Kion: If we do what you suggest
We'd be evil and cruel
Using force and threat
That is no way to rule.
Zira: But if we're joined together
We will never fall
Yes, lions must rule forever
Lions over all!
We'd be evil and cruel
Using force and threat
That is no way to rule.
Zira: But if we're joined together
We will never fall
Yes, lions must rule forever
Lions over all!
—"Lions Over All", The Lion Guard
When writing a song with a dark tone, sometimes it's gloomy all the way through. But other times, there is a segment somewhere in the middle that is lighter, often with a bittersweet, wistful tone. Even the instrumentation may change wildly for a brief moment. This segment is usually the bridge. After this bridge, the song resumes its usual, dark tone, though in some cases it may get even more intense than before. It's like a musical Hope Spot that gets quickly crushed.
Frequently, this trope takes a specific form: A segment in a Villain Song where the hero criticizes the villain's philosophy. Or sometimes, in a solo villain song, the villain might even briefly question their own motives. The villain will either snap back at the hero or completely ignore the hero/the villain's own doubts, and then the music picks back up as the villain continues singing about their own twisted worldview. However, Tropes Are Flexible, and this trope doesn't necessarily always have to take this specific form.
Compare Hero vs. Villain Duet, Descent into Darkness Song, Hope Spot, Mood Whiplash, and Shut Up, Hannibal!. See also Surprisingly Gentle Song.
Examples:
open/close all folders
Film — Animated
- Barbie as the Island Princess: Queen Ariana sings "Love is For Peasants", a dark, orchestral number in which she extols her belief in marrying for wealth and appearances rather than true love. After the first verse, Luciana sings a gentle segment about how she believes in true love. Ariana rebukes her and tells her to leave, then spends the rest of the song singing about her backstory and plans to herself.
- Encanto:
- "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is a very foreboding song, painting Bruno as a sinister figure who brings misfortune upon others and revels in doing so, outlining his various predictions. Golden child Isabela is the only one whose prediction isn't negative, and the music briefly turns much more gentle and serene as she sings about it, before snapping back once it's Dolores's turn.
Hey! Grew to live in fear of Bruno stuttering or stumbling
I could always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling
I associate him with the sound of falling sand, ch-ch-ch
It's a heavy lift, with a gift so humbling
Always left Abuela and the family fumbling
Grappling with prophecies they couldn't understand
Do you understand? - Luisa's "Surface Pressure" is a rough song all about her insecurities. With her powers under threat with the fading magic, she feels she'll lose her purpose if she loses her powers, while lamenting the pressure she is put under because of them. But the song turns lighter, from rock to soft piano music, when Luisa wonders what it would be like if she could just relax without any external pressure. This brief tonal change doesn't last however, as she believes this could never happen.
- "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is a very foreboding song, painting Bruno as a sinister figure who brings misfortune upon others and revels in doing so, outlining his various predictions. Golden child Isabela is the only one whose prediction isn't negative, and the music briefly turns much more gentle and serene as she sings about it, before snapping back once it's Dolores's turn.
- The Loud House Movie: "The Duchess I Will Be" is about Morag deciding to drive the Loud family (specifically Lincoln) out of Loch Loud and become duchess in their place. The bridge has Morag question her motives and consider leaving the family be, only to refuse to back down as the song comes to a close.
- My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Legend of Everfree: The villain song "We Will Stand for Everfree" is mostly bold and intimidating. However, there's a brief section where the song gets considerably softer, with the villain telling the heroes to not be afraid and that what they're doing is for everyone's own good. Afterwards, the song goes back into a darker tone.
- The Princess and the Pea: "That's What it Takes to Rule" is Laird's song about how kings should value their own wealth above all else. Rollo gets two segments where he sings about how a true king should care about his subjects, not just himself. Both times, Laird tries to convince Rollo otherwise, but when he realizes that Rollo won't change his mind, Laird gets furious.
- Trolls (2016): Inverted in the cheery "Get Back Up Again", where Poppy briefly doubts her ability to carry out her mission. However, she refuses to think that way and finishes the song determined and hopeful.
Film — Live-Action
- The Muppet Christmas Carol: The introductory song, "Scrooge", describes Scrooge as a cruel, coldhearted, miser, all in a dark and heavy tone. Then a group of choir singers suggest that he may actually be Sour Outside, Sad Inside, in a lighter tone until they decide "Nah".
- John Williams composed The Imperial March for the Star Wars franchise as the leitmotif of The Empire, and Darth Vader in particular. Befitting a military march, it begins with ominous, booming bassoons and blaring brass, but cuts to a bridge with delicate flutes and softer woodwinds, reflecting the time when the Republic was at peace (mostly) and only had a few minor squabbles. During the bridge, the march begins, quietly at first, but building steadily, until it eclipses the Republic theme, and switches to the merciless, warhawk Imperial march for the conclusion.
- West Side Story (1961) has Tony and Maria's parts of the Quintet, where they sing about there love, contrasted with the Jets and Sharks singing about the coming Rumble.
Music
- CG5: "Every Door" is a very ominous number that alternates between a Fear Song and Villain Song as a child is chased relentlessly by Baldi. However, there is one segment where the protagonist remembers how school wasn't so stressful when he was in preschool. The eerie, electronic instruments are replaced with a beautiful solo piano. However, the protagonist is forced to focus on reality again as Baldi gets closer and closer.
- The Chalkeaters: "It Just Works" is a big band number parodically depicting Todd Howard as a shady, greedy businessman. Midway through the song, his audience gets a solemn choir segment about how they just want him to make good games. Todd shuts them down and continues singing about how his way "just works".
- Inverted in TheFatRat's "Monody" featuring Laura Brehm. Most of the song is an upbeat instrumental EDM section, but Laura's sole verse has almost no instruments at all and its lyrics talk about the death of a loved one and the shared memories the singer has with them.
- Played for Laughs in Ice Nine Kills' "Hip to Be Scared". Most of the song is a dark, gritty metalcore song sung from the point of view of the titular Serial Killer Villain Protagonist of American Psycho, but the bridge suddenly switches to an '80s Synth-Pop sound homaging Huey Lewis and the News while the lyrics parody a famous scene from the movie where one of that band's songs plays a key role.
- Imaginos II: Bombs Over Germany has "Half-Life Time", a song about a revolution fulfilled with nuclear holocaust, which features a pleasant-sounding Subdued Section in the middle. This being that kind of album, whether the lyrics avert this or play this straight is largely up to interpretation.
"Easter Sunday, St. John's night
The messenger sleeps between us tonight
If he wakes before the dawn, the message will not be wrong
If he wakes after light, the message will not be right
One for the loved one, one for the light
One for the husband and one for the wife" - Michael Jackson's "Morphine" is a harsh industrial rock track describing his addiction to the titular drug during the late '90s, and its effects on him in unflinching detail. During the song's bridge, the industrial beat cuts out and switches to a gentle piano and string orchestra, where Jackson solemnly talks about how he got addicted and how it strained his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, before the industrial track slams back in.
- Miracle Musical's Murders is a frantic and disjointed song characterized by a droning and heavy piano, with mind-screwy lyrics invoking heavy themes of confusion and loss, and possibly The Fair Folk, but right after the second chorus, there is a harp segment invoking slightly lighter imagery before resuming the oppressive tone:
I was in the clearing
Buzzing around to hearing but the
Bees and birds who knew the words
Soon arrived the twilight
Finally the night and day remembered
How they came to be - This happens in the song "The Falconer" on Nico's second studio album "Desertshore". The song's verses have Nico sing cryptic lyrics about The "Falconer" using his magic to open some sorts of cages, in an extremely dramatic voice, accompanied by foreboding harmonica drones and a heavy and dark piano. During the bridge, the harmonicas smoothly transition and start playing a more hopeful chord as a very cheerful piano melody fades in and becomes the main focus, all while Nico sings a bittersweet melody about her family memories, only for the song to abruptly turn dark again after.
- Queen's epic "The Show Must Go On" (recorded as Freddie Mercury was nearing the end of his life) shifts from the pulsating rhythms, minor tonalities, and foreboding lyrics that dominate most of the song to the sweeping, major key, "my soul is painted like the wings of butterflies" for the bridge.
- Tenacious D's song "The Metal", is about the titular genre and its violent destruction of its enemies. Naturally, it goes as hard as its genre. After Jack Black screams some "ahs", the song mellows into a lament from the perspective of "the vanquished souls of The Metal".
- Voltaire: "When You're Evil" features a Card-Carrying Villain singing about how he enjoys being evil and causing people misery. However, near the end of the song, there is a somber segment where the singer laments about how nobody loves him because he's evil... but then the song picks back up as he gleefully admits that he lied, and he doesn't really want anything but to make people cry.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Nature Trail to Hell" is one long audio trailer for a same-titled horror movie note . Briefly the song lightens as Weird Al encourages the listener to "bring the kids along", because "it's good clean family fun!"
Theater
- Carrie: "The World According to Chris" centers around Chris and Billy's cruel and cutthroat view of the world, explaining why they think it's okay to bully people like Carrie White. Sue and Tommy get a bridge verse where Sue expresses her guilt over what they all did to Carrie, and Tommy convinces her to apologize. This Hope Spot interestingly makes things worse in the long run, since Sue later asks Tommy to take Carrie to prom as her way of apologizing, inadvertently setting the show's tragic ending into motion.
- "Dead Girl Walking" from Heathers: The Musical is an angry, raunchy song about Veronica deciding to screw J.D.'s brains out before the Heathers destroy her life, with it not being entirely clear that she cares whether or not J.D. consents to this. After two verses of her explaining how she's going to ride him till his dick breaks off, she stops to deliver a tender bridge assuring him that she picked him because he's beautiful and because she thought this would be a pleasant experience for him, after which he's somewhat more enthusiastic about the whole thing.
- Little Shop of Horrors: "Feed Me (Get it)". In the verses, Audrey II sings about how Seymour will be famous if he feeds her blood, and in the bridge, Seymour wails about whether or not it's the right thing to do. After the bridge, Seymour sings with the plant, becoming convinced that it's not wrong to kill an Asshole Victim.
- Rudolf: Eduard Taafe sings "Master of the Strings", which is about how he can manipulate everyone in Austria, from its leadership to the common people, and both sides of the political spectrum. There is a quiet bridge section where Taafe muses on how he has to be careful with his "discreet diplomacy", or else "the strings will tangle". It almost sounds as if he has some anxieties or doubts, but he doesn't dwell on them for long, because immediately afterwards, the music gets louder as he gloats about his intelligence.
- Turnabout Musical: "Redd White and You" is Redd White's glitzy big band number about how great and respected he is. Phoenix sings a melancholy segment, accompanied by only a solo clarinet, in which he reveals that he knows about Redd's corruption, and he intends to bring Redd down. The music returns to the big band style, but the lyrics become darker as Redd gloats about his power and how Phoenix can't possibly stop him.
Video Games
- Guilty Gear -STRIVE-:
- Faust's theme, "Alone Infection", follows this pattern, being a somewhat creepy and hard-hitting song about Faust's past and descent into madness, but the bridge becomes a much softer and positive-sounding, reflecting his acceptance of his past and his desire to move forward, helping others.
- Zato's theme, "Let Me Carve Your Way", is a discordant and intense black metal song describing Zato's life of bloodshed as an assassin up to his first death and resurrection. However, from the final bridge onwards, the song makes a serious tonal shift into a bittersweet ballad about how Zato has lost his memories and emotions, how he wishes he could have them back so he could understand why he came to love Millia Rage like he does, and how nothing can change his love for her and desire to make her happy.
- Happy Chaos's theme, "Drift", is an eclectic and discordant blend of freeform jazz, speed metal, and arena rock befitting his status as an insane god-like figure causing trouble for the sake of it. Meanwhile, its bridge (often memetically referred to by fans as "The Disney Princess bit") takes on an uplifting and bombastic nature, diving into Chaos's nature as a man who finds the meaninglessness of life a reason to love it, and how he believes overcoming adversity is what brings out the best in mankind.
- Sonic Forces: "Infinite" is a rare example of this trope in a solo villain song. The song is a heavy-hitting dubstep/metal fusion. However, before the final chorus, the pre-chorus section is reprised in a much softer, reflective tone than before.
- Undertale: "Your Best Nightmare" is a harrowing, overbearing song, broken up by short segments of calm. Each of these segments represent the souls fighting back against Flowey, helping to make the otherwise incredibly difficult boss fight easier for a few minutes at a time.
- WarioWare: "Ashley's Song" is about how mean and scary Ashley is, but the bridge shifts to a gentler tone where Ashley wishes she could be friends with the player, but if they refuse, then she says they're "toast".
Web Animation
- Inanimate Insanity: "Taco's Tirade" is a song featured in "Truth or Flare". This song is about Taco's true feelings as she deals with the consequences from her action in Journey "Through Memory Lane (Part 2)" & "Hatching the Plan", which cost her all of her friendships & turn her into an outcast from the other contestants, that's causing her to sabotage the game to as she believes she's incapable of changing. Whilst MePad desperately tries to persuade her to regenerate and start over.
Taco:
Its too late-
MePad:
It's not too late,
Taco:
For me to restart!
But it's not I, its they
(Let us talk about it when your),
Who deign to play this game, so
(head is not so clouded. You're no),
Cruel and inhumane, base and uncouth
(menace, Taco, how did they hurt you?)
(Please think this through)
I think they're too afraid to,
(Feeling double-crossed is part of),
Bear the bed they've made
(Dealing with a loss, yes, but the),
Can't bring themselves to face the awful truth
(Healing is a process, that's the truth)
Western Animation
- Family Guy: In "Road to the North Pole", on Christmas Eve, Brian takes Stewie to the mall, only to get a rude brush-off from the Santa who works there. Stewie vows to kill Santa and forces Brian to take him to the North Pole. They make it to Santa's workshop, only to find the place to be a gloomy factory in a polluted, lifeless wasteland, and Santa is a sickly, exhausted and depressed old man, because he and his elves had to keep up with the increasing gift demand year after year. To which they sing a song about the hardships of working every day until Christmas Eve, "Christmas Time Is Killing Us". So during the song, Stewie tries to cheer him up, and value how he helped the world.
Stewie:
But can't you see that what you do
Is a dream come true?
Can't you see that every smile
Makes it all worthwhile?
Santa:
No, screw you! It's all but through,
There's too much to do.
All those dreams are nightmares
And blank, icy stares! - The Lion Guard: Zira's song "Lions Over All" is about how lions should be allowed to oppress other animals. Kion sings a brief, melancholic segment about how oppression is wrong and makes for a terrible leader. Zira fights back by repeating her earlier point that lions are unbeatable when they join forces, although Kion does a Counterpoint Duet with her in the last chorus, still trying to change her mind.
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Inverted with "The Smile Song", which is a cheery song about how Pinkie Pie loves making others smile, but the bridge has brief, melancholic lines that segue back into the song's optimism.
It's true some days are dark and lonely
And maybe you feel sad
But Pinkie will be there to show you it isn't that bad - Total Drama World Tour: In "Awwwwww, Drumheller", as Heather and Alejandro made it to the final four of the game, Heather gets trapped in a hole by a boulder. Whereas Alejandro sings a song "This Is How We Will End It", about how he will win this rivalry, so Heather tries to convince him to help her out.
Heather: Ooooooh!
Shouldn't have mocked you for having to dig.
Help me out, and I'll be your human drill-rig.
Alejandro:
You think I'm gonna fall for that?!
Ain't a tea party... it's combat!- As pleading to him wasn't gonna work, she calls him out how unfair it would be to win this way.
Heather: Ooooooh!
I'm wedged in a hole! This isn't right!
If I'm goin' down, make a fair fight!
It's beneath you-ou, to abandon a girl in a ditch!
Offer me my dignity; I haven't got a stiiiiiiiitch!
Please, Alejandro. You and I have been the greatest adversaries this game has ever seen!
Is this how you wanna win it — because I got jammed into a pit by a stupid rock?
Is that the victory you want!?
- As pleading to him wasn't gonna work, she calls him out how unfair it would be to win this way.