Board 8 > Johnbobb ranks 113 User-nominated Villain Songs [THE RANKING]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Your Top 50!
Scare - Moana - Shiny
Scare - Beauty and the Beast - Gaston

Inviso - Portal - Still Alive
Inviso - Heathers: The Musical - Candy Store
Inviso - The Lion King - Be Prepared

Great Paul - Princess and the Frog - Friends on the Other Side
Great Paul - Hunchback of Notre Dame - Hellfire
Great Paul - Beauty and the Beast 2017 - The Mob Song

NFUN - No More Heroes 2 - Philistine
NFUN - Terraria Calamity - Roar of the Jungle Dragon
NFUN - Ar Tonelico 2 - Dye: Will This Flower Bloom

paulg235 - WWE - Voices

Uglyface2 - Pink Floyd - Waiting for the Worms

Snake5555555555 - Wicked - Defying Gravity
Snake5555555555 - Misfits - Horror Business
Snake5555555555 - Slayer - Dead Skin Mask

Xeybozn - The Who - Behind Blue Eyes
Xeybozn - Hamilton - You'll Be Back

Toxtricity - Steven Universe: The Movie - Other Friends
Toxtricity - The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride - My Lullaby

BetrayedTangy - Starship - Kick It Up a Notch

KCF0107 - Figment - The Plague's Song

Hbthebattle - Terraria Calamity - Stained, Brutal Calamity

Bane - Anastasia - In the Dark of the Night
Bane - clipping. - Run for Your Life

Raetsel Lapin - The Protomen (Mega Man fan song) - The Hounds
Raetsel Lapin - Yu-Gi-Oh! - Face Up, Face Down

TheArkOfTurus - Ayreon - Day Sixteen: Loser
TheArkOfTurus - Jesus Christ Superstar - Damned for All Time
TheArkOfTurus - The Mountain Goats - Werewolf Gimmick

redrocket - The Producers - Springtime for Hitler
redrocket - Repo! The Genetic Opera - Gold

Janus5k - Gloryhammer - Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy
Janus5k - Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog - Brand New Day

Jesse Custer - The Little Mermaid - Poor Unfortunate Souls
Jesse Custer - Talking Heads - Psycho Killer

Zyxyz - Ar tonelico Qoga - XaaaCi

cakophon - Be More Chill - Be More Chill (Pt. 1)

Player 0 - Wander Over Yonder - I'm the Bad Guy
Player 0 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas - You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Player 0 - Eminem - Stan

Raka Putra - Random Encounter (fan song) - Just Monika
Raka Putra - Rocky Horror Picture Show - Sweet Transvestite

MetalmindStats - Portal 2 - Want You Gone

banshiryuu - Pokemon XYZ - Rocket-dan Danka

UF8 - Umineko - Egurite

Shonen Bat - Doki Doki Literature Club - Your Reality
Shonen Bat - Super Paper Mario - The Ultimate Show

Pirateking2000 - Warhammer 40K (fan song) - Devourer

azuarc - Phantom of the Opera - Music of the Night

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ar tonelico music is great even though I haven't the slightest clue what's going on with all of the lore

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Omg Toxic Love is so good

I like a lot of this top 50

also The Ultimate Show went down a while back :(

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Shonen_Bat posted...

I like a lot of this top 50

also The Ultimate Show went down a while back :(

Oh huh, I counted out 50, I must've left one out

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Looks like the one I forgot is
Underleveled - Little Shop of Horrors - Feed Me

maybe I got it mixed up with Dentist! or something; not sure

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50. Horror Business
Source: Misfits
Villain: Psycho '78
Nominator: Snake5555555555 (2 left)
Favorite lyric: I'm warning you / I'll put a knife right in you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoGuJi5jmmA

Villainy: 8
Characterization: 3
Melody: 7
Total: 18/30

Misfits can be kinda hit-or-miss for me at times, but Horror Business is the type of song they do well. It's short, fast-paced, and has a real punchy aggression to it. The subject matter is theorized to be a combination of the film Psycho and the murder case of Nancy Spungen in 1978 (assumed to have been killed by her boyfriend Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols). Despite the amount of backstory behind the inspiration for the song, the song itself is very vague, taking the perspective of a killer threatening to stab the listener in a bathroom. It's certainly as villainous an idea as you could ask for, even if it doesn't make an effort to really explain it all.

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49.Sweet Transvestite
Source: Rocky Horror Picture Show
Villain: Dr. Frank N Furter
Nominator: Raka Putra (1 left)
Favorite lyric: Why don't you stay for the night? Or maybe a bite? / I could show you my favorite obsession / I've been making a man, with blond hair and a tan / And he's good for relieving my tension

https://youtu.be/bc80tFJpTuo?t=49

Villainy: 2
Characterization: 8
Melody: 8
Total: 18/30

While Frank N Furter is kind of a messed up guy, you don't really get the evil side of him until later on in the film, which is funny given that this song is his way of laying everything out in the open. He says who he is, where he's from (though initially "Transexual, Transylvania" sounds more like a joke than a literal place, and much less another planet). You learn his identity and sexuality, his taste for the dark (I'll get you a Satanic mechanic), his profession (come up to the lab and see what's on the slab) and also makes allusions to what's to come. It does an excellent job of describing who Dr. FNF is and what he's all about while just being a catchy (if a little cheesy) song. While it works great in the position it's in, it's ultimately flawed as a villain song because, at this point in the story, Dr. FNF isn't yet the villain.

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Psycho '78! The Horror Business EP is rock-solid with villain songs, it was really hard to pick just one, but the backstory to the song is pretty gruesome so I went with that!

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What a classic

Ah, that's true, it's not a very villainous song, though the way Tim Curry plays FNF kinda hints at that. But it is a banger!

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Bump.

48. Still Alive
Source: Portal
Villain: GLaDOS
Nominator: Inviso (2 left)
Favorite lyric: Maybe Black Mesa... / That was a joke, haha, fat chance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ljFaKRTrI

Villainy: 3
Characterization: 8
Melody: 7
Total: 18/30

Fun fact: One of the coolest nerd moments I've had was getting to see Ellen McLain perform this and Want You Gone live at Zenkaikon. In the context of the game, having GLaDOS sing this little ditty mocking you just after you've beaten her is a wonderful, hilarious moment. It's funny, because McLain has a wonderful singing voice, but tuning it to make it robotic obviously hides it just a bit. The song is funny and cheeky, and even if you'd never played Portal, you can immediately tell exactly what kind of character GLaDOS is. She finds ways to throw little jabs at you while simultaneously guilting you for killing her and bragging about her accomplishments. Is it evil? Not compared to literally everything else she's done, just a little mean-spirited.

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47. Candy Store
Source: Heathers: The Musical
Villain: Heathers Chandler, Duke and McNamara
Nominator: Inviso (1 left)
Favorite lyric: That freak's not your friend / I can tell in the end / If she had your shot / She would leave you to rot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQOoTX1Nxx8

Villainy: 4
Characterization: 6
Melody: 8
Total: 18/30

Sorry for the double whammy here Vis, but if it's any consolation, I've really liked both of these songs. I've never seen Heathers (the movie OR the musical) but this definitely makes me want to because this song is a straight-up bop. There's a pretty clear hierarchy with the Heathers, something that immediately makes me think Alana and her crew from That's So Raven (which I remember for some reason or another). They're confident and snarky, and about as cruel as teen mean girls can be (which, unfortunately for this song's placement, doesn't really compare to the evil shown by some of the much darker villains). Still, it's a great, peppy tune that really kinda makes you want to join the Heathers... just a little.

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That reminds me I gotta remember the American Psycho musical for next time.

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Snake5555555555 posted...

That reminds me I gotta remember the American Psycho musical for next time.

the what

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But what is #48?

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Great_Paul posted...

But what is #48?

fixed

blame the failings of the public school system

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Johnbobb posted...

the what

The songs are kind of like spoken word with electronic backing but i think it actually works really well! The soundtrack also has 80s songs on it too.

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46. Roar of the Jungle Dragon
Source: Terraria Calamity
Villain: Jungle Dragon, Yharon
Nominator: NFUN (2 left)
Favorite lyric: My screams echo out through the fire / And your rival dares stand in my way / Yes, this is a hardship most dire / And one day, you will heed what I say

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GcPA3C0QeI

Villainy: 1
Characterization: 10
Melody: 7
Total: 18/30

Fuck, dude, this song honestly makes me want to cry. I know it's a "villain" song in that it's a boss that you, the protagonist, fight, but god, without ever playing Terraria Calamity, I'm already fully invested in Yharon as a character and I kinda hate the player for taking down this noble fuckin dragon. I'm gonna just break my usual habit and post the entire set of lyrics here, because they're short and really damn good.

The enemy ascended beyond your control,
Or was that all your intention?
They have managed to demolish whatever we made,
But you're failing to comprehend...
If they can, they will easily butcher you whole,
While you're blinded by your depression.
I have gotten to the point where I'm just too afraid
That you're going to meet your end.

My screams echo out through the fire,
And your rival dares stand in my way.
Yes, this is a hardship most dire,
And one day, you will heed what I say:

This is my message to my master:
This is a fight you cannot win.
I think that past your great disasters,
Their victory stirs below your skin.

If you proceed, I will not blame you;
I will move forth and win your war.
But if I should die before you continue,
You shall have heard my final dying roar.

After hearing this song, I immediately started looking up look on Yharon (and Yharim, his master) because Yharon's song makes him out to be all but heroic, giving his last breaths in a epic battle in order to save his master, supporting his efforts out of a true, heartfelt devotion. He seems to know Yharim's aims are a lost cause, but even still he knows that no matter what, Yharim is emotionally unable to give up on his efforts, and in spite of this, Yharon is willing to die to support him. Tell you what, this isn't the deep lore shit I expected from the game that looks like a 2D 8-bit Minecraft.

The only real knock I can make against this song is the vocals. I'm really not a fan of the singer's voice, as he just doesn't seem to have the power or the range to do the lyrics justice. The instrumentals are excellent though, and I can just feel the heat coming off of them. Really an excellent song ideally, though it certainly doesn't paint Yharon as a true villain.

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Fun fact: Ellen McLain is an opera singer who got into VA work because opera pay sucks.

She also composed and sang the turret aria (in hilariously bad Italian) at the end of Portal 2.

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The vocals are the composer's which make them a bit better for me

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Awww.

I love Candy Store, but I have to wonder if "Meant to Be Yours" would've performed better on this list.

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Inviso posted...

Awww.

I love Candy Store, but I have to wonder if "Meant to Be Yours" would've performed better on this list.

Def

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Uh oh, I'm not liking this run of great songs dropping from 48 to 46...

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45. Gaston
Source: Beauty and the Beast
Villain: Gaston
Nominator: Raka Putra (1 left)
Favorite lyric: Not a bit of him scraggly or scrawny / That's right! And every last inch of me's covered in hair!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVdgaSuAjII

Villainy: 3
Characterization: 7
Melody: 8
Total: 18/30

Have to assume quite a few people are going to be sad to see this drop already, and I get it, believe me, but ultimately Gaston's biggest loss is that he's just not evil enough. Not yet, anyway. Gaston is memorable for his bombastic personality and booming voice (which you only hear in bits and pieces, as most of the song is sung by Le Fou, who doesn't exactly have the voice of an angel). Villain-wise, however, he's a high school jock in a crowd of sadists and monsters. He never truly stood a chance. The song is easy to love though. It's catchy and fun, and leaves the viewer wanting to cheer along with Gaston (who at this point honestly seems nicer than the Beast we're supposed to eventually root for).

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that was my nom actually

and yeah surprised to see it go this low, did not expect Shiny to be my highest rated nom

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Yeah, that's not my nom, haha.
And I'm glad Gaston didn't get very high, I don't really like the song or the villain. He's too effective at being unlikable!

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Oh shit my bad

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Not a big fan of Gaston either

Glad to see that the better BatB villain song placed higher (though I know they're from different versions).

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44. The Hounds
Source: Mega Man (fan song by The Protomen)
Villain: Dr. Wily
Nominator: Raetsel Lapin (1 left)
Favorite lyric: When I say he was a monster, when I set fire to his name / It does not matter where you hear it from / Whether truth or lies it gets said all the same / Whatever's on the table plays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIOnxpdCu0o

Villainy: 4
Characterization: 8
Melody: 7
Total: 19/30

Any issue I had with the previous Mega Man fan songs (gotta say I'm surprised how many got nominated), The Hounds does everything better. First off, the song is catchy as hell. Sure, it doesn't sound like it's Dr. Wily singing, but I'm more than willing to forgive that given that the vocals here are slick, stylish and fit the mood the song is going for. Where this song shines the most though is showing off Wily's deviousness and his skill at manipulating people. The story here is all about Dr. Wily trying to shine a light (sorry) on Dr. Light's apparent misdeeds while applauding his own accomplishment, turning the media and the public against Dr. Light. The lyrics here are just really damn clever, and I'm tempted to actually go listen to the full album, despite never playing the Mega Man games. The only thing holding it back is its villainy, which is hard to knock against it. Taken objectively on it's own, the song is devious but not straight evil; it needs the context of the full situation to really appreciate how dastardly the situation is.

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43. Face Up, Face Down
Source: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Villain: Maximillion Pegasus
Nominator: Raetsel Lapin (ELIMINATED)
Favorite lyric: All your cunning strategies / All the tricks you try / Look like merely child's play / To my Millennium Eye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUW_pip1J5g

Villainy: 8
Characterization: 6
Melody: 5
Total: 19/30

Sorry to do this to you RL; I hate knocking out multiple back to back. It's especially painful because Maximillion Pegasus is probably my favorite villain among all of the nominations represented here. The voice actor is phenomenal and the character just steals every single scene he's in. He's also pretty damn evil, stealing the souls of his opponents' loved ones and then mocking them for it? That shit's brutal. But as much as I love that they gave Pegasus his own song and as much as I love the voice actor, I've never really jived with this song very much. I think the chorus is to blame. It's awkwardly paced and doesn't really embody the character at all, as opposed to the verses surrounding it. Take out that chorus and put in something a little better and this is definitely a high-scoring song.

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Johnbobb posted...

The lyrics here are just really damn clever, and I'm tempted to actually go listen to the full album, despite never playing the Mega Man games.

The Protomen's universe is pretty far removed from actual Mega Man. It's more of a 1984-inspired dystopia rock opera with robots than anything else, so I don't think knowledge of the games would matter.

The Hounds is from "Act 2", their second concept album--which is actually a prequel to their first album and doesn't require any knowledge of their earlier work, so it's probably the best place to start anyway.
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42. Feed Me
Source: Little Shop of Horrors
Villain: Audrey II
Nominator: Underleveled (ELIMINATED)
Favorite lyric: I have so... so many strong... reservations / Should I go... and perform... mutilations?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7SkrYF8lCU

Villainy: 7
Characterization: 7
Melody: 5
Total: 19/30

Still not a big fan of the Little Shop of Horrors musical. One of the things that makes this musical stand out compared to the movie it's originally based on is by making Audrey II into a character with real personality, as opposed to the original who was basically just a creature that insisted on being fed. You really get a better sense of Audrey's ability to manipulate Seymour in this song (who is as evil as Audrey, possibly even moreso when you consider the fact that what Audrey is doing is because he needs to feed, whereas Seymour's motivations are much more shallow). The song itself is catchy enough but the Broadway performance is a good bit better.

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41. Damned for all Time
Source: Jesus Christ Superstar
Villain: Judas Iscariot
Nominator: TheArkOfTurus (2 left)
Favorite lyric: Just don't say I'm Damned for all time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LU3HjGmHfo

Villainy: 3
Characterization: 7
Melody: 9
Total: 19/30

This song has to be one of the most sympathetic portrayals of Judas in like... any medium, right? This is Judas directly pleading with both those around him and, more importantly, the audience that he not be proven wrong and damned as the man who betrayed the lord. While his motives are questionable (he insists that he doesn't care about the money and isn't doing it for his own benefit) but you find yourself really believing him because of the powerful performance Carl Anderson gives. The delivery of the title line is really the most powerful takeaway here; the way he belts out the "JUST DON'T. SAY I'M." just gives me chills.


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Did you ever see the alternate ending to Little Shop of Horrors? Its more faithful to the original:

https://youtu.be/7RjFvcw6ToQ

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In the original biblical texts Judas does go to betray him before being offered money for it for whatever thats worth.

Judas's motives have nothing to do with personal wealth. It's said that he was originally the most devoted of Jesus's disciples but had a falling out over some matters that led to his actions. We often quote the forty pieces of silver, but he didn't care about that, except insofar as he was the treasurer for the group.

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I just meant as far as he tends to be portrayed in media, not necessarily gospel

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Never seen it I just think its interesting that this more sympathetic Judas is closer to the book version than most iterations of the character. I dont really care.

40. Dye: Will This Flower Bloom
Source: Ar Tonelico 2
Villain: Jacqli
Nominator: NFUN (1 left)
Favorite lyric: The Song of destruction, the pathway of hell where eternal flames continuously blaze / The swirl of grief, filled with souls that can never be healed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCENN-Zm3R0

Villainy: 2
Characterization: 10
Melody: 7
Total: 19/30

I never know what to expect from the songs with entirely Japanese lyrics from games I know absolutely nothing about. Dye: WTF B was definitely a pleasant surprise, primarily for how complex the lyrics are. They appear to be largely metaphorical, talking about the purity of white flowers and how easily they are tainted by other colors, but how white also already contains all other colors within it. Dye falls into the category of "songs with ridiculously complex and complicated backstory that I'm not even going to begin to try and process" but I can still get a powerful glimpse into the emotions at play here. The song comes across as much more sad than villainous. While it takes a very dark turn - the talk of flowers and "Brooklets, grass and trees" eventually turns to "Hatred, rage, destruction, Calamity, conflict, fear, death" with little transition - it ultimately seems to view the darkness with regret, insisting that there's a peaceful, unstained white flower still at the heart of it all. It's moving, and while it's not the type of song I typically go for, I really dig the path the song takes.

Mostly unrelated, you could've told me this was from the Nier: Automata soundtrack and I totally would've believed you.


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I'm glad my dubiously-villainous songs at least are hitting you somehow

Johnbobb posted...

Mostly unrelated, you could've told me this was from the Nier: Automata soundtrack and I totally would've believed you.

nah. the giveaway is that this song is good

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39. Poor Unfortunate Souls
Source: The Little Mermaid
Villain: Ursula
Nominator: Jesse Custer (1 left)
Favorite lyric: Now it's happened once or twice, someone couldn't pay the price, and I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals / Yes I've had the odd complaint, but on the whole I've been a saint to those poor unfortunate souls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfkkMHieqcI

Villainy: 3
Characterization: 8
Melody: 8
Total: 19/30

I've had arguments about this song before, but I stand by the fact that this is NOT a villainous song and Ursula gets a bad rep for basically no reason. No, this song is about Ursula presenting Ariel with an offer, and Ariel accepting. Is it a dangerous, risky offer? Yes, of course, but Ursula very specifically, with long detail, lays out the risks Ariel would be taking if she accepted. I'll get to it a little later, but in something like Friends On The Other Side there's a lot more deception at play, but that's not the case here. She directly states that she would give her legs in exchange for her voice. She said that not holding up her end of the bargain could result and has resulted in dire consequences. Again, doesn't hide it, there's literally a visual presentation for Ariel about it. She says that men on the surface prefer silent women and that a voice isn't what they want, AND WHERE IS THE LIE?! Prince Eric sees a teen girl who can't talk and barely seems to understand basic social interaction and thinks "MMMMMMM yesssssss daddy want" so how the hell is Ursula the villain in that scenario? Ariel is a dumbass who refuses to read the contract directly placed in front of her and signs without bothering to even consider the consequences laid out in front of her. Also, yeah, it's a pretty great song.

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I think its a deception since she didnt add that Ursula will literally go out and try to make Ariel lose with her own voice which is what Prince Eric originally fell in love with which Ursula knew but Ariel didnt.

PerfectChaosZ posted...

I think its a deception since she didnt add that Ursula will literally go out and try to make Ariel lose with her own voice which is what Prince Eric originally fell in love with which Ursula knew but Ariel didnt.

yeah, there's definitely deception later on, I will fully acknowledge that. Still think most of this is Ariel's fault though

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Johnbobb posted...

Ariel is a dumbass who refuses to read the contract directly placed in front of her and signs without bothering to even consider the consequences laid out in front of her.

Not sure this is a fair take when you see all the other mer-people who were tricked into similar deals because they desperately wanted something so much they were willing to overlook that this was essentially a deal with the devil.

38. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Source: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Villain: The Grinch
Nominator: Player 0 (2 left)
Favorite lyric: Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable
rubbish imaginable / Mangled up in tangled up knots!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGSneujgGT8

Villainy: 4
Characterization: 7
Melody: 8
Total: 19/30

I really, really don't care for Christmas music, but there are a select few Christmas songs that never really get old. These include (but aren't limited to) any song from A Charlie Brown Christmas, TSO's Carol of the Bells, and You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch. It's funny that this of all songs became a Christmas classic given that the whole song is just Thurl Ravenscroft winning a bet over how many insults he could dish out in a single song. It helps that his voice is so deep and smooth that even when hearing it two dozen times per day in December, it doesn't grate the ears like so many others. So how evil does this make the Grinch out to be? Well... it's not exactly clear. We know plenty of ways he's disgusting and despicable, enough to get a good picture of who is being described, even if his actual villainous action are heavily reliant on visuals.

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37. Be Prepared
Source: The Lion King
Villain: Scar
Nominator: Inviso (ELIMINATED)
Favorite lyric: The future is littered with prizes and though I'm the main addressee / The point that I must emphasize is you won't get a sniff without me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkU23m6yX04

Villainy:6
Characterization: 6
Melody: 7
Total: 19/30

Gotta assume some people are gonna be disappointed to see this one drop. It is, of course, a huge fan favorite, and rightfully so! I think Be Prepared is a great villain song, and honestly one of Disney's best, but just doesn't quite perfect any category. Jeremy Irons and Jim Cummings both have excellent voices (fun fact: Jim Cummings had to take over part way through the song due to Irons' voice giving out; see if you can detect the moment they switch actors). They're deep and grizzly and intimidating but not in a way that hurts the song. This could've scored excellent marks for its melody, but it does the thing Disney songs do much too often. It pauses the song right as it's getting good to have an annoying interlude of the hyenas being silly. Disney, please, just let your songs be songs, goddamn. We get a great glimpse of who Scar is here; he's devious and cunning. We also know his goal, to kill the king and overthrow the monarchial lion government... or something along those lines. That sounds pretty evil, but what keeps it from being moreso is the ambiguous reasoning. Does he just want power and nothing more, or does he truly believe that this is what's needed. Being power hungry is bad, sure, but there's certainly an argument to be made for government overthrow sometimes being necessary.

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I'm surprised at the relatively low villainy score for Grinch.

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