Honestly the Addams Family theme doesn’t seem like it would be a hard program to create since it would seem to follow a very simple pattern compared to a lot of songs. But it’s a distinctive piece, that much is obvious since a lot of people grew up hearing this. It gets just slightly complex in a couple of spots but upon talking to someone that was more than a little educated in music and how to listen to it you might find that it’s not all that tough to replicate. Hell, I managed to belt out half of it on a recorder once and after nursing sore fingers for a couple of weeks I finally had the first half down. Of course I memorized Dido’s ‘Thank You’ before that so that could be why my fingers were sore…but moving on.
As a lot of us can remember the Addams were one of the families that weren’t like others, kind of like the Munsters, in that they were made up of a bunch of rejects that a sensible individual would never associate with since they were a bit off-putting from the way they looked and the way they acted. But honestly the Addams were so much worse than the Munsters when it came to their character since despite being funny as all hell they were the type of family that viewed the macabre as normal and saw misery and pain and displeasure as the ambrosia that kept their family together. In short, they’re the family that views a psychopath in their ranks as someone that’s to be cherished and treasured, and this was a big part of why we love them so much to this day. From the kids to the relatives that show up on occasion the Addams’ were such a lovable bunch of rejects that even when they were doing something horrible you couldn’t help but love them that much more since they did it all with a smile and such a joking manner that it made everything seem okay.
Think about it, in the first movie Gomez lobbed a sword at Tully and then lamented that he missed, and later on he would go on to list all the different negative aspects of his brother Fester only to realize that because of these things being present then the guy must be his brother. Oh, and who can forget when talking to Dr. Pinder-Schloss Gomez actually got excited at the prospect of hearing something unpleasant, just comedic gold waiting to happen. Raul Julia was by far the best Gomez that there’s ever been and possibly ever will be largely because he had a certain way on screen and such a vibrant nature that made the movie come to life as he interacted with the rest of the cast. From Raul Julia to Anjelica Huston to Christopher Lloyd to a young Christina Ricci, the cast was so on point that it was hard not to laugh at just about everything since this was a family that was delighted by some of the worst things imaginable and took such things as finding Uncle Knicknack in the bureau as a common occurrence. Oh I could rattle off both movies in their entirety as I’ve been and Addams fan since before I could snap my fingers.
But it’s enough to say that the moment this tune is heard it’s hard not to get into it since the memories of the TV show and the movies is great enough that it can put a smile on many faces. The movies were campy, kind of low budget and a lot of people rolled their eyes, but those of us that enjoyed them likely still watch them from time to time since they never really get old. Come on, admit it, you still like to watch Fester and Gomez dancing the Mamushka and actually think about getting up to join in, right? Don’t be afraid to admit it, I’d like to as well. Something about the family is just contagious, but in one of the best ways considering that I could watch the movies again and again, at least for a few times before really needing a break. The execution of the roles and the manner in which they were brought to life just hasn’t been done as well ever since no matter that the animated movie that came out wasn’t all that bad. It still wasn’t the same however as the cast from the movies simply nailed it and brought to life one of the most iconic families in pop culture. You can honestly thank the cast and crew for giving us one of the most memorable movies within the past few decades since once you get that song in your head it’s hard to get it out again.
