Waxing Lyrical / Live-Action TV

Characters Waxing Lyrical in live-action TV.

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• One of the many "Sorkinisms" Aaron Sorkin uses as a Running Gag, involves a character going on a tangent about themselves and their credentials—inevitably topping the mini-monologue off with "And I'm never-never sick at sea!"
  • Margaret once lapses into this when she's excited about musical guest James Taylor coming to the White House.
    Margaret: I've always loved "Jelly Man Kelly". He's the man who likes jelly the most. He likes it on toast. Then there's Jenny Mulhenny...

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• 3rd Rock from the Sun:
  • In one episode where Dick got called up for jury duty and was eager to go, Nina and Mary told him not to bother. Dick made a point about how he has a sense of duty and can be relied upon:
    Dick: Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, all you've got to do is call, and I'll be there.
    Nina: (dismissively) Yeah, yeah, yeah...
    Dick: Yes I will.
  • Another episode had someone asking Dick what he wanted, to which he very hammily shot back, in dead seriousness: "Fame! I want to live forever — light up the sky like a flame!"
  • Another time, after a failed bank robbery which had Sally dressed like a biker, Tommy dressed like a sailor, and Harry dressed like a Native American, they greeted Don (in uniform) and Dick (dressed like a construction worker, since he had just gotten back from a gay bar). Everybody keeps saying "Hey!" back and forth to the tune of "Macho Man".
• Lampshaded on 30 Rock:
  Jack: [in total seriousness] I have an opportunity here, Lemon. A chance to go back to the past to put things right that once went wrong.
  Liz: That's the Quantum Leap intro.
  • In one episode after Liz's boyfriend Criss sells his hotdog van named "Van Der Beek", he says "I don't wanna wait for our lives to be over." Part of the joke was that earlier in the episode Criss mentioned that he had never actually seen Dawson's Creek.
• From Absolutely Fabulous:
  Eddy: Life is a mystery, we all must stand alone. I hear him call my name and it feels like home.
  Saffy: That's lovely, who wrote it?
  Eddy: Madonna, darling.
• The Adventures of Pete & Pete. "Apocalypse Pete". A particularly hammish crossing guard orders a speeding remote-control car to "Stop in the name of love". It Makes Sense in Context.
• 'Allo 'Allo!:
  • In the episode "Nouvion Oars" René receives a secret message in code: "The cow is ready to jump over the moon and Jack and Jill are standing in a bucket". (For our non-English speakers: these are references to the children's nursery rhymes "Hey Diddle Diddle" and "Jack and Jill (Went Up The Hill)").
  • In another episode, Rene asks what happened to the town's elderly, grey-haired mayor. Edith replies "The old grey mayor is dead!"
• All Together Now has this frequently, usually from former rock star Bobby Rivers (Jon English). In a meta sense, the episode titles are all named after songs.
• In the Angel episode "I Fall to Pieces", Cordelia glumly asks Doyle what the point of falling in love is. His response gradually morphs into Barbra Streisand's "People". She's unimpressed.
  • Before that, in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Flooded", the group is brainstorming ways to raise money. Anya raises the possibility of charging for Buffy's services, then (when Dawn says they can't charge people for saving their lives) argues that Spider-Man does just that. After some "does not" "does too" between her and Dawn, they turn to Xander, the final authority on the subject...
  Xander: ...action is his reward.
• The season 3 finale of Battlestar Galactica has a number of characters who turn out to be Cylons start mumbling the same bits of nonsensical poetry as a sign of their mental breakdown. Towards the end of the finale, the lines come together and are revealed to be All Along the Watchtower. The effect of Season Three's finale's reveal was weakened by the fact that the song is relatively well known, since the original was by Bob Dylan, achieved huge popularity as a cover by Jimi Hendrix, and was popular again in the early Noughties following another cover by Dave Matthews Band (as well as covers by Neil Young, Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, and many, many others). "There must be some way out of here" and "I can't get no relief" may be relatively unnoticeable, but dialogue that includes "Said the Joker to the Thief," even out of context, raises a few eyebrows.
  • All Along the Watchtower became a kind of significant Leitmotif for the Final Five Cylons at the end of Season Three and throughout Season Four. The song actually becomes vitally important to the series overall: Hera draws a series of dots which are revealed to be the notes to the song when Kara remembers it as a song her father used to play when she was a child. Kara also uses the line "there must be some kind of way out of here" in the series finale, using the notes of the song as coordinates.
  • According to the commentary, in the finale, when Adama asks Kara where the coordinates have taken them, her reply was to have been "Somewhere... all along the watchtower. Luckily, Katee Sackhoff recognized the narminess of the line and refused.
• In Becker, when the doctor's office is mysteriously vandalized, Linda eventually admits it was her fault because she threw a party there over the weekend: she used the office because she knew the guests would otherwise trash her apartment. "And you don't know these people! They like to rock and roll all night and party ev-e-ry day!"
• In Being Human, when George finds out that his dad has died, Annie tries to give a eulogy and ends up with the lyrics to "Fight For This Love" by Cheryl Cole.
• In Blackadder Back and Forth Bishop Melchett says "After all, if history teaches us anything, it is that, in the words of Saint Burt, 'What the world needs now is love, sweet love'."
• The Blacklist: When Reddington meets the newest member of the task force.
  Reddington: Please, allow me to introduce myself.
  Siya: You're a man of wealth and taste?
• This was a favorite technique of the writers of The Bob Newhart Show. In one episode, the guys get drunk and Emily offers to make them coffee. One says, "I love coffee." A second adds, "I love tea." Then Mr. Carlin says, "I love the Java Jive, and it loves me." From another episode, Bob denies being afraid of death, saying, "I am strong, I am invincible …" at which point another character cuts him off with, "You are woman. Let's hear you roar."
  • In a later episode, when Jerry, who was adopted, decides to seek out his birth mother, he comments, "Why I could be a duke, or an earl!" Bob adds, "You could be the Duke of Earl."
• On Boy Meets World, Mr. Feeny does this with a KC And The Sunshine Band song. Oddly, the joke is not the reference, but Mr. Feeny's deadpan delivery.
  Mr. Feeny: Mr. Matthews I have no idea what you're talking about, and that's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it.
• An ad for the TV show Bridezillas had the brides and their families getting ready for a fight and the family starts singing the song "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister.
• In The Carol Burnett Show's parody of Gone with the Wind, Rat recites the lyrics to "Dixie" to express his desires to go back to a peaceful time before the Civil War. Sissy tells Rat that his speech sounds catchy, and that he should set it to music. Three more examples from the same sketch: early on, when Starlet meets an old suitor, she announces, "Why if it isn't Billy Joe McCalister! I thought you jumped off the Tallahatchee Bridge!" Later, when Starlet learns that a Yankee soldier is approaching Terra, she exclaims, "What the heck did you do, Melody? Tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree?!" Brashley mentions that Rat had "stopped off at the Camptown races, and as you know, that track's five miles long. He's out there betting on a bob-tailed nag, and I put two bucks on the bay myself. Of course it only paid two-sixty to show, so, doo da, doo da..."
• Castle: At the end of the episode "Last Call", Castle insists on sharing a bottle of expensive whiskey with Beckett, Captain Montgomery, Ryan and Esposito. When Beckett insists that she still has some paperwork to file, Castle says, "C'mon, Beckett, It's nine o'clock on a Saturday...well, nine-fifteen." Castle, Ryan and Esposito start singing "Piano Man", and Beckett caves in and joins them on the second stanza ("He says 'Son can you play me a memory?'...").
• A Charmed (1998) episode guest-starring Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo featured a leprechaun called Shamus who gave out luck to people.
  Neil: Say, how've you been, Shamus? Long time.
  Shamus: Don't even try it, Neil. I already hit you with me best shot. That's all ye get.
• In the 3D episode of Chuck, in trying to think fast, Chuck calls himself a drummer and then says: "I'm the little drummer boy... Come they told me... ba... rumpa... bombom..."
• In the penultimate episode of The Colbert Report, Stephen decides to auction off setpieces. But when former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, often shown sitting on a shelf throughout the series, objects, Stephen says "Hey, that's you in the corner, that's me in the spotlight! It's in the contract!", paraphrasing the R.E.M. song "Losing My Religion".
• Corner Gas:
  • In "Rock On!", The Tragically Hip have a cameo as a band of "local kids" who use Brent's garage for practice. When Brent kicks them out because he needs the garage, Gord Downie says that they're busy working on lyrics. Brent responds with "Don't tell me what the poets are doing!" from their song "Poets".
  • In "Outside the Box", Brent and Karen try to get Lacey to tell them what's in a box that she still hasn't unpacked after living in Dog River for five years. When Lacey finally opens the box and they find a Christmas wreath that says "Peace On Earth", Brent disappointedly notes, "'Peace On Earth' was all it said", a line from "One Tin Soldier" by The Original Caste.
• On Crazy Ex-Girlfriend:
  • Paula attempts to explain's Rebecca's situation to her husband. Her explanation is nearly word-for-word the lyrics of the show's Expository Theme Tune.
  • The show's second season theme gets a sort of Dark Reprise when Rebecca's mother recites the lyrics while trying to defend her from serious jail time: "She's just a girl in love. She can't be held responsible for her actions."
  • Throughout the series, various characters would quote song lyrics. For example, in the Vegas episode, Valencia recognizes Denise Martinez, "That bitch I cannot stand", a lyric from "Women Gotta Stick Together".
• Kirsty Wark's signature gag on Dead Ringers; for example: "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like, 'It's better than yours'. Damn right it's better than yours. More on that story later."
• In the Decoy episode "The Tin Pan Payoff," a character writes to his girlfriend, "You're the coliseum''.
• Practically every episode of Dharma & Greg that guest stars a singer as either himself or a caricature of himself will have some spoken lyrics. As with the Charmed example above, Greg has taunted Pat Benatar with "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", but other examples have included k.d. lang, Lyle Lovett, and Kenny Loggins.
• Doctor Who:
  • In "The Smugglers", we get this nursery rhymed exchange:
    Ben: Polly?
    Polly: Yes?
    Ben: Put the kettle on.
  • In "The Three Doctors", the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) tries to explain the presence of his past self (Patrick Troughton) to Jo:
    Third Doctor: It's really very simple, Jo. I am he, and he is me.
    Jo: And we are all together, goo goo kachoo?
    Third Doctor: What?
    Jo: It's a song by the Beatles.
    Second Doctor: Oh? How does it go?
  • "The Brain of Morbius": The Doctor is offered wine by the Sisterhood of Karn and rejects it, saying "I had a little drink about an hour ago." It's innocuous enough that it's easy not to notice it's a line from "Show Me the Way to Go Home", but if you notice you might realise the next line of the song is "and it went right to my head"...)
  • "The Christmas Invasion":
    The Doctor: Look at these human beings! Consider their potential! From the day they arrive on the planet, and blinking step into the sun... there's more to see than can ever be seen! More to do than — no, hold on... sorry, that's The Lion King, but... the point still stands!
  • "The Idiot's Lantern":
    Tommy: It's too late.
    The Doctor: It's never too late, as a wise person once said. [to himself] Kylie, I think...
  • And from the end of "Hide":
    The Doctor: Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it.
• In an early episode of Frasier, the title character's ex-wife Lilith comes to visit when she finds a letter Frasier wrote begging for them to get back together. She reads the letter, which ends with "...As long as we have love, love will keep us together." Immediately lampshaded by Lilith: "Aside from the shameless pilfering from the Captain & Tennille, I was moved by your entreaty."
• In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:
  • Will recites a few lines of the show's theme song in formal-sounding prose to a judge. "Your honour, in West Philadelphia born 'n' raised, on the playground was where I spent most of my days".
  • Also when Will announces his marriage to Lisa; his Uncle Phil, Aunt Vivian and his mother ask how he manages to make a living.
    Will: We're survive on love.
    Vy: What's love gotta do with it?
    Geoffrey: (walking past them) Gotta do, gotta do with it.
  • In an early episode Will and his uncle get in an argument and end up quoting lyrics from Smith's early hit "Parents Just Don't Understand."
    Will: You'll ruin my rep!
    Uncle Phil: You're only sixteen, you don't have a "rep" yet!
• Friends:
  • An episode has Ross taking a phone message for Rachel from a guy named Casey. While on the phone, he asks if Casey is spelled "like '-at the bat' or '-and the Sunshine Band'?" After he hangs up:
    Ross: Hey, who's this Casey?
    Phoebe: Some guy she met at the movies.
    Ross: Really? What does he want with her?
    Chandler: Well, I'm guessing he wants to do a little dance...y'know, make a little love...well, pretty much get down tonight.
  • There's another time when Joey tries to stall answering the question "Why?"
    Joey: Because... because... because... because... because...
    Chandler: Because of the wonderful things he does?
  • And yet another Chandler case, once Phoebe mistakenly cuts Monica's hair similar to Dudley Moore:
    Chandler: Come on, Monica, things could be worse. You could get caught between the moon and New York City. I know it's crazy, but it's true.
  • Years later, as Jimmy Kimmel got all three leading ladies together, at a certain point the dialogue gets... familiar.
    Jimmy: It's like we always say: "So no one told you life was gonna be this way." *claps*
• At the end of an episode of Gilligan's Island, the Skipper, following yet another failed escape plan, laments in despair, "I get the feeling we're gonna be here for a long, long time," quoting part of the closing theme tune lyrics.
• One episode of The Goodies started off by quoting the White Rabbit's song from Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland. Bill and Graeme are sitting around the office:
  Graeme: He's late.
  Tim: (walking in) I'm late.
  Bill: For a very important date.
  Graeme: No time to say hello.
  Tim: (leaving) Goodbye.
  Graeme and Bill: (together) He's late, he's late, he's late, eeh eeh!
• On The Grand Tour, in the episode where Hammond builds a car out of wood, grass and bushes, we get this nice little Led Zeppelin-Shoutout:
  Hammond: There's a bustle in my hedgerow.
  Clarkson: Don't be alarmed now, it is probably just a sprinkling.
  Hammond: For the may queen.
• In an episode of Heroes where Hiro Nakamura was put on trial by his own mind, he tried to defend his meddling with history by saying he had been 'setting right what once went wrong'.
  Mental image of Takezo Kensei: Objection, Your Honour: He's reciting the opening to Quantum Leap!
• Home Improvement:
  • An episode had Wilson dishing out some famous quotes about love. Tim responded with: "'Everybody... loves somebody sometimes.' Martin, comma, Dean."
  • Another episode had Wilson musing, on the subject of Tim compromising with his wife, "You have to give a little, take a little..." Tim responds, sardonically, "Yeah, and let your poor heart break a little." Then, he realizes what the next line in the song is, and they figure it's not so bad an idea after all, as they sing together, "That's the story of, that's the story of love..."
  • Yet another episode has Tim being tasked with going out in public with Al to meet a woman who connects with Al via an online matchmaking service. Wilson tries to help Tim relax by quoting the title of a KC & the Sunshine Band ("Shake Your Booty" in this case), but Tim isn't impressed.
  Wilson: As a song of KC & the Sunshine Band goes: "Shake Your Booty."
  Tim: Easy for you to say. It's not your booty.
• On Homicide: Life on the Street, Gee, trying to heal a rift between partners Pembleton and Bayliss, says, "All we are is dust in the wind." Pembleton replies, "Never figured you for a Kansas fan."
• An odd example in Horrible Histories: In their Once an Episode song sketches, some of them will be in the style of a particular musician. If it is, they often work in lyrics from that musician into the HH song as if it was just part of the track. For example, from the song about an English succession crisis in the 1100s - in the style of ABBA:
  Matilda and Stephen: Gimme gimme crown and take a chance on me,
  I'm heir to the throne not you, a-ha.
  Stephen: Think you'll get it back, now that I'd like to see.
  Matilda: Oh I do, I do, I do!
• House frequently quotes "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Most notably in the first episode:
  House: As the great philosopher Jagger said; You can't always get what you want.
  Later
  Cuddy: By the way, I checked out that philosopher you mentioned and it turns out that you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you'll get what you need.
  • It should be noted that "You Can't Always Get What You Want" eventually became the theme song for House's vicodin addiction.
• One one episode of If I Ruled The World, one of the panelists was asked to justify her party getting Robbie Williams to create their policies, and replied "We've got stars directing our fate 'cos we know we've fallen from grace. We're praying it's not too late. Millennium."
• On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, when seeing that Brazil built a stadium for The World Cup that now was mostly used as a bus yard, John notes how "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
  • John says that a successful Kickstarter on a Lionel Richie giant inflatable head should get its creators locked up "all night long. All night. All night."
• The DVD Commentary for Lost, "A Tale of Two Cities" (which is basically a producer and an actress cracking jokes - they even call it "our Mystery Science Theater 3000"):
  Elizabeth Mitchell: Well, maybe, maybe the glass just started it. It was his impressive glass acting. It's kind of like a microwave in there, heating up... [laughs]
  Damon Lindelof: ...behind the glass. Juliet might, might as well walk over and just push the popcorn button, 'cause it's getting hot up in there.
  Elizabeth Mitchell:[laughing] So take off all your clothes. [Lindelof chuckles]
• Lucifer:
  • From "Trip to Stabby Town":
    Lucifer: (to a crime suspect) Tell me what you want, what you really, really, want.
  • Courtesy of Chloe in "God Johnson":
    Ella: Come on, guys. Is it really so crazy? I mean, what if God was one of us?
    Chloe: Just a slob, like one of us.
    Ella: Exactly. Or just a—-
    Chloe: Just a stranger, on a bus.
    Lucifer: My father would never use public transport. That song is completely unrealistic.
    Ella: What song?
• In the 2016 UK series of MasterChef, judge John Torode walks into this one while judging Liz's dish:
  John Torode: I think it's really, really, very very good [...] but you can push it, just a little bit more salt, a little bit more pepper, because besides that, in my opinion it's faultless.
  Gregg Wallace: I could be wrong, but I think John Torode just told you to Push It with Salt 'n' Pepa...
  Liz: Push it real good!
• Used in Men Behaving Badly when Tony is persuading Gary he should get back together with Dorothy.
  Tony: She loves you, mate. And with a love like that, you know you should be glad.
• The Middleman:
  • There's at least one conversation per episode between Wendy and Noser that consists entirely of song lyrics.
  • At one point, Wendy uses "You give love a bad name" as a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner.
• The second episode of The Ministry of Time sees Julián countering Lope de Vega's Rhymes on a Dime with a quote from the song "Maneras de vivir" by Spanish 1980's rock band Leño:
  No sé si estoy en lo cierto,
  lo cierto es que estoy aquí.
  Otros por menos han muerto.
  Maneras de vivir.^Translation "I don't know if I'm right, what's certain is I'm here. Others for less have died. Ways of living."
• A running gag in Miranda (2009) involves her inability to restrain herself from doing this, and she almost always ends up lapsing into singing the rest of the song in places like a job interview, psychiatrist's office and a funeral.
• Used by Mock the Week when Diana Ross was given custody of Michael Jackson's children:
  Hugh: Do you think if they're naughty, she can just tell them "Stop! In the name of love!"
  • During a round of "unlikely things to hear a weather forecaster say":
  Andy: The temperature's rising, the barometer's getting low, accoring to all sources, the street's the place to go, coz tonight for the first time, at just about half past ten, it's gonna start raining men.
• Monty Python's Flying Circus: In the sketch "The Mouse Problem" the "growing social problem of people wanting to be mice" is discussed. At a certain point the following conversation takes place which will go over the heads of most non-English speakers who've probably never heard of the nursery songs "Hickory Dickory Dock" and "Three Blind Mice":
  Mr A's Voice: "Well, er, then you steal some cheese, Brie or Camembert, or Cheddar or Gouda, if you're on the harder stuff. You might go and see one of the blue cheese films... there's a big clock in the middle of the room, and about 12:50 you climb up it and then ...eventually, it strikes one... and you all run down."
  Cut to a large matron with apron and carving knife.
  Linkman's Voice: "And what's that?"
  Mr A's Voice: "That's the farmer's wife."
• Mork & Mindy, when Mork impersonated a priest, he offered this advice to a lady in church.
  Mork: You can't hurry love. You just have to wait. It don't come easy, it's a game of give and take.
  Woman: That's beautiful, Father. Psalms?
  Mork: Supremes.
• Frequently happens on The Muppet Show. Examples include:
  Waldorf: Wonderful!
  Statler: Marvelous!
  Waldorf: That you should care for me.
  • In an episode of Veterinarian's Hospital, the crew works without a roof on a weatherman, who constantly takes their cues to sing songs.
    Nurse Piggy: Dr. Bob, it's getting worse; it's beginning to hail!
    Dr. Bob: Hail?
    Weatherman: The gang's all here!
• Shows up on Mystery Science Theater 3000:
  Old Sage-Type Guy: My daughter, you will find that you can't always have what you want.
  Servo: But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.
  • Also this Beatles shout out:
    Military officer (on phone; suddenly cut off) Hello? Hello?
    Joel: I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello!
  • In one invention exchange, Joel demonstrated "Instant Karma". Dr. Forrester then taunted Joel and the 'bots by announcing that their experiment this week was the first of the Steve Reeves' Hercules (1958) movies.
    Dr. Forrester: We all shine on.
• In The Nanny episode "Ode to Barbra Joan", Fran Fine gets invited to a Barbra Streisand concert by C.C. Babcock's father (being one of its backers). But when she realizes how hurt C.C. is by apparently being ignored, Fran urges him to take C.C. instead, saying "People, people who need people are... Ah, you'll see the concert.", quoting the Funny Girl song "People".
  • During the closing credits of "The Gym Teacher", Fran and her old high school gym teacher Miss Stone (nee Wickavich) are looking through a yearbook at a picture of Fran's old boyfriend, Miss Wickavich tells Fran "A boy like that, who'd kill your brother. Forget that boy and find another. One of your own kind, stick to your own kind!", which are lyrics from West Side Story''. Rita Moreno who played Miss Wickavich, sang those very lines as Anita in the film adaptation.
• Used multiple times in New Girl.
  • Jess has an argument with Russell when he clashes with her roommates.
  Jess: And if you want to get with me, you're gonna have to get with my friends, and that is a Spice Girls song.
  • In season 3, Schmidt stoicly quotes the lyrics to 'Only The Good Die Young' by "the late, great, Sir Billy Joel."
  • In season 4, Schmidt confronts his mother about her overbearing behaviour. He begins reciting lyrics from the theme to Perfect Strangers, but only realises after saying them that it's from something he's heard before.
  • In season 4, Schmidt quotes Beyoncé and tells Fawn he wants to be 'Crazy in Love' and 'Drunk in Love.'
  • In another reference to Beyoncé, Nick expresses his admiration for her and her song 'Drunk in Love.' There's a flashback to him singing to it out loud wearing headphones, followed by a flash forward to the present.
  Nick: We be all night... We be all night.
  • In season 5, Nick tells Winston that he's been shaving his body in preparation for sex with Reagan. He gestures to his body and says "I started from the bottom now I'm here" (from the Drake song), in reference to the progress he's made shaving.
• NewsRadio: Every year when the annual bonuses are delivered, Matthew gets no bonus, known around the station as "The Shaft". Naturally, the guys tease him by reciting lyrics from "Theme from Shaft".
  • Similarly, from the complaint box episode:
    Dave (reading card from the box): Uh, "Who's the black private dick, a sex machine to all the chicks"?
    Everyone: Shaft!
    Bill: I thought we'd get a kick out of that.
• An occasional joke on Not Going Out.
  Barbara: Listen. When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? Here's what she said to me.
  Lee: I'm guessing it was a no.
  • [in an episode in which Tim and Lee have just played a gig of very unrock songs]
    Lucy: I don't think the crowd liked the Elaine Paige and Barabra Dixon number much.
    Lee: Yeah... looking back I should have played it differently.
• On Not Only... But Also a spoof of A Man for All Seasons had a scene with Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon delivering dialogue consisting entirely of lyrics from popular songs of the day.
• Either Del or Rodney on Only Fools and Horses, trying to be inspiring: "You've got to have a dream. If you don't have a dream... how're you going to have a dream come true?" (The other one just gives him a look.)
  • Gordon Brittas gets the same line in The Brittas Empire.
• A Parks and Recreation Cold Open starts with Ron entering the office and announcing "Okay, here's the situation...", causing Leslie to break into (most of) the second verse of "Parents Just Don't Understand" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. The punchline is that Ron's news is that a Pawnee citizen accidentally set themselves on fire in the park and they need to be on the scene as soon as possible.
• In the Porridge remake episode "The Listener", Fletch is teasing Officer Driscoll about her fondness for Take That!, and Mr Meekie makes him apologise.
  Fletcher: Sorry, Miss Driscoll. Whatever I said, whatever I did...
  Other prisoners: He didn't mean it!
• In the short-lived Pepper Dennis, Pepper tries to advise a would-be Runaway Bride with the lyrics to D.H.T's "Listen To Your Heart".
• In the Pretty Little Liars episode "Over My Dead Body", a nearly carbon monoxide-poisoned Emily has a dream (or does she?) that she's having a conversation with the late Alison; when Emily asks who "A" is, Alison - taking a line from the show's signature tune, The Pierces' "Secrets" - tells her that "Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."
• In the Psych slasher-film pastiche episode Tuesday the 17th, Shawn walks into a room and sees the Victim of the Week Annie (who is, at the time, only considered "missing") silently sitting on the floor, facing away from him (in a pretty obvious set-up for the dead body variant of Chair Reveal, sans chair). The tension implied by the recognizable horror trope is enough that it's pretty easy to miss the fact that Shawn is reciting the first part of the bridge from "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson.
  "Annie? Are you okay? ... Are you okay?... Are you okay, Annie?"
• QI: In the Season L episode "Levity", they discuss lightning. Sue Perkins comments, "Well, we do know that thunderbolt and lightning are very very frightening."
• You wouldn’t think that a discussion about The Olympics Dressage competition would lead to this, but The BBC’s sports presenter, Sam Quek (Herself a former gold medalist in field hockey), managed to get one in after a segment on bronze medal winner Charlotte Dujardin, and her horse at Tokyo 2020/21. The dancing horse’s name was Gio, and the fact that the arena on which they performed on was sandy, led to Quek (with slightly edited lyrics) to start to sing the chorus of Rio.
• In The Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Eye of the Gorgon", when Maria's been captured by evil nuns, they warn her that if she causes any trouble, she'll learn how they solve a problem like Maria.
• Saturday Night Live: A "Wayne's World" sketch had Wayne and Garth giving a top 10 best and worst things about the 1992 Academy Awards. When they list The Silence of the Lambs winning Best Picture over JFK as one of their best picks, Wayne says "JFK, blown away? What else do I have to say?", and the two start singing "We Didn't Start The Fire" before getting back to the list.
• Scrubs:
  JD: Just tell her about it. Tell her everything you feel.
  Dr Cox: ...Should I give her every reason to accept that I'm for real?
  JD: First of all, no-one understands relationships like Billy Joel, okay? Uptown Girl got me through high school.
  • In another episode Turk starts quoting the "Safety Dance" when Carla asks how he would react if their child were to take up dance classes and be mocked by his friends for it. When she tells Elliot, Elliot chastises her for forgetting the time she told Turk the Commissar was in town.
  • Another classic Turk Moment:
    Dr Cox: Name a test, any test that you would use to check for Lupus.
    Turk: Lupus? ...Does she live on the second floor? Does she live upstairs from you? I think you have seen her before.
  • Later, JD consoled a woman whose husband was dying with the theme from The Facts of Life.
  • In another example of a song being disguised as a different type of song; at the Janitor's wedding in the final season, Ted sings a beautiful acoustic love song which turns out to be "Hey Ya".
• In the Selfie episode "With a Little Yelp From My Friends", Henry encourages Eliza to make friends with co-worker Joan, telling her to do her research. He unknowingly (probably, given his age) quotes a Biggie song, which Eliza enthusiastically finishes for him.
  Henry: Do your research. If you want to connect with Joan, find out what her interests are.
  Eliza: Who she be with?!
  • In "Imperfect Harmony", Freddy and Henry are talking about Eliza's attitude about relationships at a karaoke party and a freshly-dumped Freddy says "It's like the second she knows you care about, watch out boy. She'll chew you up. She's a maneater. [beat] I think I might do 'Maneater'."
• One episode of Skins has Freddie meeting with a guidance counselor who reveres Michael Jackson and gives lyrics from his songs as advice. Freddie catches on quickly enough; when asked what would Michael say about him, he suggests that he's "Bad" and should "Beat It". (Michael would actually tell him that he's "Gotta Be Startin' Somethin'" - not quite a Michael Jackson song (that was "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"), but close enough.) When Freddie visits him again; he turns, stares at the Thriller cover for inspiration… and gets nothing. The guidance counselor is played by Will Young, who sung one of the greatest Michael Jackson songs ever that wasn't actually a Michael Jackson song ("Your Game").
• Happens in one episode of The Smoking Room, after Annie storms out upset then returns later for a smoke:
  Sally: Annie, are you okay?
  Lillian: Are you okay?
  Robin: Are you okay, Annie?
  Lillian: Annie, are you okay?
  Sally: You okay?
  Len: You okay, Annie?
• Spaced:
  • In the famous Paintball Episode.
    Duane:: You can't help who you fall in love with. Cause when you get that feeling...
    Mike:: It's like sexual healing.
  • Also, when Daisy and Tim begin having an argument through cliches about the wisdom of Tim getting back with his girlfriend:
    Tim: I can read her like a book.
    Daisy: Never judge a book by its cover.
    Tim: He who dares, wins.
    Daisy: Look before you leap.
    Tim: Do you believe in life after love?
    Daisy: [dismissive] That's a song.
    Tim: Shit.
• Happens occasionally on Spicks and Specks. In one memorable example, Darlene Love started telling a story about the time she almost had sex with Tom Jones. Reginald D. Hunter chimed in "From what I hear, that's not unusual."
• The 2009 series of BBC documentary Springwatch was home to a bizarre series of these. Chris Packham had taken out a bet with a friend that he could slip the name of a Smiths song into every episode. The last episode featured Kate Humble reporting that Bill Oddie had called to congratulate him on this feat, to which Chris deadpans to camera, "William, it was really nothing."
• In The Stand, Randall Flagg introduces himself, "Pleased to meet you, Lloyd. Hope you guess my name," to indicate that he is more or less the devil.
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:
  • Quark, talking about the recent Federation/Klingon War, says, "War? What is it good for? You ask me, absolutely nothing."
  • In the episode "In the Cards", Jake and Nog had been collecting several things, including Dr. Bashir's teddy bear, for the senior staff in exchange for items they were giving to a man named Dr. Geiger. At one point Jake suspects that Kai Winn is up to something and plans to confront her about it, introducing Nog to the expression "beard the lion in its den." This leads to the following exchange:
    Nog: Lions and Geigers and bears...
    Jake: Oh, my.
• Storage Wars has Barry quote The Who at one point when describing a locker. This is pretty in-character for him, so no one else comments on it.
• Supernatural:
  • In the episode "Jus in Bello", Henriksen realizes he's been possessed and comments "I shot the sheriff." Dean, smiling, says back "But you didn't shoot the deputy." Sam promptly shoots him an unamused Death Glare.
  • When Sam comes up with a plan to let Lucifer possess him so he can take control and send Lucifer back to his cage in hell, Lucifer reveals he knew exactly what they were planning, but dares Sam to try it with a Shout-Out to his own role in the famous Charlie Daniels song.
    Lucifer: Come on Sam. A fiddle of gold against your soul says I'm better than you.
  • In "No Rest for the Wicked," Ruby says "Hit me with your best shot, baby."
  • And when Dean's being-Death-for-a-day, everyone he collects says something like 'But what does it all mean?' At first he angsts about it, but after a while he gives up.
    Heart Attack Guy: But what does it all mean?
    Dean: ...Everything is dust in the wind.
    (pause)
    Heart Attack Guy: That's it? That's all you got? A Kansas song?
• In the third season of the Australian Thank God You're Here, Shaun Micallef, responding to the question "Have you ever been to London?" replies "I've been to London, I've been to Birmingham, I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me."
• The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon:
  • The Saved by the Bell reunion has Zack quote the lyrics of Bells theme song.
    Jimmy: How's it going, Zack?
    Zack: Typical day. I woke up in the morning, the alarm gave out a warning, I didn't think I'd ever it on time. By the time I grab my books and I gave myself a look, I was at the corner just in time to see the bus fly by.
    Jimmy: It's...all...right.
  • Later, Jimmy would thank "the upcoming Rocky movie Creed for being a sequel I plan to welcome WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN, UNDER THE SUNLIGHT...". (he breaks into it thrice - all times closing with a Pearl Jam lyric...)
• Veronica Mars:
  • On the first season episode "Meet John Smith", when Logan thinks Duncan is acting weird, he says to him, "Okay, nowhere man, you be the fool on the hill".
  • In "Lord of the Bling", Veronica explains her connection to a missing teenager with the words "We used to be friends...a long time ago." Immediately afterwards, the theme song starts playing - the opening line? "A long time ago, we used to be friends…" Also, in the second season episode "The Rapes of Graff", Veronica claims she once shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.
    • In iZombie, when Peyton returns, Liv introduces her with the same "We used to be friends" line. ^note Both shows were produced by Rob Thomas
• Appears in The Vicar of Dibley when Owen reveals to Geraldine that he's never been kissed.
  Owen: [utterly straight-faced] The sun is up, the sky is blue, there's not a cloud to spoil the view but it's raining, raining in my heart.
• Weird Science had an episode where Lisa the genie fell in love with one of the guys and became a Clingy Jealous Girl. He tells her "When you love someone, set them free", which causes Lisa to start deleting herself. Instantly his friend interrupts, saying "Don't listen to him! He's an idiot spouting bad song lyrics!"
• A round on Whose Line Is It Anyway? involves the participants holding a conversation purely in song titles.
  Ryan: Oklahoma.
  Colin: Theme From Titanic.
• Many an episode of Win Ben Stein's Money begins with Ben reciting lyrics in his classic monotone voice, before explaining the premise of the show. An example follows:
  Ben: Come gather 'round people, wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown, and also admit that I'm putting five thousand dollars of my money on the line!
• On the third season of The Wire, as Herc and Carver prepare to chase down some low-level drug dealers, Herc puts on the theme from Shaft on his car stereo.
  Herc: He's a complicated man, and the only one who understands him is his woman.
  Carver: Seek therapy.
• One episode of WKRP in Cincinnati has Herb recruiting staffers to sing a jingle for a funeral home client.
  Herb: Bailey...sing something.
  Bailey: Oh, I can't sing.
  Herb: Everyone can sing.
  Venus: Go on Bailey, sing. Sing a song.
  Les: Sing out loud, sing out strong.
  Herb: Sing of good things, not---
  Venus: (Cutting him off) Herb!
• In the episode "To Kill a Chupacabraj", of Workaholics Ders addresses the people waiting in small-claims court, initially mistaking them for the jury.
  Ders: I have but one word: justice. Just-us. It's just us on this planet, Earth. We're alone, so we need to trust each other. Trust us. Rhymes, so you know that its real. Which brings me to the question, are we human, or are we dancers?"
• On an episode of Yes, Dear, Jimmy and Christine are trying to write poems for each other. After several minutes of struggling, Jimmy starts reading his poem, only to find out that he accidentally wrote down lyrics to Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer". As it turns out, Christine wrote the exact same thing.

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