Original air date: July 17th, 1992
Melody is writing a new song when her twin sisters Ting-a-Ling and Jing-a-Ling call her into the living room to watch PTV, where Dazzle announces that PTV is hosting the first annual Battle of the Bands on Thursday night, where bands will compete to see who's the best. Melody immediately wants to go with her band The Rockin' Beats. Her mother says she's working at the hospital that night, but Melody can go as long as she finds a babysitter for her sisters. Melody agrees to, but puts it off in favor of practicing.
The day of the contest, Melody is dressing for the event when her mother asks who's babysitting the twins. Melody realizes she forgot all about finding someone to do it, and calls up multiple friends of hers in a desperate bid to be able to go, but she can't find any help.
The Rockin' Beats show up at Melody's door, expecting her to go with them, and are none too pleased when she tells them she can't. Later, Melody is watching the event from her home, and decides the band needs her, so she takes her sisters with her to the event.
Melody regroups with the Rockin' Beats, much to their delight. But then she realizes the twins have gone missing, so she goes to look for them. The twins have taken to playing with various pieces of equipment, and Melody finds them, only for them to go flying off a slide. Melody chases after them the same way, and after they all get bounced off a trampoline and onto a prop hanging from the ceiling, they all drop into the Rockin' Beats performance in time for Melody to join in, winning the Rockin' Beats the contest and earning them a rather large trophy.
While Melody is tucking Ting-a-Ling and Jing-a-Ling in bed later that night, their mother returns from the hospital, revealing she saw everything on television while she was there. Miraculously, she doesn't scold Melody, but rather congratulates her, even telling her she doesn't need to explain herself tonight since it's late. Melody says she learned her lesson and she'll make sure to find a babysitter next time, but her sisters hug her and say all they want is Melody.
"Battle of the Bands" provides examples of:
- Achilles in His Tent: The Rockin' Beats kick Melody out of the group, but then it becomes apparent they can't succeed without her. Fortunately, she shows up and they win the contest.
- An Aesop: Don't procrastinate.
- Alliterative Title: "Battle of the Bands".
- All Part of the Show: A backdrop falling onto a team (caused by Ting-a-Ling and Jing-a-Ling) goes over rather well with the audience, as does Melody and the twins falling into the Rockin' Beats' performance.
- Artistic License – Physics: The twins and Melody go down a slide that spits them upward a lot higher than would be the case in real life. They then get launched up into the air (landing on a gigantic guitar prop hanging from the ceiling) via trampoline.
- Babysitting Episode: When Melody can't get a babysitter for her sisters, she has to do the job herself while simultaneously winning the Rockin' Beats the competition.
- Badly Battered Babysitter: Taking Ting-A-Ling and Jing-A-Ling to the contest results in Melody going through hell and back to keep them out of trouble.
- The Band Minus the Face: The Rockin' Beats do poorly until Melody shows up.
- Battle of the Bands: Well, it is the title verbatim. PTV hosts a competition for any band to enter to show their skills and bring home the trophy.
- Continuity Nod: Bon Bon can't babysit Ting-a-Ling and Jing-a-Ling for Melody because she's been grounded, likely for Playing Sick in the previous episode "Too Sick to Notice".
- Contrived Coincidence: A very small trampoline happens to be in the exact spot where Ting-a-Ling, Jing-a-Ling, and Melody all land after getting launched several feet into the air.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- Melody puts off looking for a babysitter until the day of the concert and is forced to bring her sisters there when she can't find one on short notice.
- Melody takes her twin sisters to the contest with her, and her mother finds out because the event is broadcast on live television which the hospital she's volunteering at has.
- Dramatic Shattering: Thanks to Melody, the Rockin' Beats' performance garners so much cheering that the scoreboard recording it explodes.
- Easily Forgiven:
- While it's understandable of the other members of the Rockin' Beats to be upset with Melody for not finding a babysitter and thus not being able to come to the contest, they kick her out of the band and proclaim they might be better without her. This treatment doesn't stop Melody from rejoining them and being happy to see them (as they are to see her).
- Melody's mother doesn't seem the least bit angry with Melody for taking the twins to the contest with her.
- Event Title: The Rockin' Beats are battling against other bands to win the contest.
- Everything's Better with Sparkles: The outfit Melody wears continually gives off sparkles.
- It's All About Me: After realizing she didn't arrange a babysitter for her younger sisters, Melody resorts to asking her mother to call in sick to the hospital.Melody's mother: I can't do that! Everyone at the hospital depends on me to be there!
- Jerkass Has a Point: As irritable as the Rockin' Beats were with Melody, they were correct in saying she should have prepared better for the contest.
- Kinda Busy Here: All of the friends Melody calls are preoccupied with other matters and can't babysit for her.
- Least Rhymable Word: The episode opens with Melody writing a new song and looking for a word that rhymes with orange, only for her mother to tell her that there aren't anynote .
- Literal Metaphor: The Rockin' Beats were so good that they blew away the competition. That is to say, the applause and cheering from the audience was so high that it blew up the scale measuring it.Dazzle: I've heard about blowing away the competition, but you Rockin' Beats really did it!
- Loophole Abuse: Melody rationalizes taking Ting-a-Ling and Jing-a-Ling to the contest with her with, "Mom didn't say where I had to babysit ya."note
- Nap-Inducing Speak: The Rockin' Beats performing without their lead vocalist proves to be such, as one audience members yawns and asks her friend to wake her when they're finished.
- Never Trust a Title: While there is a "Battle of the Bands", the bands the Rockin' Beats are competing against don't receive any focus, and the story instead concerns Melody trying to keep her sisters out of trouble while also winning the contest.
- Oh, Crap!: Melody when her mother asks her who she found to babysit the twins, and Melody thus realizes she forgot all about it.
- Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: The Rockin' Beats are furious with Melody for not making sure she could join them for the contest, and storm off, badmouthing her all the while, but they're happy to see her when she manages to show up for the event after all.
- Readings Blew Up the Scale: There is a scale that measures how good the performance is. When Melody and the Rockin' Beats perform their song, the scale hits the roof and blows up.
- Straying Baby: Melody is unable to find a babysitter so she brings her little sisters Ting-a-Ling and Jing-a-Ling to the contest. She is forced to chase after them when they go missing.
- Thing-O-Meter: The scale that measures how good each performance is. The Rockin' Beats cause it to explode.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The twins break open some sandbags and play with the sand, resulting in the backdrop the sandbags were holding down falling onto the currently-performing team (don't worry, they're alright).
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
- We don't learn for certain why Bon Bon is grounded, although the events of the previous episode may be a clue.
- Sweetheart can't help out Melody because she's "taking inventory". What, exactly, she is taking inventory for, and what her/her family's job is, is never revisited.
- The X of Y: "Battle of the Bands".
- You Are Grounded!: Bon Bon is grounded, so she can't help Melody out.
