History Main / MusicToInvadePolandTo

--->'''BOSS:''' Stevens, you know, we should have arranged for a symphony orchestra to herald my triumph. To take over the world, to sweep into power on the crest of a wave of Wagnerian sound! You like that idea, of course?\\
'''Stevens:''' Please!\\
'''BOSS:''' No? Oh, er... the 1812, perhaps? Or would we dare the glorious Ninth?

* A [[ReviewerStockPhrases Stock Phrase]] to describe the music of French AvantGarde band Music/{{Magma}}, which basically sounds like Music/RichardWagner, Carl Orff and Music/FrankZappa [[JustForFun/XMeetsY made a band]].

Actual military music from the Third Reich tends to be banal and uninspiring (e.g. [[https://youtu.be/YPzTGx96P6U Der Panzerlied (SFW)]], a chirpy little ditty featured in ''Film/BattleOfTheBulge''), and was more often than not intended to be sung while... you know, actually invading Poland...

* [[https://youtu.be/-b5X69vREAg Hell March]] from the game ''Command and Conquer: Red Alert'', an AlternateHistory where the Nazis never existed but World War 2 was instead fought against the expansionist Soviets.

** Slayer is notorious in general for attracting fans with neo-Nazi/white supremacist sympathies, which is ironic because not only is half the band (at least their classic lineup) Latino, but neither of said Latino members were even born in the US.

Thus he and the Nazis appropriated his music and theatrics fifty years after his death. Hitler deliberately patterened his theatrics after Wagner (e.g. in scenes of ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'' where he would be depicted as a larger-than-life Germanic hero). In his private talks, he constantly shilled Wagner to his inner circle of friends, like an Otaku does about Anime, much to their annoyance that they of course could not express lest they offend their Führer. Wagnerian music would be played whenever the Nazi tanks charged in their Blitzkrieg, and Romantic classical music and opera (including, you know, Wagner) would be constantly played on the Reich's radio if it weren't about propaganda. Even in his Downfall and eventual [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled suicide]] Hitler envisioned himself as a [[{{Tragedy}} Tragic Hero]] ala ''Götterdämmerung'' come to life, but instead of allowing his enemies to relish the victory of ruling over Germany, [[TakingYouWithMe he intended on bringing all of Germany down with him in flames]].\\

* Music/RichardWagner is the biggest victim of this, mainly because he was a notorious anti-semite and also because [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler his biggest fan]] [[LoonyFan was the guy who started]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the greatest war in all of human history]]. He was also friends with Creator/FriedrichNietzsche, ''another'' German content creator falsely appropriated by Hitler and the Nazis' vision of [[{{Ubermensch}} what ideal German heroics should be]]. Hitler himself had been quoted to say: "In order to understand National Socialism, you must first understand Wagner." However, unbeknownst to him, Wagner was also a left-leaning socialist for much of his life. He befriended Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakhunin and participated in the Dresden May Uprising, which caused him to be exiled by the Saxon government. Wagner died in 1883 and unfortunately, Hitler got addicted to his operas during his years in Vienna where he suffered from poverty and depression, with only them as his only meaning in life. Thus he and the Nazis appropriated his music and theatrics fifty years after his death. Hitler deliberately patterened his theatrics after Wagner (e.g. in scenes of ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'' where he would be depicted as a larger-than-life Germanic hero), in his private talks he constantly shilled Wagner to his inner circle of friends like an Otaku does about Anime (much to their annoyance), Wagnerian music would be played whenever the Nazi tanks charged in their Blitzkrieg, and Romantic classical music and opera (including, you know, Wagner) would be constantly played on the Reich's radio if it weren't about propaganda. \\

* Music/RichardWagner is the biggest victim of this, mainly because he was a notorious anti-semite and also because [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler his biggest fan]] [[LoonyFan was the guy who started]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the greatest war in all of human history]]. He was also friends with Creator/FriedrichNietzsche, ''another'' German content creator falsely appropriated by Hitler and the Nazis' vision of [[{{Ubermensch}} what ideal German heroics should be]]. Hitler himself had been quoted to say: "In order to understand National Socialism, you must first understand Wagner." However, unbeknownst to him, Wagner was also a left-leaning socialist for much of his life. He befriended Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakhunin and participated in the Dresden May Uprising, which caused him to be exiled by the Saxon government. Wagner died in 1883 and unfortunately, Hitler got addicted to his operas during his years in Vienna where he suffered from poverty and depression, with only them as his only meaning in life. Thus he and the Nazis appropriated his music and theatrics fifty years after his death; Hitler deliberately patterened his theatrics after Wagner (e.g. in scenes of ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'' where he would be depicted as a larger-than-life Germanic hero), Wagnerian music would be played whenever the Nazi tanks charged in their Blitzkrieg, and Romantic classical music and opera (including, you know, Wagner) would be constantly played on the Reich's radio if it weren't about propaganda. This permanently smeared his character for people unfamiliar with his actual music. Thus, today any of his music or other dramatic sounding music will be unfairly associated with fascistic political views that Wagner never held. People who have actually understood his music dramas realize they advocate something close to anarchism: power is evil, love is good.

* Music/RichardWagner is the biggest victim of this, mainly because he was a notorious anti-semite and also because [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler his biggest fan]] [[LoonyFan was the guy who started]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the greatest war in all of human history]]. He was also friends with Creator/FriedrichNietzsche, ''another'' German content creator falsely appropriated by Hitler and the Nazis' vision of [[{{Ubermensch}} what ideal German heroics should be]]. However, unbeknownst to Hitler, Wagner was also a left-leaning socialist for much of his life. He befriended Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakhunin and participated in the Dresden May Uprising, which caused him to be exiled by the Saxon government. Wagner died in 1883 and because of Hitler's addiction to his operas, the Nazis appropriated his music and theatrics fifty years after his death; Hitler deliberately patterened his theatrics after Wagner, and indeed, Wagnerian music would be played whenever the Nazi tanks charged in their Blitzkrieg. This permanently smeared his character for people unfamiliar with his actual music. Thus, today any of his music or other dramatic sounding music will be unfairly associated with fascistic political views that Wagner never held. People who have actually understood his music dramas realize they advocate something close to anarchism: power is evil, love is good.

* Music/RichardWagner gets a lot of flak for this trope, much of it undeserved. Although Wagner was virulently anti-Semitic, he was also a left-leaning socialist for much of his life. Wagner befriended Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakhunin and participated in the Dresden May Uprising, which caused him to be exiled by the Saxon government. Wagner died in 1883 and was extremely unlucky in that Hitler was a colossal Wagner fanboy and the Nazis appropriated his music fifty years after his death which permanently smeared his character for people unfamiliar with his actual music. Thus, today any of his music or other dramatic sounding music will be unfairly associated with fascistic political views that Wagner never held. People who have actually seen his music dramas realize they advocate something close to anarchism: power is evil, love is good.
** David Goldman, writing as Spengler in the Asia Times, [[http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/EA11Aa02.html wrote an article]] on why Wagner was popular and why the Nazis felt such affinity. There was hardly a political movement promising a new man for a new dawn that did not traffic in similar ideas.
** Lampshaded in Edmund Crispin's mystery novel ''[[Literature/GervaseFen Swan Song]]''. We have the sophomoric anti-Wagner comments of Oxford students met by a girl who tries to point out how illogical they are, and complaints by a German refugee (who, ironically, has delayed his return because Wagner is now taboo in Germany and he can only attend the operas in England.)
** The State of Israel has long had something of an unofficial ban on the performance of Wagner's music. There's been some movement on that front in recent years, but it is understandably a rather contentious issue.

* Inverted by [[Creator/DmitriShostakovich Dmitri Shostakovich’s]] [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._7_(Shostakovich) "Leningrad Symphony"]], which became greatly beloved in Russia as "Music to Defend Mother Russia To".

* Inverted by [[Creator/DmitriShostakovich Dmitri Shostakovich’s]] [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._7_(Shostakovich) "Leningrad Symphony"]], which became greatly beloved in Russia as “Music to Defend Mother Russia To”.

* Swedish band {{Music/Sabaton}} get this a lot. They make bombastic power metal, their vocalist rolls his Rs in a very particular way, and most of their songs are about WW I and II, quite a few of them from the perspective of German forces. Disregard that they have several songs from the perspective of the nations fighting ''against'' Nazi Germany as well as definite anti-war anthems, and that their eight minute epic about the Nazis' rise to power is called ''Rise of Evil''. One of their songs, "Counterstrike", is about the ''Israeli victory'' in the Six-Day War. They also have three songs ("40:1", "Uprising", and "Inmate 4859") celebrating the Polish soldiers who fought off the Nazis, making their music a case of "Music To ''Defend'' Poland To". Particularly funny would be "Panzerkampf", which is often flagged on Website/YouTube as "inapproppriate", despite its lyrics in clear and unambiguous English describing the ''Soviet'' counterattack at Kursk, which finally broke the invasion.

* ''Film/ApocalypseNow'''s famous bombing run scene where ''Music/RideOfTheValkyries'' is played was meant to invoke this, [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped in order for audiences to really get]] [[WarIsHell how horrible war is]] by likening the battle with Nazism. [[MisaimedFandom It backfired spectacularly]], [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing and many who watch the scene end up]] {{Rooting For The|Empire}} [[ArmiesAreEvil Army]] instead. [[ShownTheirWork Since the practice of playing Wagnerian music actually has basis in history]], more information is in the RealLife section.

** Lampshaded in "The Green Death" when the [[AIIsACrapshoot megalomaniacal computer BOSS]] is about to TakeOVerTheWorld.

* Inverted in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The God Complex". One of the alien characters mentions that their planetary anthem is entitled "Glory to (Insert Name Here)" - Music to ''be'' invaded to. It's their [[PlanetOfHats hat]] - surrender immediately in the face of military oppressors, because then the oppression won't be too bad, and they can slyly end up running things their way in the aftermath.

* Music/RichardWagner gets a lot of flak for this trope, much of it undeserved. Although Wagner was virulently anti-Semitic, he was also a left-leaning socialist for much of his life. Wagner befriended Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakhunin and participated in the Dresden May Uprising, which caused him to be exiled by the Saxon government. Wagner died in 1883 and was extremely unlucky in that the Nazis appropriated his music fifty years after his death and permanently smeared his character for people unfamiliar with his actual music. Thus, today any of his music or other dramatic sounding music will be unfairly associated with fascistic political views that Wagner never held. People who have actually seen his music dramas realize they advocate something close to anarchism: power is evil, love is good.

** Beethoven's Fifth Symphony was used by the ''Allies'' as a motif in propaganda films ('V' for 'Victory' and fate knocking at Nazi Germany's door). Helpfully illustrated by DonaldDuck [[https://youtu.be/vr9qpeOjmuQ--0 here]] (starting at about 2:30, and proceeding throughout the rest of the clip ). The first four notes of the Fifth Symphony (which spell "V" in Morse code) are still widely-known in France for being the opening leitmotif to ''the'' French-language [[LaResistance BBC broadcast]] during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* ''After'' having invaded Poland from the East and having been invaded himself by the guys who had invaded Poland from the West, Stalin ordered a song for the Great Patriotic War to be written. [[https://youtu.be/MAvgDhI01_A Listen yourself.]] Like the Imperial March from ''Franchise/StarWars'', this one is somewhat atypical in that it's in a minor key, though it uses major chords in the chorus.

** "Deutschland" is a harsh criticism of the band towards their parent country and its history, however this is evident only to German-speakers. As for the rest, the song, and especially [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeQM1c-XCDc the video accompanying it]], may border on MisplacedNationalism.

* Music/{{Rammstein}}, for obvious reasons. The band later wrote "Links 2-3-4" as a response to accusations of Nazism. But since the song's based on a German drill instructor's chant, and you're not going to pick up on the "We're left-wing, dammit!" message in the lyrics if you don't actually speak German, the message didn't exactly get through.. To wit, the [[TropeNamer Trope Naming]] review was of ''Mutter'', the album ''containing "Links 2-3-4"''. The fact that the marching cadence is actually the one used by the pre-Nazi German ''Communist Party'' is also missed by most people. Perhaps the band thought their [[ViewersAreGeniuses listeners were geniuses]]. "Amerika", a song poking fun at America, contains a GratuitousEnglish part to avoid another backfire. [[FanDumb But some listeners still didn't catch on.]]
** Probably everything said about the band "Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft" ten years earlier can be copypasted without change, except the name...

* ''[[https://youtu.be/gOBAujvRzMQ Germany's Anthem]]'' from ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' parodies this trope, combining an extremely militaristic tune with frivolous lyrics such as "Polish this room and don't whine about it " and "I want to eat wurst with some beer".

* [[WildMassGuessing One of the many explanations constructed]] for Music/{{Tool}}'s "Die Eier Von Satan" is that the song, which is set to a heavy metal/industrial sound and spoken in angry German while the lyrics [[spoiler:[[BilingualBonus turn out to be a cookie recipe]]]], was intended to satirize this trope, though it should be mentioned that [[spoiler:the cookies in question are ''hash'' cookies. [[note]] "Eine Messerspitze türkisches Haschisch" means "one pinch of Turkish hashish."[[/note]]]]

* The [[https://youtu.be/IR1M7cs6INc general theme]] for the ''Videogame/Luftrausers'' sounds rather Wagnerian once it gets going. Though this is likely intentional since your allies all have a rather Nazi aesthetic to them.

* [[https://youtu.be/-b5X69vREAg Hell March]] from the game ''Command and Conquer: Red Alert''.

* In ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'', the Kuromorimine team, being based off [[GermanicEfficiency German tanks and tactics]], uses instumental versions of both ''Erika'' and ''Panzerlied'' as their {{Leitmotif}}. Bonus points goes to ''Panzerlied'' for playing when they reveal the [[spoiler: [[TankGoodness PzKw VII Maus.]]]]

* Gothic Industrial singer Yade often invokes this, with a Nazi-inspired uniform and songs about revolutions, though the lyrics are either anarchistic, or too vague to associate with an ideology. It doesn't help he is Swiss-German, which straddles the [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment very uncomfortable line]] between "Oh he is not German then" and the accusation that Swiss Nazis (or supporters) were {{Karma Houdini}}s in the post-war Europe.