Music}}
47	* ThePowerOfRock/TabletopGames
48	* ThePowerOfRock/VideoGames
49	* ThePowerOfRock/{{Webcomics}}
50	* ThePowerOfRock/WesternAnimation
51	* ThePowerOfRock/RealLife
52	[[/index]]
53
54	!!Other examples:
55	[[foldercontrol]]
56
57	[[folder:Card Games]]
58	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' has this with older enchantments' "verse counters", and with other cards like [[https://scryfall.com/card/m21/21/glorious-anthem Glorious Anthem]] (and its green counterpart, [[https://scryfall.com/card/tsr/204/gaeas-anthem Gaea's Anthem]]), [[https://scryfall.com/card/ddp/17/joraga-bard Joraga Bard]], [[https://scryfall.com/card/ema/92/hymn-to-tourach Hymn to Tourach]], and the like. Mostly music is seen as healing or inspiring others to go on. And yes, there was a Lotus Cobra is Evil cartoon about the Mirran-aligned planeswalkers forming a band because Mirrodin is a plane of [[StealthPun metal]].
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
62	* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndKissRockAndRollMystery'': Not only do all of the members of Music/{{KISS}} have superpowers, at the climax, they use them extensively to fight the villain.
63	* ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'', when Snow White unleashes the power of Music/LedZeppelin's "Immigrant Song", causing the forest animals to attack the Huorns guarding the city gates.
64	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongebobSquarepantsMovie'' involves [=SpongeBob=] singing a Music/TwistedSister parody, all the while saving the citizens of Bikini Bottom from Plankton's control with his guitar.
65	* ''Rockin' with Judy Jetson'', one of the made-for-television films of ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'', has a BigBad who is trying to destroy all music in the galaxy because she hates it so much. Even mentioning the word "music" causes her to have epileptic seizures. Naturally, Judy and her friends defeat the plan with rock music which causes the villain to have the aforementioned seizures which in turn causes her to accidentally sabotage her own space station.
66	* The climax of ''WesternAnimation/RockDog'' has Bodi using MagicMusic to peacefully subdue the wolves who have been trying to attack the residents of Sheep Mountain.
67	* One editor said it best in [[http://www.geocities.com/tragicthedragon/reviews/rocknrule.htm her review]] of ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'': "A dark magician old-arse rock star's wicked plans are thwarted by [[BeastMan Furries]] who sing early 80's rock music. Yes, that is the actual plot." To be more specific, the Power of Rock can summon a demon, and the PowerOfLove can send it back -- specifically, the power of Debbie Harry of Music/{{Blondie\|Band}} and Robin Zander of Music/CheapTrick singing a duet together.
68	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Trolls}}'', the Trolls' music seems to have a bit of magic in it. When Poppy becomes so depressed that her color drains out, Branch brings her[[note]]and all the other Trolls[[/note]] back to normal with "True Colors". The ending features a peppy song-and-dance number to [[Music/JustinTimberlake Justin Timberlake's]] "[[BreakawayPopHit Can't Stop The Feeling]]", [[spoiler: that convinces the Bergens to not eat them anymore, and even revives the withered Troll Tree]].
69	** In ''WesternAnimation/TrollsWorldTour'', after it seems [[spoiler: that Poppy completely destroyed music by destroying the strings]], all the Trolls realize that [[spoiler: music now comes from inside themselves]]. As this occurs, Poppy and the other tribe leaders get the entire crowd to start jamming out to "Just Sing", which results in [[spoiler: Barb's HeelFacedTurn]].
70	* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', the female members of the Lee family can transform into a red panda form. Because this ability can be [[BlessedWithSuck quite inconvenient]] in modern society, there exists a ritual to seal it away, in which a major component involves people gathering in a circle around her and singing. It is stated that the lyrics themselves don't matter, only that whatever is sung is sung from the heart. [[spoiler:When Ming unleashes her {{kaiju}}-sized panda form at a BoyBand concert, the singing of Mei and Ming's relatives and Mei's friends isn't enough to fully seal it away... but when ''the boy band themselves'' join the ritual, the Power of TeenPop turns out to be the extra boost it needs.]]
71	* The goblins and other creatures of the night in ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheGoblin'' cannot stand music. They go mad having to hear it and will do anything to shut it out, but they aren't entirely helpless against it, so they can still will themselves through it if they must.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
75	* Myth/GreekMythology:
76	** Orpheus, who had music to soothe the savage beast. And trees and rocks. And Hades himself. But not the Maenads, unfortunately for him.
77	** It's also worth noting that there are, canonically, precisely three ways for a seafarer to escape the sirens' song. The first two, as seen in ''The Odyssey'', are to stuff your ears with wax so you can't hear the song or be tied up so you can't go to them. The other, as seen in ''Jason and the Argonauts'', is to bring along Orpheus and have him tune up his lyre and sing, ''[[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame enchanting the sirens themselves into shutting up and just listening]]''.
78	* In Finnish folklore, Väinämöinen creates the first Kantele and his singing and playing is magically powerful and beautiful, such that he can charm the beast and birds. In fact, one of the most famous scenes of the Kalevala is the song battle between Väinämöinen and Joukahainen. When angered by the arrogance of the latter, he sings songs so powerful that lakes swelled up and mountains trembled. With his song he then turned Joukahainen's sled runners into saplings, turned his horse and dog into stone, turned his sword into a lightning bolt and crossbow into a rainbow, and far more. This, of course, led to the younger hero admitting defeat to keep from dying.
79	* In The Literature/BookOfJoshua, the walls of Jericho fall after the Israelites march around the city for seven days blowing horns, "rock music" being OlderThanFeudalism. Music/TheClash referenced this in their songs "Jericho" and "The Sound of Sinners".
80	* Raijin/Raiden, the Shinto god of lightning, causes thunderstorms by playing taiko drums.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Pinball]]
84	* ''Pinball/FooFighters2023'': The Foo Fighters' rock is powerful enough to rid people of their {{Hypno Trinket}}s and attack [[BigBad the Overlord]] all by itself.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
88	* A more realistic depiction in ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'': a series of bomber prototypes is being destroyed when a certain song is performed live over the radio, leading the heroes to believe that the signal may be interfering with the aircraft's systems. Lady Penelope talks to the band involved, who are frustrated that their manager keeps changing the song subtly between performances. She and Parker find he has a device Brains identifies as a Cham-cham, a computer which encodes information into the music. This allows him to reveal the prototype's location to an unfriendly nation, which scrambles fighters to take it down. Lady Penelope steps in as lead singer (the song was originally an instrumental) as the heroes modify the music to lure the fighters into friendly airspace where they will be shot down.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Roleplay]]
92	* ''Roleplay/TVTropesRollToDodge'': Chaostryke is channeling it. More recently, and mildly, Xiphoniii, [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Demyx Style.]]
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Theater]]
96	* ''Theatre/WeWillRockYou!'' If you've guessed that the protagonists fight an [[TheEmpire oppressive government]] using the music of Music/{{Queen}}, you win a cookie.
97	** [[spoiler:The BigBad of the show, Killer Queen, was defeated]] by having the band play an instrumental version of ''Tie Your Mother Down''.
98	* The lovable gang in ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'' brings Mimi [[DisneyDeath back from death]] by HIV, exposure and drugs through the power of song.
99	* In Music/SamShepard's ''Tooth of Crime'', apparently the primary form of entertainment in the future is watching cowboy/rock star/gangsters fight each other using rock's power.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Web Animation]]
103	* In ''[[WebAnimation/StarWreck Star Wreck V: Lost Contact]]'', the Vulgars discover Earth after they hear a very powerful rock concert broadcast.
104	* Used in the student film ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o44_NA3syKA God Slayer]]''; in the end, the title superhero, driven mad by self-doubt and an evil talking moon, [[EarthShatteringKaboom shatters the earth]] with a high note.
105	* [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/195918 "Dad's Home"]]
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:Web Comics]]
109	* Basically all of ''Webcomic/Nova44''
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Web Original]]
113	* The music video for Music/LindseyStirling's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dfZ9BXaNyE "Moon Trance."]] There are not many places (internet or otherwise) where you can see a violin-wielding girl duking it out with breakdancing zombies on electric keyboards and drums.
114	* ''Website/SCPFoundation'':
115	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1987-j SCP-1987-J.]] A piece of sheet music which can be played, irrespective of any known ability to play the guitar or lack thereof, by anyone who knows how it is supposed to sound and has access to an electric guitar and amp (playing on any other instrument causes mild revulsion in onlookers). Playing causes apparently permanent effects, from the player simply appearing more attractive; through the spontaneous manifestation of various stage effects; vehicles in the area of effect being polymorphed into classic hot rods or muscle cars, motorcycles becoming custom bikes; female observers being regressed to around 18 years old, with 68% of cases also experiencing transmogrification of clothing into lingerie, G-string bikinis and leather fetish gear; manifestation of female 18-year-olds if none are present, as well as large quantities of alchohol, dinosaurs, dragons and female angels; resurrection or reanimation of nearby corpses; spontaneous pregnancies... However if played too long, a being known as SCP-1987-J-1 will appear, and demand you stop playing or challenge him to a guitar duel he calls an "Epic Rockdown of Rocktimate Rockstiny" for the title of "ultimate Rockness". Noone knows what that is, as noone has won, and the penalty for failure is being polymorphed into a middle-aged guy named Earl who works in a garage. These are now being classified as D-class, as there are far more of them than is needed for the site's motor pool.
116	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-298 SCP-298,]] on the other hand, is a pipe organ which will literally [[BrownNote drive the blood right out of your body]].
117	* In ''Website/TheOnion'' article [[http://www.theonion.com/article/clinton-threatens-to-drop-da-bomb-on-iraq-787 "Clinton Threatens To Drop Da Bomb On Iraq,"]] Music/GeorgeClinton threatens to "tear the roof off Baghdad" and liberate uptight Iraqi asses with the Power of Funk. The Mothership, 5,000 bop gunners and 2,500 Aquaboogie Amphibious Assault units are prepared for deployment.
118	* ''WebVideo/TheRemarkableJourneyOfHigginsVonHiggings'': ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvlxDcALQ6g Higgins von Higgings! Your incredible journey ends TODAY!!]]''
119	* The RealTrailerFakeMovie April Fool's day prank from IGN re-imaged ''Franchise/MassEffect'' as a [[The80s circa 1986]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOqHUa2LfNY animated series]]. And yes, this was how they destroyed the Reapers.
120	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ThePowerOfRock