A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a “show” (or stage musical), especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Particular musicals that have yielded “show tunes” include: Though show tunes vary in style, they do tend to share common characteristics—they usually fit the context of a story being told in the original musical, they are useful in enhancing and heightening choice moments.