About
…While I Play Unfitting Music is a YouTube remix fad that involves users remixing videos with music that does not match what is occurring. Similar in usage to Yakety Sax making anything funny, the videos are meant to create inconsistency between the mood created by the music vs. what is happening on the screen.
Origin
In 2007, YouTube user gnomebob (current account: xMAHATMAxGHANDIx) uploaded “LUIGI WINDS A TOY WHILE I PLAY UNFITTING MUSIC”
Reupload:
Between March and April of 2007, four other videos were made labeled as using unfitting music: “Random guild wars users go AFK while i play unfitting music,” “Tourettes Guy Being Himself,” “Model train chugs while I play [un]fitting music,” (to the tune of Yakety Sax), and “JasonDTube pretends he’s James Bond while I play unfitting music.” However, these all have very small view counts.s
On May 19th, 2007, Saphira4eva uploaded “Spongebob Squarepants music video”. Currently, the video has over 579,000 views. The title does not have “While I play unfitting music” in the title, but it is in the description. It has the highest view count of any unfitting music video.
Soundtrack Dissonance as a trope
Using unfitting music to add an additional layer of meaning, cause a viewer to think about the subject matter, or even just for laughs has been used many times in entertainment.
A great example of this technique appeared in 2002’s Bowling for Columbine, Louis Amstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” plays over a montage of the history of terrorism in the US. Another instance occurred in the opening scene of Watchmen (2009) has the Comedian being attacked while Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” is playing.
It has also appeared in video games. Bioshock (2007) is known for using this technique, with a soundtrack full of music from the 1930s and 40s. Additionally, there is a point in the game where the player is attacked by splicers while Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” plays in the background.
TV Tropes has a thorough list of works that use this technique in their entry for Soundtrack Dissonance.
Derivatives
Sonic dies to Barney’s “I Love You” song (August 2007) 397,000+ views
Milhouse falls to The Scotch Greens’ “Rumspringa” (March 2008) 89,000+ views
Spongebob repeating “Chocolate” to Slayer’s “Raining Blood” (June 2008) 121,000+ views
Kirby is attacked to Yakety Sax (August 2008) 22,000+ views
Ash punches Pikachu to “Cream” by Frederico Franchi (November 2008) 133,000+ views