"Singing in the Rain" is a classic song from the musical Singing in the Rain. Performed by Gene Kelly, it is an iconic number used countless times over and over to express the simple joys in life. However, after watching A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick, this song has an entirely different connotation. In the movie, A Clockwork Orange,, the main character Alex sings this song while rapping a woman in front of her husband. The contrast between this cheerful song and this horrible act of violence not only makes this scene memorable but also changes the audience's perception of the song. I can no longer listen to "Singing in the Rain" without feeling slightly sick and disgusted.
This experience with the song parallels Alex's situation in the movie A Clockwork Orange where he learns to become nauseous at the sound of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In therapy, Alex is forced to watch horrible scenes of violence all while listening to Beethoven. After his therapy, he becomes conditioned to associate Beethoven with violence, just as I associate "Singing in the Rain" with the rape scene in the movie.
Q: Have you ever had an experience like mine, where a song reminds you of something else?
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