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Oh no. When ze bad guy is zat happy, it always, always means... (pulls out tuba) ...BAD GUY SONG!!
~ The Troubadour (Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers)

A Villain Song is a musical number in a film or a play that is sung by and/or about a major wrongdoer, typically the main antagonist. Usually, the song is quite about the wrongdoer's plans, personality, abilities and overall character, and often serves as an introduction to the wrongdoer; Villain Songs usually appear fairly early in the story, as opposed to, say, the climax.

It is rare for a movie to contain more than just one Villain Song, but it is indeed very possible, especially if there is more than just one antagonist.

Villain Songs are most common in animated films, where they are often quite dark and frightening compared to the rest of the movie; many of the most famous Villain Songs are found in the films of the Disney Animated Canon, especially from the 1980's and onward. They are much less common in live-action movies, which rarely have musical numbers, but also appear frequently in stage musicals.

A variant is known as "The Villain Sucks Song", which is sung by another character (usually a hero, naturally) insulting the villain in question. Example: "Father Christmas" to Ebenezer Scrooge.

Another rarer variant is "The Villain's Lament", which is sung by the evildoer, usually regretting his or her actions. An example of this is "Reviewing the Situation".

List of Notable Villain Songs

Disney

Non-Disney Animation

Anime/Manga

Live-Action

Videogames

Other Examples

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