Why do the songs even happen?

[gamecubeguy214 2,511]

So pretty much on the very first episode, all this stuff happens, then Pinkie suddenly breaks into a song? Why? And why has this been going on for as long as the show's been around? Pinkie could have just said "Just laugh at it and they'll go away" and the situation would have been over much quicker. I like having the songs in the show, they can be catchy and chill to listen to, but there's rarely any reason for them to sing about the situation rather than just talking. The only real reasons I remember for songs to happen was in The Mane Attraction.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Cause they're sometimes catchy, plus the songs try to send out a message of what's going on or what the moral is. The song gives the viewers more attention. On Pinkie's note, sometimes it's just random. :3

[Discordian 6,013]

It's an interesting thought. Do the songs legitimately happen or are they just a more presentable version of a conversation they had in-universe? If they did happen, you have to imagine there's gotta be some kind of magic to it since people magically know all the lyrics and join in mid-song even if they weren't there at the start.

 

But it's pretty likely you're just thinking about it too hard and it can be explained away with one word: Showmanship. The viewer must be entertained.

[Jeric 46,836]

For a narrative explanation - start here and here

 

For many of the songs, notably montage songs (every single Rarity song is a great example), it is impossible for the song to be literally sung as time is not constant, unless Rarity is singling the same song for hours and we are only seeing a master edit. Also with songs like This Day Aria, which includes elements of 'loose time' and also distant counterpoint elements, the song is not literally occurring either. These songs are artistic representation on thoughts or feelings to be conveyed to the audience. 

 

Some songs could be in-universe though. Giggle at the Ghosties is a great example, especially since Twilight actually seems to comment at the beginning of the oddity that Pinkie is getting ready to sing. 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,373]

Have you ever gotten that urge to just sing? Well, that is what they seem to get, but taken to the extreme and often it is simultaneous among multiple ponies. We shall call it the SPE, the Singing Pony Effect. Starlight with 'Our Town' showcased how to use this effect for evil! D:

[Valeska 184]

Five words...IT.IS.A.KID.SHOW! You got to remember that kids love to sing/music in general. Since Hasbro originally planned for the main viewing audience to be kids, then having singing characters was a must. Considering now that only 20% of the viewers are kids, then the songs in the past few seasons have gotten more elaborate for the older audiences. 

[Daring_Do 552]

Considering now that only 20% of the viewers are kids, then the songs in the past few seasons have gotten more elaborate for the older audiences. 

Pardon my skepticism, but do you have a source on this?

[Valeska 184]

Pardon my skepticism, but do you have a source on this?

No, you are fine. I might have the numbers off a slight bit but here is where I read about it --> http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/Online-Brony-Herd-Census-Reveals-Facts-Stats-About-Adult-My-Little-Pony-Fans-199802371.html

[shy0wl 484]

The question I have is, is when one of the mane 6 are talking to another pony, and they randomly start singing.  What does the other pony think?  Like is it normal for a song to break out in Equestria or do they think they're crazy? 

[Daring_Do 552]

No, you are fine. I might have the numbers off a slight bit but here is where I read about it --> http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/Online-Brony-Herd-Census-Reveals-Facts-Stats-About-Adult-My-Little-Pony-Fans-199802371.html

Hmm, thanks, but isn't this a survey of bronies specifically?

[Justin_Case001 4,858]

On 6/16/2016 at 12:16 PM, Jeric said:

For a narrative explanation - start here and here

 

For many of the songs, notably montage songs (every single Rarity song is a great example), it is impossible for the song to be literally sung as time is not constant, unless Rarity is singling the same song for hours and we are only seeing a master edit. Also with songs like This Day Aria, which includes elements of 'loose time' and also distant counterpoint elements, the song is not literally occurring either. These songs are artistic representation on thoughts or feelings to be conveyed to the audience. 

 

Some songs could be in-universe though. Giggle at the Ghosties is a great example, especially since Twilight actually seems to comment at the beginning of the oddity that Pinkie is getting ready to sing. 

Very good explanation.  This is something I've wanted to weigh in on properly for awhile, but I've never gotten around to it.  After the gag in All Bottled Up where the employee told the mane 6 that they would have made the record if they'd skipped the song, everyone seemed to take that as concrete proof that all songs happen in-universe.  I've always vehemently rejected that theory, in no small part because of the montage effect that you pointed out.  The example I've always liked to use is during A True True Friend when Rarity puts her hoof around AJ in the boutique and begins singing the line, "Pinkie Pie is in trouble; we need to get there by her side...", and as they trot, they cross fade the background, and by the end of that single sentence, they're at Sweet Apple Acres.  So, to those who defend the all-songs-happen-in-universe theory, I ask--which seems more likely: that the song happened for our benefit, to express the emotions in a more concise and entertaining way, or that Rarity bent space and time and warped across town while singing that line?  There are, of course, many such examples.

The other major reason that I argue that most songs aren't sung in-universe is because of the blatantly obvious difference between songs that have to be learned and rehearsed, and those that are spontaneous, and where nopony could possibly know the words.  If we're going to pretend that all songs are literally performed in-universe, then how do you explain the difference between Winter Wrap Up and Got the Music in You?  They actually had to learn the words to Got the Music and rehearse it.  When Big Mac dropped out, Rarity said that they couldn't perform the song because it would take too long to rearrange the music for just three.  That's how it would actually work, and that's because Got the Music is obviously performed in-universe.  So is The Magic Inside, for example.  That was a music festival with a stage where famous singers performed.  There's clearly a difference between that and random musicals where they couldn't know the words.  Every song sung by The Rainbooms is in-universe, because they're a band that learns, rehearses, and performs.  Strange New World, on the other hand, is a montage song that wasn't in-universe.  HTWTC?  Definitely in-universe, as it was planned ahead of time, Spike turned on a boom box for the music (and Flash joined in with his guitar), and the other students responded to it first with mild curiosity, and then by the end, everyone dancing with them.  If anyone can randomly and magically break into song, then why did the Crystal Prep girls need the Rainbooms' help in writing a song for their music video in Dance Magic?

On a related note, one has to acknowledge the difference between songs in which there is music coming from nowhere, and those where ponies are actually playing instruments.  If all songs happen in-universe, then where does the music come from, and why do The Rainbooms and Rara actually need to play instruments?

Personally, I would argue that Giggle at the Ghostly is not sung in-universe, despite the comments by the others.  Such comments, like that of the escape room employee, are just gags that are part of the musical, and are not to be taken literally.  The alternative is just too fantastic and implausible.

One has to admit that some songs are performed in-universe, and some are not, or else all logic crumbles, and the difference between bands and artists that rehearse and everyone else evaporates.  Either some of the characters' comments about the songs are non-literal gags for our benefit, or all characters are magically great singers, everyone magically knows the words, music comes out of thin air, and characters can ignore the laws of time and physics as they please.  Can't have it both ways.

[The Nth Doctor 653]

So they don't have to waste time writing and animating deep complex storylines, as seen in Magical Mystery Cure, Crusaders of the Lost Mark, and Cutie Re-Mark

Just show a vague montage of things happening and pretend it makes sense