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openComposer-Preferred Key Music
Do we have a trope for when a composer writes most of their songs in the same musical key? Does that sound tropeworthy?
openSelf-Cover Music
This is when a musical artist covers themselves, usually to revise an old song.
For example, “21st Century Digital Boy” by Bad Religion was originally on “Against The Grain,” but was rereleased and re-recorded in “Stranger Than Fiction”, to better fanfare.
Same thing with “Welcome to Paradise” by Green Day and “The Carpet Crawlers” by Genesis.
openCategorizing an album recorded in two different languages Music
First off, shoutout to Macsen for making the page for Boyz II Men's II album.
So, when Boyz II Men released II in 1994, they simultaneously released a Spanish-language version called II: Yo Te Voy a Amar. Would that fall under Translated Cover Version, or Familiar Soundtrack, Foreign Lyrics?
openCovers that interpolate/sample a piece of video game music Music
Basically what I'm talking about are covers of songs that are made to promote one part of a video game franchise (although I guess other media could have it too) that also feature pieces of that franchise's music. The examples that come to mind:
- Florence + the Machine covering "Stand By Me" for Final Fantasy XV that interpolates the series' Crystal Theme
- Post Malone covering "Only Wanna Be With You" for the Pokémon 25th anniversary concert that also samples the Ecruteak/Cianwood City theme from Pokémon Gold and Silver
openDon't Let Me Down Music
All I remember of a song are the repeated lyrics "Don't let me down", but it's not the one by The Beatles or the Chainsmokers.
At one point it get all synth-pop ish and it sounds like "Don't let me down, royce"
openGeneric mainstream song composition trope Music
Is there a page about most mainstream songs follow roughly the same basic pattern of:
1st verse
chorus
2nd verse
chorus
alternate 3rd verse
chorus
This trope is followed in the mainstream music industry almost completely while being nearly totally averted with dedicated soundtracknote be it film or videogame one and indie/underground music.
Edited by sohibilopenCar sounds as song intro Music
As heard in Kraftwerk's "Autobahn," Sturgill Simpson's "Ronin," Tuco's "Hide Away," and probably several others: they all start with the sound of footsteps, then a car door opening and closing, the engine starting, and the car driving away. Crue's "Kick Start My Heart" doesn't really count as it's just Mick imitating the sound of a motorcycle.
openOdd/dark/spooky song/track in otherwise mostly upbeat album. Music
You're listening to an album/soundtrack of mostly upbeat or at least generally positive sounding songs and the next track suddenly takes a turn for the darker side.
To put it bluntly musical version of something between Mood Whiplash and Cerebus Syndrome. Surprise Creepy is optional.
I already went over some tropes but none of them match what I'm looking for. I went over: Dark Reprise Descent into Darkness Song Last Note Nightmare Soundtrack Dissonance
Edited by sohibilopenSinging the music? Music
I don't know if this is common enough to be trope-worthy, but. .
Singing the music in a song as if it was part of the lyrics. For example:
Reaching out/ Touching me / Touching you.. / Sweet Caroline (BA BA BA)
Edited by MenaceofMysterioopen"Time Flies" Song Music
A song, typically a sad one, about how time passes quickly. May also come with a "life is short" message. Do we have this?
EDIT: Also, do we have any tropes for a general "time flies, life is short" message? I checked the Time folder on Stock Aesops, but the only trope there is Like You Were Dying, which is related, but not quite what I'm looking for.
Edited by DrNoPumaopentrope for songs with lyrics that contrast with the music itself? Music
"knife" and "two weeks" by grizzly bear are big examples of this although they're about lying straight to peoples' faces and the breakdown of a relationship respectively they still sound "romantic"
openAverage American Accent in the Arts Music
Is there a trope for the phenomenon in music that everybody has an American accent when singing? Dutch, Finnish, British, French, plenty of singers have an accent (thick or otherwise) when speaking that completely disappears in performance. I've mostly noticed this with the Finnish bands (predominantly Nightwish) I listen to, but I feel like it happens everywhere.
openRepetitive and frenetic moments. Music
Mostly happens on high BPM songs, such as hardstyle or techno. Basically, it revolves around one part of the song suddenly becoming frenetic with some instruments being repeated over and over to cause a sense of fast-paced action-like soundtrack.
Examples: -Extravaganza by Banya, where they literally sampled Daft Punk's "Burnin'", sped it up, and added sound effects in the background. 0:25 and 1:25.
-"SIN -THE LAST SCENE-" Harmonic opera-like singing suddenly replaced with high-speed beats and sound effects around 1:40-1:50.
Edited by DazuiopenHip hop skits? Music
Is there a trope about "skits" being used in Hip-Hop music? Many albums in the Hip-Hop genre intersperse their songs with little "skits," which are (usually) spoken-word and fit in with the theme of whatever album they are on. 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul, Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A., and The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem are among the albums that use them. Do we have a trope for that?
openBut/Butt Music
It’s usually a lyric trope but it can show up elsewhere too. The melody places the word “but” in a position where it sounds like “butt.”
For example, the Bob Seeger classic “I do respect her but... I love to watch her strut.” The novelty song, “She’s got freckles on her BUT she’s nice.”
And by weird coincidence I’m currently watching an old Match Game rerun, and even while I was typing this, Charles Nelson Reilly just did it. He was asked to complete “Pain ___.” He responded, “Well, I was going to say pain in the but I changed it to pain pills.”
What is this trope?
Edited by BradyLadyopenSinging the instrumental parts of a song Music
Do we have a trope for when people sing not only the "voice parts" aka the lyrics, but also the instrumental parts of a song?
EXAMPLES: Think a load of Neil Diamond fans singing along at one of his concerts:
"Sweet Caroline, Ba ba baa, Good times never seemed so good..."
Or a load of Welsh rugby fans on a high after Wales has won the match:
"I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window, La la-la laa la-la, I saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind"... through to: "My my my Delilah, (insert correct number of la's and laa's here) Why why why Delilah"...
Edited by wossnimopenTechnical limitations turn into staple of genre or a classic Music
I'm not sure this is going to have a trope, but let's try:
During the 80s, we've got the explosion of synthesisers and MIDI format. For various reasons, music that got present in late 80s/early 90s video games heavily utilised MIDI, because there was literally all they could use with given file sizes and memory capacity, rather than the intention being to make it like that. The notes for each piece can be easily put on any given instrument, or even orchiestrated. Years later, audience consider the original MIDI formatting to be some sort of staple or desired intention of how the music was "supposed" to sound, rather than the technical limitation.
Any trope to cover this? Yes, I know Fan Dumb exists, but that's not what I'm asking, plus that's a flame bait trope.
open Dramatic incremental musical parts Music
What I'm thinking about is when a song builds tension, usually at the beginning or the end, by having the individual instruments come in one at a time to layer parts. Examples are the intros of The Smashing Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock
" and Ghost's "Spirit
" (at around the 0:33 mark), and the outro of Nine Inch Nails' "Came Back Haunted
" (pick it up around 3:40).

The only example I can think offhand is "Tosh" by the band Fluke, where every line has the word "super" in some form (E.G "Super grass for gain/ Super power-games/Super-secret spy/Undersupervised), and its clearly Played for Laughs