History Main / NoSongForTheWicked

* Prudy, Penny's mother in ''Film/{{Hairspray}}'', doesn't get to sing, although Creator/AlisonJanney has a musical background.

* Exaggerated in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}''. Shan Yu and his army of Huns don't just lack a song, they stop the musical portion of the film in its tracks. Up until about the halfway point of the film, Mulan functions as a typical Disney Musical. Starting with the introductory "Honor to Us All" (wherein the entirety of Mulan's village comes together to give musical exposition on Mulan's expected place in society as a daughter, a woman, and eventually a bride and mother) and continuing with the [[IWantSong mournful, introspective]] "Reflections" and the fiery, upbeat "I'll Make a Man Out of You", the film delivers on its promised musical numbers. The Huns appear between these sets as dark, ominous figures, clearly the villains of the film but not committing much villainy beyond skulking and sneering and sending threatening messages to the Emperor (the implications of their actions are that they're murdering and ravaging their way across China, but none of the outright bloodshed is shown onscreen, but instead carefully concealed just outside the view of the camera, or just after the scene cuts away). It's only at the end of the upbeat and irreverent "Girl Worth Fighting For" (sung by the soldiers marching to war, cheerfully fantasizing about the beautiful women who make the fighting all worthwhile) that the true devastation of the Huns is made apparent, with the MoodWhiplash literally cutting off the song. In the space of a second, the film goes from a marching chorus of joyful soldiers and Mulan's friends preparing to engage in a playful snowball fight to the sight of a burned-out village, flames still flickering in the gutted skeletons of houses and businesses. The Huns have massacred every civilian in the village and killed the soldiers sent to protect it. From that moment on there are no more musical numbers, no more bursting into song -- the Huns are too terrible for that, too evil and cruel to exist in the same universe as random musicals. Not even at his moment of greatest triumph does Shan Yu get a song to gloat, and not even in the final victory of the Huns do Mulan and her companions get a song to praise their heroics.

* In the classic 1939 film ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', the Wicked Witch doesn't get to sing. It's worth noting, however, that her counterparts in ''Theatre/TheWiz'' and ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' do have songs.

* Inverted in ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' -- It was Creator/JimHenson's idea to have a singing villain, and from there the filmmakers hired [[Music/DavidBowie a performer]] who not only filled the role but also wrote all the songs. Jareth gets ''three'' on-screen musical numbers, and the only other characters who sing are a menacing WackyWaysideTribe.

* In ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'', unlike in most other musical adaptations of ''Literature/AChristmasCarol,'' Scrooge never sings before his encounters with the Ghost of Christmas. Other characters sing about him and to him instead. The first time he sings is during the Christmas Past sequence, when he sings along with [[TheOneThatGotAway Belle's]] parting words in the song "When Love Is Gone": the moment that marks the beginning of his HeelFaceTurn. Only on Christmas morning when his reform is complete does he sing a full solo, "Thankful Heart."

** In the stage musical, he gets one called 'Diamond in The Rough', in which he convinces Aladdin to go to the Cave of Wonders.

* The [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen]] from ''Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs''.
* Despite singing a single line while playing the piano, the Stepmother in ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'' has no VillainSong, which makes her even scarier. One of the stepsisters begins "Sing, Sweet Nightingale" while the other plays the flute, but [[DreadfulMusician mercifully]] our focus shifts to Cinderella's rendition.
* Yzma from ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' originally did have one called [[https://youtu.be/374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light]] (back when the movie was more of a traditional Disney musical), but this was cut when the movie changed directors and the whole story got retooled.
* Maleficent from ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwyJR8hdBCM was actually going to have]] a VillainSong, but it was [[CutSong cut]]. She instead gloats over her evil deeds with a Villain Poem that mocks the traditional version of her FairyTale.

* Exaggerated in ''Disney/{{Mulan}}''. Shan Yu and his army of Huns don't just lack a song, they stop the musical portion of the film in its tracks. Up until about the halfway point of the film, Mulan functions as a typical Disney Musical. Starting with the introductory "Honor to Us All" (wherein the entirety of Mulan's village comes together to give musical exposition on Mulan's expected place in society as a daughter, a woman, and eventually a bride and mother) and continuing with the [[IWantSong mournful, introspective]] "Reflections" and the fiery, upbeat "I'll Make a Man Out of You", the film delivers on its promised musical numbers. The Huns appear between these sets as dark, ominous figures, clearly the villains of the film but not committing much villainy beyond skulking and sneering and sending threatening messages to the Emperor (the implications of their actions are that they're murdering and ravaging their way across China, but none of the outright bloodshed is shown onscreen, but instead carefully concealed just outside the view of the camera, or just after the scene cuts away). It's only at the end of the upbeat and irreverent "Girl Worth Fighting For" (sung by the soldiers marching to war, cheerfully fantasizing about the beautiful women who make the fighting all worthwhile) that the true devastation of the Huns is made apparent, with the MoodWhiplash literally cutting off the song. In the space of a second, the film goes from a marching chorus of joyful soldiers and Mulan's friends preparing to engage in a playful snowball fight to the sight of a burned-out village, flames still flickering in the gutted skeletons of houses and businesses. The Huns have massacred every civilian in the village and killed the soldiers sent to protect it. From that moment on there are no more musical numbers, no more bursting into song -- the Huns are too terrible for that, too evil and cruel to exist in the same universe as random musicals. Not even at his moment of greatest triumph does Shan Yu get a song to gloat, and not even in the final victory of the Huns do Mulan and her companions get a song to praise their heroics.
* Jafar from ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' is a borderline case: he only had a DarkReprise of "Prince Ali" but no VillainSong of his own, although some were written for him. The first, "My Time Has Come", was cut for being too slow and introspective, as did "Why Me?" which was recorded and storyboarded. The third, "Humiliate the Boy", was cut for basically stopping the story during what in the final film is a very short scene ([[spoiler:Jafar becoming a genie and then getting trapped in his lamp]].)
** In ''Disney/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'', however, he had "You're Only Second Rate".

* Hades from ''{{Disney/Hercules}}'', despite being such a LargeHam. He did sing in the TV spinoff, however.
* Shere Khan from ''Disney/TheJungleBook'', who actually did not sing at all except for the final lyrics of "That's What Friends Are For." He was originally going to have his own VillainSong, however, he does his very best to make his one singing line count, though, ending it on a bone-rattling bass note (performed by Bill Lee of The Mellomen)
* Inverted in ''Disney/HomeOnTheRange'' where the evil cattle thief and yodeler Alameda Slim is the only character to sing in the film.
* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' doesn't have a single straight example of VillainSong, despite numerous opportunities and near-misses. "Let It Go" is a NotEvilJustMisunderstood WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom song for Elsa, and [[spoiler: [[EvilAllAlong Prince Hans]]'s part of "Love is an Open Door" is a cleverly-disguised VillainLoveSong]], but neither the evil Duke of Wesselton nor [[spoiler: post-[[TheReveal Reveal]] Hans]] actually sing anything during their time on-screen. "Let It Go" ''was'' going to be the VillainSong (while Elsa was still the villain of the story), but while it was being written the writers realized that it was too empowering to work as one; and also realized Elsa herself hadn't done anything wrong.

* ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'' doesn't have songs for Sabor (who, granted, is a non-speaking leopard) or Clayton.
* Many consider "Shiny" from ''Disney/{{Moana}}'' to be the film's villain song, although Tamatoa is really nothing more than a OneSceneWonder. The film's actual villain, Te Ka, gets no song, as she's a giant monster of lava and rage. [[spoiler:She does get sung ''at'' by Moana, but that doesn't really count]]. Maui also gets a song where he steals Moana's boat, but that's more of a {{Jerkass}} song, as he's the film's secondary protagonist from shortly after that point on.

* In the [[Film/TheJungleBook2016 2016 remake]] of Disney's ''Disney/TheJungleBook'', [[BigBad Shere Khan]] is the only one of the three antagonists (the other two being [[TheDon King Louie]] and [[WildCard Kaa]]) who hasn't his own song (the other two have "I Wanna Be Like You" and "Trust in Me" in respective order) as a way to fortify his KnightOfCerebus status.

* PlayedStraight in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls2013'' as Sunset Shimmer doesn't sing a note. [[spoiler:With her HeelFaceTurn at the end of the movie, she does get plenty of solos in the sequels]].

[[folder:Theater]]

* Jafar from ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' is a borderline case: he only had a DarkReprise of "Prince Ali" but no VillainSong of his own, although some were written for him. The first, "My Time Has Come", was cut for being too slow and introspective. The second, "Humiliate the Boy", was cut for basically stopping the story during what in the final film is a very short scene ([[spoiler:Jafar becoming a genie and then getting trapped in his lamp]].)

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has numerous musical numbers, but sticks to Steven's point of view, [[MusicalWorldHypotheses where they represent some sort of communication he's aware of]]. All his encounters with sentient antagonists tend to be too brief and [[KnightOfCerebus traumatic]] to have anyone expressing themselves so openly. One comical exception to this is that Greg's scummy ex-manager Marty still manages to sing--because it's not a VillainSong, it's [[SourceMusic an in-show advertisement]] he did for money (and made by plagiarizing Greg's song "Comet"). This trope is eventually subverted in the fourth season, where there is a VillainSong [[spoiler:from Yellow Diamond to Blue Diamond]]. However, this keeps with songs' usual portrayal in the series, as we only hear it thanks to Steven's ExactEavesdropping on a private conversation (the subject of which is more humanizing than [[EvilGloating boastful]]).

Contrast VillainSong, though they can sometimes be used together if the villain song is sung by someone other than the villain.

Contrast VillainSong.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has numerous musical numbers, but sticks to Steven's point of view, [[MusicalWorldHypotheses where they represent some sort of communication he's aware of]]. All his encounters with sentient antagonists tend to be too brief and [[KnightOfCerebus traumatic]] to have anyone expressing themselves so openly. One comical exception to this is that Greg's scummy ex-manager Marty still manages to sing--because it's not a VillainSong, it's an in-show advertisement he did for money (and made by plagiarizing Greg's song "Comet"). This trope is eventually subverted in the fourth season, where there is a VillainSong [[spoiler:from Yellow Diamond to Blue Diamond]]. However, this keeps with songs' usual portrayal in the series, as we only hear it thanks to Steven's ExactEavesdropping on a private conversation (the subject of which is more humanizing than [[EvilGloating boastful]]).

But there are also villains that don't have a song. While TheHero and his or her companions have their own musical numbers, the villain doesn't sing a single note. This choice can be made for various reasons: to show that the villain is a SeriousBusiness individual, to highlight his or her scary nature, or maybe because the villain has [[RealLifeWritesThePlot a bad voice]]. It could also have happened that the villain was originally meant to have a song, but for various reason it ended up being [[CutSong cut]].

* Despite singing a single line while playing the piano, the Stepmother in ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'' has no VillainSong, which makes her even more scary. One of the stepsisters begins "Sing, Sweet Nightingale" while the other plays the flute, but [[DreadfulMusician mercifully]] our focus shifts to Cinderella's rendition.

* Exaggerated in ''Disney/{{Mulan}}''. Shan Yu and his army of Huns don't just lack a song, they stop the musical portion of the film in its tracks. Up until about the halfway point of the film, Mulan functions as a typical Disney Musical. Starting with the introductory "Honor to Us All" (wherein the entirety of Mulan's village comes together to give musical exposition on Mulan's expected place in society as a daughter, a woman, and a eventually a bride and mother) and continuing with the [[IWantSong mournful, introspective]] "Reflections" and the fiery, upbeat "I'll Make a Man Out of You", the film delivers on its promised musical numbers. The Huns appear between these sets as dark, ominous figures, clearly the villains of the film but not committing much villainy beyond skulking and sneering and sending threatening messages to the Emperor (the implications of their actions are that they're murdering and ravaging their way across China, but none of the outright bloodshed is shown onscreen, but instead carefully concealed just outside the view of the camera, or just after the scene cuts away). It's only at the end of the upbeat and irreverent "Girl Worth Fighting For" (sung by the soldiers marching to war, cheerfully fantasizing about the beautiful women who make the fighting all worth while) that the true devastation of the Huns is made apparent, with the MoodWhiplash literally cutting off the song. In the space of a second, the film goes from a marching chorus of joyful soldiers and Mulan's friends preparing to engage in a playful snowball fight to the sight of a burned-out village, flames still flickering in the gutted skeletons of houses and businesses. The Huns have massacred every civilian in the village, and killed the soldiers sent to protect it. From that moment on there are no more musical numbers, no more bursting into song -- the Huns are too terrible for that, too evil and cruel to exist in the same universe as random musicals. Not even at his moment of greatest triumph does Shan Yu get a song to gloat, and not even in the final victory of the Huns do Mulan and her companions get a song to praise their heroics.

* Shere Khan from ''Disney/TheJungleBook'', who actually did not sing at all except for the final lyrics of "That's What Friends Are For." He was originally going to have his own VillainSong, however he does his very best to make his one singing line count, though, ending it on a bone-rattling bass note (performed by Bill Lee of The Mellomen)

* Neither Warren T. Rat from the first ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' movie nor Cat R. Waul from the second have a VillainSong, though the villains in the direct-to-video sequels have them.

* ''Film/SinginInTheRain'': Lina Lamont has no singing number, not counting the few lines of "Would You" she can be heard singing as Kathy overdubs her, since her voice is really awful. This is averted in the ScreenToStageAdaptation, which gives her a comic song, "What's Wrong With Me?"

* There are many [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer fans of Buffy]] who see the appeal of both the MusicalEpisode "Once More With Feeling," and the villainous activities of [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain the Trio of Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan]]. Such fans would, no doubt, have loved for the episode to have a VillainSong by the Trio. The writers surely could have come up with something good, and of course the actors were all guest stars who were probably completely available for an episode in that season. No doubt, though, it would have been too difficult, and involved sacrificing too much of the screen time used for other stuff, to rewrite the episode in such a way that it included the Trio. But the magical effect that caused everyone to burst into song was operating throughout Sunnydale, so of course there must have been some such song that happened off-screen, which was not recorded by the TV show--but that's exactly the kind of thing FanFiction is for...

* While ''Theatre/ShowBoat'' doesn't really have a villain (not counting the character from the ShowWithinTheShow, who is [[MeanCharacterNiceActor quite affable offstage]]), the most antagonistic characters in the first act, Parthy, Pete and Sheriff Vallon, don't sing at all. That is, until the 1994 revival reassigned "Why Do I Love You?" to Parthy to make her come across as more sympathetic.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has quite a few musical numbers, and while the majority of the songs are sung by [[{{CloudCuckooLander}} Pinkie Pie]], everyone else has gotten in on the action at least once -- if not a solo number, then during a CrowdSong. However, neither Discord nor Trixie nor Nightmare Moon, three [[EvilIsHammy pretty hammy]] villains, has any song. King Sombra doesn't have one either (makes sense, since he barely says anything at all anyway). [[ConArtist The Flim Flam Brothers]] do have songs in seasons 2 and 4 (although they're more antagonistic than evil), and [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis]] has her song[[note]]shared with another character, with the same voice actor actually singing both parts[[/note]] during the finale. [[TheVillainSucksSong And]] [[DistantDuet it]] [[DarkReprise is]] [[TriumphantReprise just]] '''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome]]'''. May not apply to Discord as of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd Three's a Crowd]]" with his song "A Little Glass of Water." He is considered to be "reformed" from his previous villain status at this point and never did sing while he was considered one. But he does remain rather morally ambiguous.

* Shan Yu from ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'' doesn't get a song. Indeed, he only appears twice before the mountain battle and climax.

''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls2013'': PlayedStraight in the first film, as Sunset Shimmer doesn't sing a note. [[spoiler:With her HeelFaceTurn at the end of the movie, she does get plenty of solos in the sequels]].

[[AC: Film - Animated]]

* Despite singing a single line while playing the piano, the Stepmother in ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'' has no VillainSong, which makes her even more scary.
** One of the stepsisters begins "Sing, Sweet Nightingale" while the other plays the flute, but [[DreadfulMusician mercifully]] our focus shifts to Cinderella's rendition.
* Yzma from ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' originally did have one called [[https://youtu.be/374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light]] (back when the movie was more of a traditional Disney musical), but this was cut when the movie changed directors and the whole story got retooled

[[AC: Film - Live Action]]

[[AC: Live Action TV]]

[[AC: Music]]

[[AC: {{Theatre}}]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has quite a few musical numbers, and while the majority of the songs are sung by [[{{CloudCuckooLander}} Pinkie Pie]], everyone else has gotten in on the action at least once -- if not a solo number, then during a CrowdSong. However, neither Discord nor Trixie nor Nightmare Moon, three [[EvilIsHammy pretty hammy]] villains, has any song. King Sombra doesn't have one either (makes sense, since he barely says anything at all anyway). [[ConArtist The Flim Flam Brothers]] do have songs in seasons 2 and 4 (although they're more antagonistic than evil), and [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis]] has her song[[note]]shared with another character, with the same voice actor actually singing both parts[[/note]] during the finale. [[TheVillainSucksSong And]] [[DistantDuet it]] [[DarkReprise is]] [[TriumphantReprise just]] '''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome]]'''.
** May not apply to Discord as of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd S4 E11]] with his song "A Little Glass of Water." He is considered to be "reformed" from his previous villain status at this point and never did sing while he was considered one. But he does remain rather morally ambiguous.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'' turns it around by having the Dazzlings perform no less than three phenomenal full-blown villain songs, [[spoiler: the last of which even being the movie's climax]].
*** PlayedStraight in the first [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls2013 film]] though, as Sunset Shimmer doesn't sing a note. [[spoiler: With her HeelFaceTurn at the end of the movie, she does get plenty of solos in the sequels]].

*** PlayedStraight in the first [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls film]] though, as Sunset Shimmer doesn't sing a note. [[spoiler: With her HeelFaceTurn at the end of the movie, she does get plenty of solos in the sequels]].

** The second Equestria Girls movie turns it around by having the Dazzlings perform no less than three phenomenal full-blown villain songs, [[spoiler: the last of which even being the movie's climax]].

* Yzma from ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' originally did have one called [[https://youtu.be/374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light]] but this was cut when the movie changed directors and the whole story got retooled

** The second Equestria Girls movie turns it around by having the Dazzling perform no less than three phenomenal full-blown villain songs, [[spoiler: the last of which even being the movie's climax]].

* Yzma from ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' originally did have one called [[https://youtu.be/374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light]] but this was cut when the movie changed directors and the whole story got Main/Retooled

* Yzma from ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' originally did have one called [[https://youtu.be/374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light]] but this was cut when the movie changed directors and the whole story got Retooled

* Yzma from ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' originally did have one called [[ https://youtu.be/374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light]] but this was cut when the movie changed directors and the whole story got Retooled

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has quite a few musical numbers, and while the majority of the songs are sung by [[{{CloudCuckooLander}} Pinkie Pie]], everyone else has gotten in on the action at least once -- if not a solo number, then during a CrowdSong. However, neither Discord nor Trixie nor Nightmare Moon, three [[EvilIsHammy pretty hammy]] villains, has any song. King Sombra doesn't have one either (makes sense, since he barely says anything at all anyway). [[ConArtist The Flim Flam Brothers]] do have songs in seasons 2 and 4 (although they're more antagonistic than evil), and [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis]] has her song[[note]]shared with another character, with the same voice actor actually singing both parts[[/note]] during the finale. [[TheVillainSucksSong And]] [[DistantDuet it]] [[DarkReprise is]] [[TriumphantReprise just]] '''[[AwesomeMusic awesome]]'''.