Ansel Beauregard's signature song "Better Life" from Arlo the Alligator Boy. Sure it's a fun Broadway number about Ansel's success as a businessman and how he changed to fit in, but little does Arlo know, Ansel is actually distracting him from what is really going on, and was only trying to reinvent his personality if he wants to fit into the world just like him. And it's only after the song is over that he realizes what Ansel was really doing despite trying to reconnect with him, which indeed "breaks himself".
Brave has the "Song of Mor'du", an upbeat folk song about the bear Mor'du, the many people he's killed in gruesome ways (including children and babies), and how the clans plan to slaughter him in return.
The children's movie The Brave Little Toaster contains a song near its end which the other wiki sums up perfectly: "'Worthless' is sung by the junkyard's broken-down cars, each singing a few verses about their life before being smashed and killed by the compactor." However, they fail to mention the upbeat music it's sung to.
"L'il Ark Angel" from Cats Don't Dance starts with Darla singing about the world being destroyed in a flood and people and animals drowning in exactly the same cheerful tone she later sings about the various animals she's rescuing. If you hadn't already realized she'd be the Big Bad of the film from the foreshadowing in the intro, it's hard to miss it after that.
Coco: The lyrics for "Remember Me" make it seem like it's from a place of love, true pure love, yet as performed by Ernesto de la Cruz, it has a fast-paced and upbeat melody, as if it's a frivolous and show-offish love. That's because it's not Ernesto's song to begin with, but Hector's. Hector wrote the song to be played at a much slower and melancholic tempo, which feels more genuine and heartfelt. It's something that only Hector was able to write, because it came from his heart. For Ernesto, music is a tool for him to achieve fame and nothing more. He has no care for using music as a tool to express his feelings, which is why the only way he could achieve anything was to steal music from somebody who legitimately cared about the art: Hector. However, while Ernesto stole the lyrics and melody of the song from Hector, the one thing he couldn't steal was the heart and passion of the song, which is why Ernesto's version is glorified and over-the-top.
Tim Burton is a master of mixing the macabre and the lighthearted, so it's no surprise that the music in his movies is the same. The best example is "Remains of the Day" from Corpse Bride, a swinging jazzy tune about death and murder. Even while you're tapping your feet to the beat, you probably don't miss the extremely dark chorus:
Die, die, we all pass away But don't wear a frown, 'cause it's really okay You might try to hide, and you might try to pray But we all end up the remains of the day
The Emperor's New Groove: Yzma's song "Snuff Out the Light" — from when the film was pitched as a musical called Kingdom of the Sun — has the villainess sing about the sun's destruction and lamenting her age, all set to a funky salsa beat.
"Batty Rap" from FernGully: The Last Rainforest. It has a fast and springy beat and tune... with the lyrics being about how Batty was used in animal testing laboratory, with strong implications that he was conscious throughout all the processes. Due to its... adult nature, quite a bit of the song was cut from the film, but was left in on the CD.
"The eye makeup, when inserted rectally, has some effect... Remove the brain cap... If you notice, by dipping the bat in a series of paints... After 600 packs of cigarettes, the animals seem to exhibit some carcinogenic tendencies..." Oh God, I'm bleeding by my genitals!
The tune's single most horrifying line: "As you see, the animals don't really feel pain, THEY JUST GET USED TO IT!!!"
"Let it Go", an uplifting-sounding song by Elsa about finally accepting her powers... which is also about choosing to live a life in isolation and cut herself off from the world. Of note is that it was originally intended to be a Villain Song before Idina Menzel's performance led the writers to completely changing the story.
Downplayed for "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?". While the last verse does indeed sound sad, the first two verses sound happy, even though it's about a little girl who's lonely because her big sister never wants to play with her anymore and won't tell her why.
"The World's Greatest Criminal Mind", from The Great Mouse Detective, is one of Disney's cheeriest villain songs. The most disturbing lyrics?
Even meaner? You mean it? Worse than the widows and orphans you drowned?
Home on the Range: "Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo" starts in a very sinister D minor as Alameda Slim monologues and boasts to his minions, then it turns into an upbeat Western ballad in F major, during which he steals $50 million worth of cattle just by yodeling them into hypnosis (including yodeling parts of the William Tell Overture, "Yankee Doodle", and "Ode to Joy"), which is depicted for the cows as the equivalent of an acid trip.
Hoodwinked!: Boingo's Villain Song, "Top of the Woods", is about oppressing other creatures, getting children addicted to junk food until they become morbidly obese, and becoming a ruthless dictator, to an upbeat jazz melody.
When your only desire is to dominate the land of the wolves and the squirrels You've got to think with an open mind and learn to detest little girls And everyone knows at the end of a show the villain puts his plan into words Except there won't be a rescue before the credits roll cause I'm gonna be top of the woods
Now the kids will be packed with my BoingoSnax Construction begins in a day And all of the bears will be ruled by the hare As I maniacally plot from my evil lair [cue evil laugh]
The tail-end of "You're Welcome", Maui's "I Am Great!" Song, starts out with a recap of all the awesome things he's done, but near the finish he suddenly declares that he's stealing Moana's boat and then traps her in a cave, while still keeping the upbeat melody.
Well, anyway, let me say "You're welcome!" (You're welcome!) For the wonderful world you know Hey, it's okay, okay "You're welcome" (You're welcome!) But come to think of it, I gotta go Hey, it's your day to say "You're welcome" (You're welcome!) 'Cause I'm gonna need that boat I'm sailing away, away You're welcome (You're welcome!) 'Cause Maui can do everything but float You're welcome (You're welcome!) You're welcome (You're welcome!) You're welcome "And thank you!"
In "Shiny", Tamatoa veers back and forth in tone between the menacing tones of a Villain Song... and upbeat '70s glam rock. While most of the song consists of Badass Boasts that fit the tone of both halves, Tamatoa's intent to kill and eat Moana and Maui is mostly expressed in the bouncy parts, and the lyrics do not at all sugarcoat this desire. Just look at the way the lyrics swerve...
I'm too shiny Watch me dazzle like a diamond in the rough Strut my stuff, my stuff is so shiny Send your armies but they'll never be enough My shell's too tough Maui, man, you can try, try, try But you can't expect a demigod to beat a decapod (look it up!) You will die, die, die Now it's time for me to take apart your aching heart
Maui, now it's time to kick your heinie Ever seen someone so shiny? Soak it in 'cause it's the last you'll ever see C'est la vie, mon ami I'm so shiny Now I eat you so prepare your final plea Just for me
Over the Hedge has "Family of Me", sung by Ben Folds and playing during the opening credits. It's a jaunty and upbeat song, but the lyrics are patently written as the words of someone merely trying to assure themselves into feeling confident in what is clearly a trying and lonely situation, acting very much as troubled smooth-talkingdrifter, RJ'scharacter song at this point in the movie.
Tangled: "Mother Knows Best" is a cheerful, bouncy song where Gothel terrifies Rapunzel by listing off all the "scary and dangerous" things in the outside world and how all of them will happen to Rapunzel if she steps out of the tower. Throughout the song, Gothel is intentionally emotionally abusing Rapunzel by playing with her fears to make her seem like she's the only one in the cruel world Rapunzel can trust.
Don Bluth's adaptation of Thumbelina has "Marry the Mole", a song with a syrupy-sweet melody performed in an equally saccharine tone by Carol Channing, with the following lyrics:
"Here Comes the Bride" is a lovely little ditty But marrying for love is a foolish thing to do 'Cause love won't pay the mortgage or put porridge in your bowl Dearie, marry the mole True, it's a fact that he's not exactly witty He's blinder than a bat, but at least his eyes are blue His breath may be alarming but he's charming, for a troll Dearie, marry the mole Romeo and Juliet Were very much in love when they were wed They honored every vow and where are they now? They're dead, dead; very, very dead Poor Thumbelina, your brain's so itty bitty I hate to seem a pest, but I know what's best for you Just think of all the ways that you can decorate a hole Take my advice, I'll bring the rice Dearie, marry the mole Marry the mole Marry that mole M is for money, O-L-E
"The Ugly Truth", a bouncy funk song where Lou points out how "ugly" everyone else is compared to himself.
"All Dolled Up", an upbeat song about changing how you look in order to be like everyone else.
"This is the Thanks that I Get", King Magnifico's Villain Song from Wish (2023), an upbeat song about Magnifico being threatened by the heroine Asha gaining help from an anthropomorphic wishing star he thinks is a "threat" to his kingdom.
Live-Action
What is the best way to promote RolandEmmerich's2012, a film about the apocalypse happening? Give it a trailer tune sung by Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, that's what! And the title of this song is "Miracle", of all things.
Air America has a pair of Chinese singers singing America's "A Horse with No Name" a song about desperate loneliness, in an upbeat lounge-singer fashion.
The most popular song in Anna and the Apocalypse is "Hollywood Ending", an enthusiastic group song where all the students sing about how reality doesn't have the happy ending they were made to believe when they were younger.
Annie (1982) has "It's a Hard Knock Life", sung by the girls about how they're living in an Orphanage of Fear, but the tune seems very upbeat, barring the "Don't you feel like the wind is always howling..." lyrics.
In Barbie (2023), Barbie is introduced cheerily going about her morning while "Pink" by Lizzo plays, the lyrics talking about how perfect and happy Barbie and her life are. The next morning, after Barbie's existential crisis has begun, the same song plays with new lyrics about her "inescapable thoughts of death".
One of the songs in the movie Begin Again is called "A Step You Can't Take Back". If you listen to the lyrics, it's pretty clear the song is about someone committing suicide, but you wouldn't know it from the upbeat melody.
Clown:[singing cheerfully] Hey, kids, it's me! I bet you thought that I was dead! But when I fell over, I just broke my leg and got a hemorrhage in my head!
Bloodthirsty: Grey sings a pleasant-sounding, melodious song about her desire to consume meat and blood at the end.
In Borat, Borat sings the national anthem of fictional Kazakhstan to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
Buster's Mal Heart features a folk song-esque version of "Starving in the Belly of a Whale" by Tom Waits, which lyrically is all about how foolish it is to have hope.
In Tim Burton's adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Oompa-Loompas' morality ballads are all fun and energetic, but the lyrics graphically detail the potential gruesome fates of misbehaving children. It's worth noting that all those lyrics came directly from Roald Dahl's original novel, which shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with Dahl's trademark style of Black Comedy. What's more, Danny Elfman was responsible for putting those lyrics to musical accompaniment, and Elfman is no stranger to Lyrical Dissonance, as Oingo Boingo fans will readily attest.
Violet Beauregarde's send-off is in the style of 1970s funk and Michael Jackson music videos and it's about how if she keeps on chewing gum, her chin will "stick out just like a violin" and she'll bite her tongue in two.
Veruca Salt gets dismissed with one in the style of 1960s The Beatles about how she'll go down the trash chute.
Georgy Girl: The theme is about how the protagonist is insecure but you can't tell it from the outside... but it has a very light, upbeat tune.
The movie Grumpier Old Men starts with a bouncy song about the singer killing his wife's lover and leaving his corpse for the crows.
I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you I'm gonna kill you just for fun, the birds can have you when I'm done I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal you
The Hangover has a band playing 50 Cent's "Candy Shop", a song about a blowjob, in lounge style.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) opens with the Guide narrating to us about how man was only the third-most intelligent species on the Earth. The second most intelligent species were in fact dolphins, who curiously enough knew of the impending destruction of the planet Earthnote Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons.. They made many attempts to alert mankind to the impending doom, but most of their communications were misinterpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits. So they eventually decided to leave Earth by their own means. The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double backward somersault through a hoop while whistling "The Star-Spangled Banner", but in fact the message was "So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish", an upbeat big band jazz song with these catchy lyrics:
The world's about to be destroyed There's no point getting all annoyed Lie back and let the planet dissolve around you So long, so long, and thanks for all the fish
Little Shop of Horrors: Just like the original play, the main theme and "Dentist" sound jaunty and happy, but they're about impending doom and being a Depraved Dentist respectively.
Lana Del Rey's cover of "Once Upon a Dream" for 2014's Maleficent takes the sweet, happy Disney love song and gives it a creepy new feeling.
Mary Poppins invokes this with a soft, sleep-inducing lullaby called "Stay Awake".
Monty Python and the Holy Grail has some minstrels sing a cheerful song about "Brave Sir Robin", who was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways indeed.
Downplayed in "Sailing to Adventure" in Muppet Treasure Island, which is mostly played straight but includes a few much darker interjections in a Black Comedy Burst kind of way... with only one of them changing the music to matchnote the tune gets a lot darker while Polly Lobster, Clueless Morgan and Mad Monty are talking about their favourite ways of killing people. Most notably, the last line before the chorus is delivered loudly and enthusiastically by all the singers at once, whether that line is "Underway and off to see the world", "Margaritas at the midnight buffet", or "People die by falling overboard!"
In Pete's Dragon (1977), there's the villain song "The Happiest Home In These Hills," a happy-go-lucky song about the worst kind of child abuse you can imagine.
The opening number, "Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye", is about a singer who commits suicide in order to promote the sales of his upcoming album. The song is sung in catchy 50's style, complete with "ya-ya-ya-yaahs" and the lead singer pantomiming Eddie's death throes.
The end credits song, "The Hell of It", contains a bouncy piano breakdown along with the lyrics "Good for nothing / Bad in bed / Nobody likes you / You're better off dead / Goodbye".
The 1971 film Taking Off contains a scene in which a young Ingenue-looking girl sings very sincerely and accompanies herself on the lute. The music is charming, restrained, and reminiscent of the Elizabethan era. The lyrics, by contrast, are filthy. The Lyrical Dissonance is played up when the word "fuck" is, several times, given classical melismatic treatment.
Team America: World Police features a parody of RENT's songs and subject matter with an uplifting song of: "EVERYONE HAS AIDS! AIDS AIDS AIDS!" et cetera.
"That Thing You Do" in the movie of the same name is an upbeat, Beatle-esque song about a guy lamenting his girlfriend leaving him. In the movie, The Wonders' main songwriter, Jimmy, intended for the song to be a slow ballad, but it became the peppy dance hall song it is after their new drummer , Guy, decided to up the tempo without telling anybody.
This is Spın̈al Tap had fun with this one while parodying some of the more overblown conventions of the Heavy Metal genre.
"Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" seems to be a fairly straightforward parody of sexually-charged, self-promoting rock-and-roll anthems directed at adoring female fans, until you realize it's talking specifically about pre-pubescent female fans.
At one point in the film, guitarist Nigel Tufnel plays a short piano piece. It's a hauntingly beautiful excerpt from a trilogy he's composing in D-minor, "The saddest of all keys", inspired by his love of Mozart and Bach. The name of this melancholy tune? "Lick My Love Pump". Admittedly, his inspiration might have been Mozart's own "Leck mich im Arsch".
You're a sneaky one, Saucy Jack You're a cheeky one, Saucy Jack First the whore says "Guv'nor, fancy a squeeze?" Next you will be shov'in her down the hole to Hades
In Trading Places, in the lead-in to the scene where Louis Winthorpe (Dan Aykroyd) tries to borrow money from his "friends", the Gentleman Snarkers perform a lovely a cappella song for a group of young women sitting at a table. It's about how the girls are complete sluts. From their reaction, they apparently recognize that fact.
, it has a fast-paced and upbeat melody, as if it's a frivolous and show-offish love. That's because it's not Ernesto's song to begin with, but Hector's. Hector wrote the song to be played at a much slower and melancholic tempo, which feels more genuine and heartfelt. It's something that only Hector was able to write, because it came from his heart. For Ernesto, music is a tool for him to achieve fame and nothing more. He has no care for using music as a tool to express his feelings, which is why the only way he could achieve anything was to steal music from somebody who legitimately cared about the art: Hector. However, while Ernesto stole the lyrics and melody of the song from Hector, the one thing he couldn't steal was the heart and passion of the song, which is why Ernesto's version is glorified and over-the-top.