Singin’ Over Rainbows: The incongruent film song and extra-filmic reception

Empirical research suggests that incongruent or mismatched film-music combinations can result in separate perceptual encoding of auditory and visual information, which draws attention to the components that comprise a scene. These processes help to explain the often memorable qualities of such filmic moments, which can create interpretations that may influence the resulting reception and use of the music. Examples often cited as incongruent include the use of seemingly ironic popular songs to accompany depictions of violence. Through analysis of such quotation of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ and ‘Over the Rainbow’, this article discusses why popular song can be particularly effective in the construction of such moments. The benefits of conceptualizing these moments as incongruent, and in approaching this term from a psycho-semiotic perspective and drawing particular attention to notions of signification and intertextuality, allows further speculation about the impact of such moments on the afterlife of the quoted song.