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Basic Trope: The villain sings about villainy.

  • Straight: Count Basso Profundo explains his plans in an operatic aria.
  • Exaggerated:
    • Basso never stops singing about how evil he is, ever.
    • Count Basso Profundo is Crazy-Prepared to the point that he has a song to sing for every occasion.
    • The song drags out for such a length of time the people watching watch a film, have a makeover and then eat a large Sunday roast. By the time they get back, Profundo is only half way through finishing the song.
  • Downplayed:
    • Count Basso Profundo sings quietly to himself about his plans.
    • Count Basso Profundo has a Leitmotif that plays whenever he does something that's important to the plot.
  • Justified:
    • Profundo is an opera singer, and the song is part of a performance.
    • Profundo has both a huge ego and an equally large love for music. What better way to show off both than with a show stopping musical number?
    • Profundo uses Magic Music and his powers require him to sing in order to use them.
  • Inverted:
    • In private, Profundo sings a heartfelt love song. Meanwhile, the heroes sing about crushing him.
    • Profundo is a Villain Protagonist. He doesn't sing, but the Hero Antagonist who keeps trying to kill him gets a song about his heroic plans.
  • Subverted: Profundo cackles, the orchestra swells menacingly, the heroes shiver... and then he launches into an interpretive dance.
  • Double Subverted: Midway through the dance, he starts to sing.
  • Parodied:
  • Zig Zagged: Profundo is killed during the first verse. Shortly thereafter, he's resurrected as a singing zombie, but is pushed into an incinerator before the end of the first verse. After that, Profundo's ghost appears to continue the song, but the hero exorcises him before the second verse is finished. Later, the hero admits that he really wanted to know how the song ended, and makes up the rest of it himself.
  • Averted: No Song for the Wicked
  • Enforced:
    • Profundo is played by an opera celebrity/singer. If he didn't get a song, there'd be blood.
    • Profundo is the main villain of a musical and the producers feel it is mandatory for every main character to have their own song. Villains are not exempt from the rule.
  • Lampshaded: "As a villain, I naturally have an excellent singing voice. Ahem..."
    • Or similarly:
    Villain: Are you just trying to get me to talk about myself? Because if you are... I will gladly do so! In song form!
  • Invoked:
    Villain: "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you now!"
    Hero: "Well, don't you have to sing your song first?"
    Villain: "...Gosh darn it! You're right! It would be extremely rude to not do so!"
  • Exploited:
    Villain: "Any last requests?"
    Hero: "You've got such a wonderful singing voice!"
    Narrator: "...And by tricking the villain into an impromptu song performance, our hero managed to stall his adversary long enough for the cavalry to arrive".
  • Defied:
    • Profundo declares that he'll sing after the hero's dead. He never gets the chance.
    • The hero takes out Profundo before he can finish his song.
  • Discussed: Profundo is an expert on villain arias, and discusses all the major examples in a lecture.
  • Conversed: Profundo isn't a villain, and the show isn't a musical. However, he notes that with a name like "Count Basso Profundo," he'd probably make a great singing villain.
  • Deconstructed:
    • Profundo stumbles repeatedly, improvises badly, can't make the lyrics work, and finally decides just to sing "Be Prepared" from The Lion King (1994)...
    • The Villain Song is pointed out to be emblematic of the villain's pride/megalomania/invincibility complex. It serves no other purpose than for him to revel in how cool he thinks he is.
    • Singing is NOT a free action.
    • Profundo's song is so Obviously Evil that a horrified bystander shoots him on the spot.
  • Reconstructed:
    • ... which he does brilliantly.
    • Which is kind of the point.
    • So he ties the heroes up before he starts singing.
    • Profundo was wearing a bullet-proof vest in case someone tried to kill him during his song. Heck, he works it into the song, gleefully pointing it out as evidence of how evil he is!

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