The Hero is squaring off with the Big Bad. His theme song picks up and all doubts are cast out of your mind as he moves in to attack. Some ass kicking is GUARANTEED once that starts playing. But all of a sudden... No! The hero is soundly defeated! It looked like such a sure thing! It looks like today is The Day the Music Lied. The name of this trope is a reference to The Day the Music Died, as recounted by Don McLean in the 1971 song "American Pie". If played for laughs, expect it to be accompanied with a Record Needle Scratch or a fading to bass or even a duck call for extra humiliation.