Last-Note Nightmare: Difference between revisions

(Music geeks might be interested to [[Incredibly Lame Pun|note]] that there is an opposite technique, the "Picardy third," or "Tierce de Picardie" in which when a song that has been in minor the whole time goes into major on the very last chord.)

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* [[Madonna]]'s "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A1UjzeMRgw Act of Contrition]." While the whole song is pretty ominous, the last four seconds will make you jump out of your seat.

* Another: [[Michael Jackson]]'s "Another Part of Me" begins with an [[Ominous Pipe Organ]] note, but becomes a normal MJ song after that.

* The radio edit of "Head Over Heels" by [[Tears for Fears]] differs from the album version in that it does not [[Fading Into the Next Song|fade into the next song]], "Broken (Live)". This makes Roland Orzabal's final wail of '''"TIIIIIIIME FLIIIIIIIIIIIES!!!"''', which already had little to do with the rest of the song, ''much'' more unsettling and out of nowhere.

 

* [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]] were fond of this trope. "Strawberry Fields Forever" has a particularly disturbing last final seconds with quivering flutes and a slowed-down voice reciting either "cranberry sauce" or [[Mondegreen|"I buried Paul,"]] depending on where you stand on the "Paul Is Dead" [[Epileptic Trees|debate]].

** Upon hearing it on take 7 of the song (from volume 2 of ''Anthology''), John says "I'm very bored" twice.

* "November Rain" from [[Guns N' Roses]] has one of these, and it's also made worse by the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SbUC-UaAxE&ob=av3e music video], but in more of a [[Tear Jerker]] way then a scary way.

 

* [[Iron Maiden]]'s epic "Phantom of the Opera" comes to what seems to be a normal end...then after about 10 seconds of silence, the singer comes in shouting the final lyric of the song one more time. Startling, to say the least.

* The last second of [[Slipknot]]'s "Disasterpiece". The song ends with the sound of a telephone receiver being hooked up...which implies that Corey Taylor had spent the last five minutes screaming the lyrics down the phone line. It's either oddly hilarious, rather creepy, or the crowning moment of [[Narm]]. [[Your Mileage May Vary]].

 

 

* "Pink Flag" by the late-70s punk/post-punk group Wire actually has two Last Note Nightmares. After about three minutes of a song that's already a bit morose, the band erupts into a painful minute-long cacophony highlighted by repeated screams of "How many?" Then, just when you think it's over, there's one more stinger.

** Wire were big fans of this trope early on. The first song on the album ''Pink Flag'' ([[Captain Obvious|of which the above is]] [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|title track]]), "Reuters", ends with a lengthy coda involving the whole band chanting "RAPE!"

 

 

* The track [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqvwxvCOSH4 "the Eve of the War"] in Jeff Waynes War of the Worlds is a pretty upbeat (and very bombastic) song about the martian invaders coming, that ends with a sound that could be a martian beacon or radar along with a pumping heart.

* The 30-minute piece "Bayreuth Return" from Klaus Schulze's ''Timewind'' album speeds up slightly for the final few minutes, then finally, an explosion abruptly ends the piece.

 

 

* The last five notes of Romeo Miller's "Romeoland". If anyone could find the video...

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAjyce9thMk "Word Of Mouth"] by John Reuben ends with about 15 seconds of the narrator asking, in a whiny voice, if the listener will please like him.

 

 

* [[Marvin Gaye]]'s "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" ends with a long instrumental section concluding with a haunting chorus, a dissonant horn, and some drumming. At least one station actually cuts it short.

* "Russian Roulette" by [[Rihanna]] ends with the sound of a loud gunshot. Not creepy, though, just annoying as all heck.

 

 

* Pick up any jazz CD, and you're likely to find at least one track that ends with a long solo riff over sustained chord that's way more dissonant than the rest of the song.

 

 

* The last minute or so of ''Kono Daremo Inai Heya De" by Gackt is something resembling a spectral chorus singing "Hey, Jude"; he fade-out is a harsh violin crescendo.

** "Longing" plays with this. The verses are distorted and end on nightmarish notes, and the bridge changes melodies entirely, giving way to [[Ominous Pipe Organ]], more distorted screams from Gackt, a woman screaming in terror...and then it goes right back to normal.

 

 

* Alice Human Sacrifice ends on a very creepy chord.

* Black/White ward ends with the loud beeping sound of a heart monitor

 

 

* Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder and Lead" tells the story of an abused wife waiting in ambush with a shotgun for her husband, who is freshly out on bail. The song seems to trail off normally, only to be punctuated by a shotgun blast, followed by the metallic ring of an ejected shell hitting the ground. Somehow the merry little "ting!" of the shell just makes it worse.

* The Pete Seeger anti-nuclear song "Odds on Favorite" is creepy to start with, talking about how God designed a universe with built-in obsolescence, then gets more cheerful--for a while.

* "Bowl of Oranges" by Bright Eyes is very much a [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] until you get to the sinister instrumentals at the end of the track.

 

* The last three bars of Mozart's "A Musical Joke" are in a polytonal jumble of five different keys.

* Haydn's [[wikipedia:Surprise symphony|Surprise Symphony]] has a nice peaceful melody, but is then rudely interrupted by loud, accented notes. Haydn did it to wake up slumbering members of the audience. He was known as a prankster, and this is one of the many jokes in his pieces.

 

 

* [[The Residents]]' song "Elvis and His Boss" begins to end with a slide guitar/kazoo solo, back up by what's either a trombone or a Minimoog. Then the instruments become uncontrollably pitched and distorted, up to the point that the entire song sounds more like TV snow.

* The [[Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band]] number "Slush" is a variant on this. Another gentle instrumental, it is interrupted about halfway through by a manic laugh. This laugh then repeats at precise intervals for the rest of the tune to the fade-out, and beyond...and beyond...and BEYOND. Genuinely un-nerving.

* [[William Shatner]] yelling "Mister Tambourine MAAAAAAAAAAAN" at the end of his cover of that song.

 

 

* Early commercials for Verizon's Android offerings started with [[Mo Zella]]'s upbeat, "It's Magic" to parody iPhone commercials, switching midway to a much darker theme, to establish Droid as more serious operating system.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mbS-CdNm4c&feature=related The Nissan Juke commercials] use [[Frederika Stahl]]'s [[Covered Up|cover]] of a [[Nursery Rhyme]], namely ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXZrqCZP8o4&feature=related Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.]'' Said cover begins with a melancholy wail, but that alone is not nightmarish (and therefore not even one of the cases of "First note Nightmare"). However, some versions of the commercials [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNSnve_nG1k use such an opening as their] ''ending'', thus not only coming off as mildly scary, but also just plain ''[[Tear Jerker|sad]]''.

 

 

* ''[[.hack|.hack//Legend]]'' plays background music normally and then as the Corrupted Mook is about to be summoned from the Chaos Gate, the music begins to slip.

* In ''[[Soul Eater]]'', the soundtrack 'So Scandalous' has a creepy piano playing in between the techno/hip pop/jazz number.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VbCm3iTHbU&feature=channel_video_title This song] is inspired by [[School Days]]. I mean, the song is entitled "Nice Boat." Watch till the ending and be spooked.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZNvLf4kDh8 Misa's song] from [[Death Note]]. It starts out [[Paranoia Fuel|slightly]] creepy, then evolves into a [[Heartwarming Moments|very heart warming song]], only at the end, the piano begins playing [[Last-Note Nightmare|a goosebump inducing minor chord]]. The lyrics also hint at {{spoiler|Misa's suicide at the end of the series}}.

 

 

* ''[[Alien (franchise)|Alien³]]'' had the standard 20th Century Fox fanfare, right up until the final bar. Instead of finishing the triumphant ditty, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLbYqYnmXL8 it hangs and turns into something quite the opposite].

** Repeated with ''[[Alien vs. Predator]] Requiem''.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cdi_bKjg1U Anakin's Theme] is sweet, soft and innocent except in the last part which [[Foreshadowing|we hear the notes of the Imperial March]].

* In ''[[Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory]]'', one of the many variations of "Pure Imagination" plays as the boat starts down the chocolate river, then when it enters the psychedelic tunnel, the music appropriately turns ominous.

* A milder, but still significant example: At the end of ''[[West Side Story]]'', there is a touching reprise of the song "Somewhere," but just as the scene is ending and the music is calming down, dissonant, deep chords start playing in the background...

* The soundtrack to ''[[The Wicker Man]]'' is a great find as it includes all the Celtic folk songs featured in the movie, including the classic round "Sumer Is Icumen In," which is sung by the townsfolk at the film's climax. It takes a turn for the horror however when that track on the album ends with Sargent Howie {{spoiler|screaming, "Oh, God! Oh, Jesus Christ!" in absolute terror as he sees the wicker man.}}

* The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhoa7oWPPhk opening theme] for ''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]'' is a warm, slow and dramatic one. Then as it fades into silence...'''WHAM'''.

* After the credits of ''[[Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Harry says "Mischief Managed... Nox." The map parchment folds and we see the film's title, and the seven iconic notes of the Potter theme. The screen fades to black, an after 20 seconds of silence, Peter Pettigrew's eerie theme can be heard. Sure to scare a few.

* The opening to ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek]]'' (while you watch the [[Vanity Plate|Vanity Plates]]) starts with a warm horn-and-strings combo (a slow variation on the main theme). Roughly 40 seconds in, you see the Bad Robot vanity plate (which is a bit creepy) while the music lets a little dissonance pop in. About 55 seconds in, the music just ''slams'' and cuts off--right as the movie begins.

* "Furious Angels" by Rob Dougan (from ''[[The Matrix]] Reloaded'') ends with unsettlingly loud and distorted violins. The fact that Rob sounds a lot like Tom Waites doesn't help.

 

 

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' had this in "The Pandorica Opens", when {{spoiler|The Doctor is sealed in the pandorica, a beautiful score begins playing and swooping, then the camera zooms out and shows the universe exploding.. And the music suddenly stops... Mid-Note... }}

** Just as {{spoiler|the Master and the Time Lords disappear back into the Time War}} in ''The End of Time'', and the Tenth Doctor thinks he's somehow managed to avoid his own prophesied demise, we hear four knocks, and the chords played by the strings appropriately fall apart and gliss down with tons of dissonance, mirroring the Doctor's own sinking realization.

 

 

* The Puccini opera ''Madama Butterfly'' ends with a scary, unexpected ''major'' chord (in first inversion).

* "Music of the Night," from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]].'' The Phantom has lulled Christine almost to sleep, the song's soft, everything's pleasant, then DUN! DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN loud discordant organ. Especially seizure-inducing if you're listening to the song at night in bed and do not expect the ending.

 

 

* The [[Vocaloid]] song "Alice Human Sacrifice" is a rather creepy parody of carnival music - which ends with the music getting slower and slower, and then just one note that is creepily off key. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBgUhO-V__A See what I mean?]

** And don't forget the Nico Nico Chorus version of "Daughter of Evil". At the song's end, a few bars start to play from the sequel song, "Servant of Evil", until they're brutally cut off by a terrifying, realistic guillotine sound. ''Literal'' [[Last-Note Nightmare]], there.

 

 

* ''[[Cave Story]]'''s [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrK2S5m5o44 main theme] manages to do this, even though it's used as looping level theme music in the Plantation area. It plays the very upbeat main melody twice in a row, to trick the listener into thinking the entire song's just a 44-second loop. As it starts to play for the third time, a dissonant counter-melody emerges--the song gets as dark as the [[Retraux]] soundcard lets it, eventually grinding to a halt before restarting.

* 111.mp3, "Good Morning" from ''[[Ragnarok Online]]'' starts off as a peaceful and upbeat piano tune, then at 1:06 onwards starts to slip. It makes more sense when you consider the place where this song plays in-game...

* ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'''s "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec," from the orchestral arrangement album of the same name, has a beautiful, dramatic rendition of this iconic piece... and ends, about a minute before the final note, with a horrific, ear-piercing wail with unintelligible (and honestly quite infernal-sounding) lyrics. Even people who know to expect it are jolted by its sudden intrusion.

** The lyrics are actually an attempt at Latin, [[Canis Latinicus|not done all that well]]. They're something about "lighting a torch in this darkest of hours."

** Speaking of ''[[Touhou]]'', two particular remixes of "U.N. Owen Was Her?" included (1) gradually overlapping lines followed by a somewhat sudden cutoff of the voices, with the music slowing down to normal after the overlapping voices have been building to a more and more frenetic pace, and (2) putting in an increasingly less subtle creepy laugh. Then you remember that this is [[Tyke Bomb|Flandre's ]][[Creepy Child|theme...]]

** "Marisa Stole The Precious Thing" also features a nasty bit near the end, where the song pauses for a moment so loud static can be played. It's all technopopping along and suddenly DRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

 

 

* [http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/let-the-squiddles-sleep-end-theme "Let The Squiddles Sleep (End Theme)"], from the "Squiddles!" album, a collection of songs meant to be the soundtrack to [[Show Within a Show|a made-up kid's TV show]] that exists in the ''[[Homestuck]]'' universe. Listening to it after the rest of the [[Tastes Like Diabetes|sickeningly adorable songs]] multiplies the effect to [[Serial Escalation]] levels.

** And yet it somehow becomes [[It Got Worse|even worse]] when used for the [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=004748 "Jade: Wake Up"] Flash update.

 

 

* From ''[[Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]'', the ending of {{spoiler|"Everything you Ever"}} goes from {{spoiler|bold and triumphant to [[Tear Jerker]].}} [[Gainax Ending|And then it ends]].

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqToFk7ZYEM Slender Man's rendition of "Still Alive"] from [[Portal (series)|Portal]]. He sings the last bit normally, going:

 

 

* Unsurprisingly, the song "Source Music of Doom" from the ''[[Invader Zim]]'' soundtrack has this. Not at the end, only about 30 seconds in, but definitely worth mentioning. Starts out with a strange tune about tacos before going into light flute-ish tune that seems very happy and cheerful before an out-of-place chord blares in your ears and kids sing "Bloaty's Pizza Hog!" over and over in your ears.

* "Rock-A-Bye Baby" in the Crashcup segments of ''[[Alvin and The Chipmunks|The Alvin Show]]'', namely the ones where he invents the bed and the baby. Played at the end of the episode - normally the first time around, then as things go awry for good it repeats - but speeds up and slows down like a warped record.

 

 

* At the end of his "Guitar Fever" review, Ashens puts a monstrous sound of 8-bit terror. It's actually [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IbgHr_9-7E code for a ZX Spectrum computer], so he didn't put it there to be mean.

* Maybe this doesn't count as a last note, but look on [[YouTube]] for video people have taken of the US analog TV switchoff. It's just creepy, as most of them went from everything as normal, to static. As if all of civilization had just suddenly collapsed.