History Main / BackgroundMusic

You may have noticed that in pretty much every visual work, characters seem to have music playing in their heads at all times. Not songs they've heard. Not even classical tunes they’ve listened to. These are tunes that seem to just come out of nowhere, off the top of the character's head.

See also BGMOverride, VariableMix, DiegeticSwitch, ThemeTune, and ImageSong.

* In ''Film/ShirleyValentine'', adapted from a one-woman stage show, Shirley frequently addresses the audience directly, commenting on the action (and sometimes on the presentation -- at one point, while being seduced on a boat with nobody but the two of them for miles, she gets distracted wondering where the romantic music is coming from).

* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'': In the second game--Kazooie observes when [[SorryILeftTheBGMOn the music changes]], signifying new events.

* ''Film/NotCool'': Tori snarks "Cue Creator/TheCW soundtrack" during an emotional moment when, indeed, the actual soundtrack of the movie is playing sappy BackgroundMusic, one of the movie's many moments of {{Bathos}}.

[[folder:Web Serial Novels]]
* ''Is It Tough Being a Friend? Volume 5'': At one point the main character says he has "panicked background music" playing in his head.

[[folder: Web Serial Novels]]

Sometimes, music will be shown in one character's perspective, but then the perspective switches to another character, and the [[SuddenSoundtrackStop music will suddenly stop]]. This is PlayedForLaughs and shows that the former is just being overly dramatic.

The pieces that are most closely tied to characters or events are {{Leitmotif}}s.

[[[folder: Web Serial Novels]]

''This page lists lampshades of the phenomenon''; straight examples are [[OmnipresentTropes too many to count]]. For subversions, see LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn.

This page lists lampshades of the phenomenon; straight examples are too many to count. For subversions, see LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn.

This page lists lampshades of the phenomenon; straight examples are too many to count. For subversions, see Left TheBackgroundMusicOn.

You may have noticed that in pretty much every visual work, characters seem to have music playing in their heads at all times. Not songs theyve heard. Not even classical tunes they’ve listened to. These are tunes that seem to just come out of nowhere, off the top of the character's head.

-->--''Is It Tough Being a Friend? Volume 5''

''However, only panicked background music played in my head.''

Most shows that are not [[MickeyMousing Mickey Moused]] have a stock set of instrumental '''B'''ack'''G'''round '''M'''usic (BGM) to use as themes for particular characters or sequences, or simply to set a mood. These usually fill up the bulk of a show's soundtrack, aside from [[ThemeTune Theme Songs]] and (in the case of {{anime}}) {{Image Song}}s. Music in VideoGames can also be referred to as BGM, as some (often older) games have music playing in the background at all times, rather than a blend of music and ambient sound effects.

When it's not so much in the background, see LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn. When it goes quiet, it's SuddenSoundtrackStop.

See also BGMOverride, VariableMix, DiegeticSwitch.
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Specific instruments and {{Standard Snippet}}s are used to create a {{Mood Motif}}.

When it's not so much in the background, see SorryILeftTheBGMOn. When it goes quiet, it's SuddenSoundtrackStop.

When it's not so much in the background, see SorryILeftTheBGMOn.

Most shows that are not [[MickeyMousing Mickey Moused]] have a stock set of instrumental '''B'''ack'''G'''round '''M'''usic (BGM) to use as themes for particular characters or sequences, or simply to set a mood. These usually fill up the bulk of a show's soundtrack, aside from [[ThemeTune Theme Songs]] and (in the case of {{anime}}) {{Image Song}}s.

For when it's not so much in the background, see SorryILeftTheBGMOn.

See also BGMOverride, VariableMix, DiegeticSwitch.

For further exploration of this topic, listen to AnnaRussell's "The Ring of the [[Theatre/DerRingDesNibelungen Nibelungs]] (An Analysis)".

Specific instruments and {{Standard Snippet}}s are used to create a {{Mood Motif}}s.

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For further exploration of this topic, listen to Anna Russell's "The Ring of the [[Theatre/DerRingDesNibelungen Nibelungs]] (An Analysis)".

For when it's not so much in the background, see SorryILeftTheBGMOn.

For further exploration of this topic, listen to Anna Russell's "The Ring of the [[DerRingDesNibelungen Nibelungs]] (An Analysis)".

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Most shows that are not [[MickeyMousing Mickey Moused]] have a stock set of instrumental '''B'''ack'''G'''round '''M'''usic (BGM) to use as themes for particular characters or sequences, or simply to set a mood. These usually fill up the bulk of a show's soundtrack, aside from [[ThemeTune Theme Songs]] and (in the case of anime) {{Image Song}}s.

[[redirect:{{BGM}}]]