History Main / TheMelBrooksNumber

You're hearing a Creator/MelBrooks number, not necessarily a bad thing, unless you don't like musicals.[[note]]And sometimes even if you do.[[/note]].. This song can be described as:

* One could convincingly argue that this trope should be called The Creator/GilbertAndSullivan Number. One of the reasons their operettas have endured with such popularity is their wonderful use of TheComicallySerious, avoiding cheap laughs and instead writing beautiful melodies filled with inane, [[HurricaneOfPuns punny]], or ridiculous lyrics. Perhaps one of the best is "When the Foeman Bears His Steel" from ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'', in which the Police sing a rousing song about how they're afraid of the pirates, while the women sing about how [[GoYeHeroesGoAndDie glorious their deaths will surely be]], and the two choruses are combined in counterpoint, a highly-technical musical effect that is difficult to pull off.

This song is always PlayedForLaughs. A subtrope of LyricalDissonance. Named for the quintessential master of this kind of song, Creator/MelBrooks.

* A song that sounds like the perfect TearJerker...until you discover what it is really talking about.

* Music/TomLehrer was also infamous for these kind of songs. A bright, cheery serenade about killing pigeons? ("Poisoning Pigeons in the Park") A parlor-music piss-take on school fight songs ("Fight Fiercely Harvard")? Full orchestral backing for songs about humanity's utter annihilation by nuclear war ("We Will All Go Together When We Go" and "So Long, Mom"), a guy TooKinkyToTorture ("Masochism Tango"), and RecklessGunUsage ("The Hunting Song")? And this is only a fraction of the man's catalog.

* ''WebVideo/PuppetHistory'' features a song every episode by a puppet representing a character or object relating to the topic at hand. Some of them are appropriatly silly, but then some of them are overly dramatic. The best examples would be [[https://youtu.be/q4vdACLx-hQ?list=PL8rSRNukjnn6R_uKzQZ5LQIwOjvBoyN3I&t=1672 the dramatic rock ballad]] from a train, [[https://youtu.be/myM5SY1mHoA?list=PL8rSRNukjnn6R_uKzQZ5LQIwOjvBoyN3I&t=1422 a triumphant ballad]] from the Olympic torch, [[https://youtu.be/ybBxueA5OuA?list=PL8rSRNukjnn6R_uKzQZ5LQIwOjvBoyN3I&t=1668 the Randy Newman style]] chipped coin song, and [[https://youtu.be/S7bSLlN_C1A?list=PL8rSRNukjnn6R_uKzQZ5LQIwOjvBoyN3I&t=1698 the tragic romantic duet]] from an oar and a former oar-turned-sword.

** ''Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife'' has "The Galaxy Song", a light, cheery number with a lovely instrumental break...that turns out to be about an individual human's insignificance in the universe, and "Every Sperm Is Sacred," an anthemic hymn sung by all kinds of Catholics about sperm.

** "You Stupid Bitch" - a soliloquy of self-loathing, but some of it comes out [[BigStupidDoodooHead less than poetically]]

* The TropeNamer is Creator/MelBrooks. Many of the songs he writes fit this trope, most obviously ''SpringtimeForHitler'' from the first film version of Film/TheProducers.

** In addition to ''SpringtimeForHitler'', the musical movie version of ''Film/TheProducers'' also gave us "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop" played over the credits in typical AwardBaitSong style.
** In ''Film/YoungFrankenstein", Dr. Frankenstein performs a beautiful rendition of "Puttin' On The Ritz"... until the monster's [[CuteButCacophonic turn for the chorus]] comes up. And then there's the dancing.

* ''Film/WalkHard'' is full of these. While some of the songs (''Guilty As Charged'' comes to mind) could easily pass for a 60s Johnny Cash hit, others (''Let's Duet'') are gleefully silly and filled with double entendres.

** Also note the lyrics: "The leader of the Germans stood with a triumphant roar." Now consider who is the current German chancelor and imagine ''her'' acting out what the lyrics say.
*** Or the Germany guy in [[Manga/AxisPowersHetalia Hetalia]].

* Singer-songwriter [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brute_Force_(musician) Brute Force]] (real name Stephen Friedland) is a skilled musician with a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} sensibilty, so naturally he specializes in these. His most famous song, "The King of Fuh", which was one of Apple Records' first [[Music/TheBeatles non-Beatles]] releases, is a beautiful ballad with exquisite strings and stirring piano. The lyrics are about the king of the land of Fuh, and the [[PrecisionFStrike obvious]] [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar pun]] gets used many times.

* The four Oompa-Loompa songs in the 2005 version of ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' play out this way. Music/DannyElfman assigns each one a different genre (Bollywood for Augustus Gloop, psychedelic FolkRock for Veruca Salt, etc.) and gives them terrific melodies and arrangements. The lyrics (pulled from the original novel) are still about naughty kids getting their comeuppance, though, and the "rather rehearsed" dance numbers the Oompa-Loompas -- all voiced by Elfman -- mount are parodies of Busby Berkeley numbers, heavy metal videos, etc.

* ''WebVideo/PuppetHistory'' features a song every episode by a puppet representing a character or object relating to the topic at hand. Some of them are appropriatly silly, but then some of them are overly dramatic. the best examples would be [[https://youtu.be/q4vdACLx-hQ?list=PL8rSRNukjnn6R_uKzQZ5LQIwOjvBoyN3I&t=1672 the dramatic rock ballad]] from a train, [[https://youtu.be/myM5SY1mHoA?list=PL8rSRNukjnn6R_uKzQZ5LQIwOjvBoyN3I&t=1422 a triumphant ballad]] from the Olympic torch, [[https://youtu.be/ybBxueA5OuA?list=PL8rSRNukjnn6R_uKzQZ5LQIwOjvBoyN3I&t=1668 the Randy Newman style]] chipped coin song, and [[https://youtu.be/S7bSLlN_C1A?list=PL8rSRNukjnn6R_uKzQZ5LQIwOjvBoyN3I&t=1698 the tragic romantic duet]] from an oar and a former oar-turned-sword.

* ''WebVideo/PuppetHistory'' features [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0rn28WH94qBal31JG938wAkWwp1Hk19Z a song every episode]] by a puppet representing a character or object relating to the topic at hand. They're all different styles and genres of music and very well produced, but they're being sung by a train or a "big pile of diamonds".

--> "And one and two and [[CrossesTheLineTwice WATCH ME FAGGOTS!"]]

%%* The bread and butter of ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend''. Notable numbers include:
%%** "You Stupid Bitch" - a soliloquy of self-loathing, but some of it comes out [[BigStupidDoodooHead less than poetically]]
%%**

%%* A lot of the songs from ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'' are this.

* ''Theatre/TheBibleTheCompleteWordOfGodAbridged'' ends with a cheerful song-and-dance salute to TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt as prophesied in the Book of Revelations: "That's Armageddon!"