The Addams Family Theme
"The Addams Family Theme" is the signature opening song for the 1964–1966 ABC television sitcom The Addams Family, composed, arranged, and vocally performed by American musician Vic Mizzy.[1][2] The song's lyrics playfully describe the eccentric, macabre household with lines such as "They're creepy and they're kooky, / Mysterious and spooky, / They're all together ooky, / The Addams Family," capturing the show's blend of humor and gothic whimsy.[1][2] Mizzy, born in 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, created the theme specifically for the series premiere, drawing on his experience as a film and television composer.[1] Due to budget limitations, he overdubbed his own voice three times to simulate a chorus effect, and he also directed the opening title sequence, instructing the cast to perform the song's characteristic finger snaps in a bored, nonchalant manner.[2][1] The arrangement prominently features a harpsichord for a quirky, antique sound, paired with bass clarinet and the percussive finger snaps that have become synonymous with the franchise.[1] Beyond the original series, which aired for two seasons, the theme has endured as a cultural staple, influencing adaptations like the 1977 Halloween special, the 1991 film, and the 2022 Netflix series Wednesday, where it inspired a secret two-snap signal among characters.[1] Mizzy's composition was released as a single but did not chart nationally; however, it gained widespread popularity through reruns and is frequently played at sporting events to energize crowds.[2] Mizzy, who also penned the theme for Green Acres, passed away in 2009 at age 93, leaving a legacy of memorable television music.[2]Background and Composition
Origins
The Addams Family characters originated in a series of single-panel cartoons created by Charles Addams for The New Yorker, with the first appearance of the unnamed family occurring in 1938.[3] These macabre, satirical depictions of a wealthy, eccentric clan living in a gothic mansion captured public imagination over the decades, appearing regularly in the magazine and later in collections like Addams' 1950 book Monster Rally. In the early 1960s, television producer David Levy, inspired by Addams' work including the book Homebodies featuring a family portrait on its cover, developed the concept for a sitcom adaptation.[4] Levy, collaborating with Addams on the series, named the characters—such as Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, and Lurch—the project culminated in the ABC series The Addams Family, which premiered on September 18, 1964, and ran for two seasons under Filmways Productions.[4] Vic Mizzy, a prolific composer and songwriter born on January 9, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York, brought his extensive experience in film and television scoring to the project.[5] By the 1960s, Mizzy had already composed hit songs like "Three Little Sisters" in the 1940s and themes for shows such as Green Acres, establishing him as a go-to talent for quirky, memorable television music.[5] In 1964, Levy, a longtime friend and former NBC executive, approached Mizzy to create the theme for the upcoming Addams Family series, selecting him for his ability to blend humor with atmospheric scoring.[5] Mizzy, who had transitioned to freelance work after years in advertising jingles and Hollywood films, accepted the commission from Filmways Productions, eager to match the source material's dark whimsy.[6] The theme song was conceived that same year specifically to encapsulate the Addams clan's "macabre yet humorous" essence, drawing on the era's gothic Hollywood influences like shadowy Universal monster films and playful, offbeat scores from composers such as Bernard Herrmann.[6] Working alone in a single session, Mizzy improvised the core melody on harpsichord, incorporating finger snaps to evoke a sinister snap of the fingers, and penned the lyrics to highlight the family's eerie allure.[6] This rapid creation process reflected Mizzy's intuitive style, honed from decades of quick-turnaround television work, resulting in a tune that immediately became synonymous with the series' satirical take on American domesticity.[5]Musical Composition
The theme's musical composition features a jazzy, bouncy rhythm in 4/4 time at a tempo of approximately 120-124 BPM, creating an upbeat yet macabre swing that parodies horror conventions.[7][8] Composer Vic Mizzy employed a small ensemble of four musicians, including harpsichord for an antique Gothic texture, drum for percussion, bass clarinet for low-end depth, and bass violin for rhythmic foundation, with the drum largely supplanted by the signature finger snaps executed by the cast and crew.[9][10] The piece is structured in verse-chorus form, centered on a concise 16-bar melody that opens with the paired finger snaps and a playful harpsichord riff, escalating through syncopated phrases to a layered choral harmony in the chorus.[5] This repetitive, hook-driven design ensures immediate recognizability, with the snaps punctuating the downbeats to mimic a heartbeat-like pulse. Mizzy's arrangement deliberately balances spookiness with humor by eschewing ominous orchestral swells or dissonant strings typical of horror scores, instead opting for whimsical percussion substitutes and light, satirical orchestration to underscore the family's eccentric charm.[9] The closing theme variation shifts to a purely instrumental outro, incorporating novelty sounds like triangle chimes, wooden block strikes, a siren whistle, and a duck call to inject absurd comedy at the episode's end.[5]Lyrics and Performance
Lyrics
The lyrics of "The Addams Family" theme song, written by composer Vic Mizzy for the 1964 television series, are as follows:They're creepy and they're kookyThese lyrics capture the essence of the Addams Family's eccentric world through playful rhyme and repetition, designed to immediately convey the characters' macabre yet endearing nature. Mizzy crafted the words to sum up the show's premise in a concise, memorable way, blending horror tropes with humor to fit the sitcom's comedic tone.[12] A key aspect of the lyrics' charm lies in their linguistic quirks and wordplay, including invented terms like "ooky," which Mizzy coined to evoke a sense of whimsical eeriness and amplify the family's affectionate weirdness. Similarly, "scre-am" is stylized as a drawn-out scream to rhyme with "museum" and "see 'em," turning potential fright into a punchline that highlights the family's delightful oddity rather than genuine terror. This approach draws from the satirical spirit of Charles Addams' original New Yorker cartoons, where ghoulish scenarios were paired with witty, understated captions to humanize the bizarre.[11] Thematically, the lyrics emphasize family unity and togetherness—"They're all together ooky"—portraying the Addams as a cohesive, loving unit despite (or because of) their unconventional traits, which subverts traditional horror by focusing on warmth and acceptance over fear. The closing lines invite viewers into this world with a sense of fun adventure, reinforcing the song's role in setting a lighthearted, inclusive tone for the series. Finger snaps punctuate the chorus, enhancing the rhythmic playfulness of the words.[12]
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky
The Addams Family Their house is a museum
When people come to see 'em
They really are a scre-am
The Addams Family (Neat)
(Sweet)
(Petite) So get a witch's shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams Family[11]