Happy/Sad Lyrics — Addams Family, The

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• What it is: A Gomez ballad that wears a smile and a bruise at the same time.
• Where it sits: Act II, in the yard, after the dinner fallout and before the lovers prove their bravery.
• Who performs it on the 2010 cast album: Nathan Lane (as Gomez).
• Album placement: Track 14, running 3:55.
• Release anchor: The Broadway opening was April 8, 2010; the cast recording release was June 8, 2010.

The Addams Family (2010) - stage musical - non-diegetic. Gomez meets Wednesday outside and discovers the parental paradox: pride and loss arrive holding hands. In the show, this is the calm after a stormy dinner, but it is not a rest stop. It is a reset. The character stops joking long enough to admit that growing up is a kind of haunting. Then the plot can move again.

What makes the number work is its plainness. Andrew Lippa gives Gomez a lyric that does not over-explain. It circles a single sensation: happiness, then sadness, then the quick switch back. That is not just sentiment. It is stagecraft. The audience needs to see Wednesday through her father's eyes for a few minutes, so that the next romantic dare feels earned rather than cute.

Key takeaways

• It reframes the show from farce to family, without abandoning humor.
• It turns Gomez into more than a romantic lead - he becomes a parent with stakes.
• Its pacing creates a breath of quiet that sharpens the next scene's risk.

Creation History

According to Playbill, the cast album was recorded on April 19, 2010 and released on June 8, 2010 through Decca Broadway, with Lippa producing the recording. The published sheet listing for this song carries a 2009 date, which matches the piece's pre-Broadway development period. A number like this is often refined in rehearsal rooms because it has to do two jobs at once: deliver feeling and keep the evening moving.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

After the disastrous family dinner, Wednesday runs into Gomez outside. He is glad she has found love, but he cannot ignore what it costs him: his daughter is changing, and the family rhythm is changing with her. Their exchange leaves Wednesday uneasy about whether she and Lucas can bridge their differences. The story then pivots to a show of trust: Lucas blindfolds Wednesday and invites a dangerous stunt with a crossbow, a theatrical way of saying, "I believe you."

Song Meaning

The song is Gomez admitting that joy and grief can share the same breath. He is not fighting Wednesday's love. He is mourning time. In a comedy, that can be tricky: too much sincerity and the show sags, too much joke and the scene becomes disposable. Here the writing keeps the feeling simple and rhythmic, like a heart that cannot decide which beat to emphasize.

Annotations

No user annotations were provided, so these notes focus on scene logic, phrasing, and what the text signals to performers.

Happy, sad, happy, sad.

This is the central device: not a clever metaphor, but a pulse. It sounds almost childlike, which is precisely the point. Gomez is speaking from a place older than sophistication: the gut-level shock of seeing your kid become a young adult.

Right and wrong.

The lyric opens with moral language, then shifts toward feeling. That arc matters in performance. Do not play it like a lecture. Play it like a man trying to name what he is sensing before the moment disappears.

Style, rhythm, and the driving sway

Some commentary about the score has described this number as a ballad with a classic Broadway sensibility, and it does lean into that tradition: measured tempo, clear melodic line, and words that land without gymnastics. The tempo marking in a common licensed listing is quarter note equals 90, which supports that steady, reflective walk rather than a rush.

Emotional arc

The arc is a gentle turn, not a big swell. Gomez begins with observation, then lets the observation become confession. If you push for a huge finish, you miss the intimacy. The better choice is to let the emotion sit in the repetition, then let the scene end before the feeling can curdle.

Technical Information (Quick Facts)

• Artist: Nathan Lane
• Featured: Cast orchestra
• Composer: Andrew Lippa
• Producer: Andrew Lippa
• Release Date: June 8, 2010
• Genre: Musical theatre; stage and screen
• Instruments: Voice; orchestra
• Label: Decca Broadway
• Mood: Reflective; tender; bittersweet
• Length: 3:55
• Track #: 14 (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Language: English
• Album (if any): The Addams Family - Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Music style: Broadway ballad built on conversational clarity
• Poetic meter: Mixed; speech-led phrasing with repeated refrain

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sings it on the Original Broadway Cast Recording?

Nathan Lane, performing as Gomez Addams, is credited for the cast album track.

Where does the scene happen onstage?

Outside in the yard, when Gomez and Wednesday finally get a quieter moment after the dinner chaos.

What is the dramatic purpose of the number?

It lets Gomez admit the cost of change, which deepens the family stakes right before the lovers prove their trust.

Is it a solo or a dialogue song?

It is primarily a Gomez feature, with Wednesday present in the scene and the emotional conversation shaping how it lands.

Why is the refrain so repetitive?

Repetition is the point: it mirrors the way a parent flips between pride and grief in seconds, without resolving either.

What is the cast-album track length?

3:55 on the published track listing.

What key and tempo do many singers use in practice?

A common licensed sheet listing gives Db major with a metronome note of quarter note equals 90, and it is transposable for comfort.

Does the song function as diegetic music in the story world?

No. It is staged as a character number, not music the characters would hear from a source within the scene.

How does it connect to the next scene?

It leaves Wednesday uncertain, then the show answers uncertainty with action: the crossbow test becomes a theatrical vow of trust.

Was it released as a separate single?

It is best documented as part of the cast album rather than a standalone commercial single.

Awards and Chart Positions

The number is not tracked as a standalone chart entry, but its parent album and show have clear public milestones. As stated on the Tony Awards site, the production earned a 2010 nomination for Original Musical Score (music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa). In Billboard's Top Cast Albums chart recap published by BroadwayWorld for the week ending June 19, 2010, the Original Broadway Cast Recording is listed at number 2.

How to Sing Happy/Sad

Using one common licensed listing as a reference point: Db major, quarter note equals 90, and a stated vocal range of Db4 to Db5. Many performers transpose the key to suit their instrument and comfort, but the tempo and phrasing logic tend to stay consistent.

1. Start with the walk: Set a steady pulse at 90 and speak the text on that beat. If the line feels rushed, you are pushing - this number wants space.
2. Sing conversationally: The power is in clarity, not volume. Keep vowels clean, and let consonants land gently, like punctuation rather than percussion.
3. Shape the refrain: Each return of the main phrase needs a slightly different shade: first surprised, then admitting, then resigned, then affectionate.
4. Plan breath like acting beats: Breathe where the thought changes. Treat breaths as turns in the mind, not as emergencies.
5. Keep dynamics modest: Save the biggest sound for one chosen moment. A constant swell makes the song feel like a generic ballad, which it is not.
6. Mind the top note: If Db5 sits high, focus on ease rather than force. Brighten the placement and release the jaw, so the note reads as sincerity instead of strain.
7. Coordinate with accompaniment: Ask the pianist or pit to keep the harmonic rhythm clear. When the accompaniment becomes too sentimental, the number can sag.
8. Common pitfalls: Oversinging, dragging tempo, and playing sadness as gloom. The point is the switch, not a long cry.

Additional Info

In the show, Gomez is often the engine of charm: romantic, theatrical, a little showman. This number is the rare moment where the engine idles and you hear the man. It is also a sly bit of pacing. After a loud ensemble stretch, the audience needs a human-scale scene before the plot asks for another stunt. This is the musical giving itself permission to breathe.

One useful staging note from the script pages that circulate in licensed materials: the dialogue around the song is intimate and specific, which suggests minimal movement. Let the stillness do work. A single look at Wednesday can carry more weight than any added business with props.

Key Contributors

Sources

Sources: Playbill news: Addams Family Troupers Record Cast Album April 19; Playbill news: Addams Family Cast Album Released June 8; IBDB production listing for The Addams Family (opening date and venue); AllMusic album entry (release date and recording date); Wikipedia: The Addams Family (musical) (synopsis beat and track listing with length); Musicnotes sheet listing for Happy / Sad (key, tempo, range, publisher, date); Tony Awards nominations list (2010 Original Musical Score); BroadwayWorld Billboard Top Cast Albums chart recap (week ending June 19, 2010); YouTube Topic upload for the cast recording track