History Main / InvisibleBackupBand

* Sort of parodied in ''RockNRollHighSchool'': Riff Randall is daydreaming about [[TheRamones Joey Ramone]] serenading her in her bedroom, and even though a full-band recording of "I Want You Around" is being used in the scene, it appears that he's only being backed up by Johnny Ramone on acoustic guitar. Then she opens the bathroom door and it turns out that Dee Dee and Marky were playing bass and drums in there the whole time.

* A running joke during the making of ''StarWars'' was how come there's sound in space to accompany the fancy special effects hots? George Lucas would claim there was a huge backing orchestra floating around in spacesuits.

* ''Once More With Feeling'', the ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode. Played straight, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] ("That would explain the huge backing orchestra I couldn't see and the synchronised dancing from the room service chaps"), and even slightly [[AvertedTrope averted]]. ("She needs backup! Anya, Tara...")

* And yet another lampshade hanging in PhineasandFerb TheMusical.

* Used straight in ''TheGirlInGoldBoots'' with solo guitarist Critter being accompanied by harmonica and other instruments from nowhere. Snarked by the The ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'' guys: "I love the way you play the harmonica with your ass!"

* The [[OminousMusicBoxTune musical pocket watch]] in ''ForAFewDollarsMore'' is accompanied with what sounds like an orchestra ''and'' a mariachi band.

* Parodied a bit in ''MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' (of course). Any time Herbert even mentions wanting to sing, music starts to play.

* [[MarxBrothers Harpo Marx]]'s harp solos are typically accompanied by an invisible orchestra playing quietly in the background. Chico's piano solos are more often unaccompanied, but when he plays "Collegiate" in ''Horse Feathers'' the orchestra accompanying him obviously isn't with him in the hotel suite.

* Sonny Eclipse, the animatronic intergalactic lounge lizard at the [[DisneyThemeParks Magic Kingdom]]'s ''Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe'' has his Space Angels, who are even the subject of a tribute song that mentions how much he appreciates them even with being unable to see them.

* And yet another lampshade hanging in [[PhineasandFerb Phineas And Ferb]] TheMusical.

* Lampshaded in an episode of ''SesameStreet'' with Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop as the episode's guest stars. Shari, Lamb Chop, and Big Bird sing the song "Perfect as a Pig" to Suey the Pig to boost her confidence in being a pig. When the invisible choir echoes the last line of every voice, all four look around for the source and give each other confused looks.

[[HomestarRunner Whoa! Where'd this choir come from?]]

* Subverted in ''BlazingSaddles.'' Just as you're wondering where the music is coming from, Bart rides past Count Basie and His Orchestra.

* In a more literal sense, an episode of ''ALittleSnowFairySugar'' has the musical accompaniment played by fairies that ''nobody can see or hear''.

* ''{{Road to}} Zanzibar'' discusses this together with MickeyMousing in a GenreSavvy dialogue which ends with BingCrosby conducting the invisible orchestra to accompany his singing of the love theme:

* Naturally, this happens a lot in ''{{Glee}}''. Sometimes, however, it's averted rather hilariously.

* And yet another lampshade hanging in [[PhineasandFerb Phineas And Ferb]] [[TheMusical The Musical]].

* This shows up in ''TheLegendOfZelda: Spirit Tracks'' and probably a few of the other games in the series.

* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in WaltDisney's ''TheThreeMusketeers'', where, after Pete finishes singing his VillainSong, he wonders why the music stopped.

* And yet another lampshade hanging in [[Phineas and Ferb PhineasAndFerb]] [[TheMusical The Musical]].

-> We should do it again! This time, as a musical! Whadya say? We'll do all the same things, except we'll break into spontaneous singing and choreography with no discernable music source!

* Another lampshade hanging: The Music Meister from ''BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' had brass and strings for him during one song, synth for another, and crunchy guitar and piano for yet another, even though he had no visible means of producing that music until his big finale, when he was standing in front of a giant stereo system.

* FancyLala has one in the anime of the same name.

* [[HimeChenOtogiChikkuIdolLilpri Lilpri]] does this whenever they "Himechen" (the shows name for theri transformation).

* Parodied a bit in ''MontyPython and the Holy Grail'' (of course). Any time Herbert even mentions wanting to sing, music starts to play.

* In NoMoreHeroes, Dr Peace sings a rousing tune when Travis meets him in an empty baseball stadium.

* The Arkenhammer of {{Erfworld}} functions like this, allowing the attuned user (Stanley) to "Rock Out" by using it like an air-guitar. This confers some massive combat bonuses and is the Titanic aspect of dance fighting. Dance fighting in general seems to use this trope when invoked, but not to nearly the same impressive degree (the Arkenhammer almost deafened Parson when demonstrated in an enclosed space).

* In ''{{Casablanca}}'', a group of Germans start singing a patriotic song, and a group of refugees starts trying to drown them out with the French national anthem. The Invisible Backup Band chips in on the side of the refugees.

* The Arkenhammer of Erfworld functions like this, allowing the attuned user (Stanley) to "Rock Out" by using it like an air-guitar. This confers some massive combat bonuses and is the Titanic aspect of DanceFighting. Dance fighting also seems to use this trope when invoked, but not to nearly to the same impressive degree (the Arkenhammer nearly deafened Parson when demonstrated in an enclosed space).

* Another lampshade hanging: The Music Meister had brass and strings for him during one song, synth for another, and crunchy guitar and piano for yet another, even though he had no visible means of producing that music until his big finale, when he was standing in front of a giant stereo system.
** (In case you're wondering, this is from BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold)

* This happens quite a bit in ''ArTonelico'', whenever one of the Reyvateils sings.

* ''Road to Zanzibar'' discusses this together with MickeyMousing in a GenreSavvy dialogue which ends with Bing Crosby conducting the invisible orchestra to accompany his singing of the love theme: