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Comment by nerf0 | Hacker News Reader

I want to make this random off-topic comment: For years I've been collecting various audio clips, where "environmental" sound (voice, noise, etc.) transitions into music, or vise versa, in songs, movies and TV shows. I've searched the web and the closest term I can find is "diegetic switch", but not quite. Here's the (short) list:

- https://youtu.be/9j9bVl3rfNk?t=29 In The Defenders, repeated piano note transitions into background music.

- https://youtu.be/isZyX1xd1VQ?t=159 (The Great American Nightmare - Rob Zombie)

- https://youtu.be/pU_mZ1X69Ho?t=364 (Out of Control - Miraculix)

- Justice League the movie where the song "Everybody Knows" transitions into the ambulance siren. Sorry I can't find this footage.

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- "Worthless" in The Brave Little Toaster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UfsEj7AOGI

- the chant in The Dark Knight Rises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXxw-zXRqOs&t=130s

Probably a lot of variations in musicals, but most will be mundane.

Wow, growing up in the 80s and thoroughly indoctrinated with musical theatre by my parents... how have I never heard of the Brave Little Toaster until now?

I'm not sure whether I should thank you or curse you. Let's see what my 6yo says.

The article reminds me of Pepe's Burningman operas from the mid 90s... "Devil's Delight, The Fire Tonight" blended into "Devils Do Light The Fire Tonight""

The Brace Little Toaster is a great film, but you might want to preview it yourself before watching it with your kid. There are some scenes of peril and (machine) death that are surprisingly intense for a kids' film and your kid might not handle them well.

Oh man, you're bringing the flashbacks. My siblings watched that movie constantly when I was a kid, and some of those scenes traumatized me for years (I was a sensitive kid).

I don’t know if this counts but it’s one of my all time favorites.

- https://youtu.be/IXdNnw99-Ic (Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd)

Or the Gunners Dream, where a shout turns into a saxophone !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSE7qdjy3Q0&t=1

I think you’d get a kick out of Chassol. He’s a French composer building entire compositions around the contours of environmental sounds.

I’d start with his Big Sun record. Listen to ‘Birds, Pt. 1’ and you’ll get it right away.

He also does these compositions he calls “ultrascores” where he’s composing to scenes from TV shows. Here’s one he did for The Wire:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bV1lY1UsEng&pp=ygUQQ2hhc3NvbCB...

It's a video game, but Yoshi's Island's title screen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkbxyPl83yI) has sound effects which fade out into a musical theme (which adds instruments after the noises stop). It fits cleverly into the SNES's 8 channels of audio which might not have been able to play ocean spray, birdsong, and multiple overlapping xylophone/melody lines at once.

Pink Floyd - Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast (1970) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7pkOZ5n6PQ

John Cage - 4'33" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4

Siren transitioning into the song: Rattlesnake - Bride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cfc0vqf-_I

Waves on the shore transitioning into song: Luke the calf - Iona https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLx2bKdQIJA - though I'm not sure that one counts as the waves are all through to the end.

Björk - Dancer in the Dark

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