In The Arms Lyrics - Addams Family, The

Song Overview

“In the Arms” is the comic-romantic duet for Mal and Alice Beineke in The Addams Family musical, sung by Terrence Mann and Carolee Carmello on the Original Broadway Cast Recording. Written and produced for record by Andrew Lippa, it lands late in Act Two - a quick, funny reset of a marriage told through a squid, suction cups, and renewed courage. The lyrics lean playful, the feeling lands sincere, and the track sets up the show’s slow walk into its finale.

Review & Highlights

The song plays like a wink and a vow. Over a bright, almost seaside sway, Mal confesses that a squid - yes, a literal cephalopod - cracked his shell, while Alice matches him beat for beat until they reach a shared promise. It’s brisk, a little salty, and it cleans the palate before the curtain’s bigger swell. For listeners, the lyrics are the hook, but it’s the timing that sells it - “In the Arms” lands just before the last stretch, so its joke turns into glue for the family’s final unity.

Song review. The arrangement keeps it nimble: pit-orchestra sparkle, patter-like verses, and an easy chorus that invites a grin. Mann leans into crisp consonants; Carmello threads warmth through the rhyme. The track is produced with cast-album clarity - close vocals, pit tucked underneath - typical of Decca’s Broadway releases in that era.

Full plot beat. After a rough dinner and a truth-serum mishap, Mal admits he’s been stuck. The squid encounter becomes his ridiculous metaphor for surrender and change. Alice hears him, mirrors him, and they recommit. The lyric’s running gag about sushi keeps things light while the subtext - midlife thaw, marriage reboot - gets to breathe.

Key takeaways

• Comic metaphor carries real stakes - a marriage resets without heavy melodrama.
• Short form, sharp lyrics, clean production - very cast-album friendly.
• Placed near the end to set up the closing numbers.

Verse 1

Mal starts in mock-earnest confession, swapping therapy-speak for tentacles. The rhythm sits close to patter, which lets punchlines land without dragging the tempo.

Chorus

The hook repeats “In the arms of a squid,” turning absurdity into a banner. It’s catchy because it’s specific - the kind of line cast albums are made for.

Exchange/Bridge

Alice steps in, counters, then aligns. Their back-and-forth is staged like a couples’ volley - you can hear them smiling even without the visuals.

Final Build

They stack affirmations, rhyme into release, and leave space for applause - then the album heads toward “Move Toward the Darkness.”

Song Meaning and Annotations

At heart, this is a comic metaphor for consent and change. Mal, the buttoned-up dad, discovers that loosening control is the whole trick. The squid is the joke and the teacher.

This song takes place right before the finale, Move Towards The Darkness, and is Mal’s telling of how he made love to the giant squid in the Addams' basement.

That placement matters. Coming just before the finale, the piece resets the Beinekes so the whole clan can converge without dead weight.

The writing toggles between patter and lyrical release. There’s a tap of vaudeville here - a Broadway lineage where a good joke disarms a tough truth.

As he tells, the squid has showed him a new side of life and made him feel love the way he used to.

So the comedy carries a midlife note: falling back into love by admitting you don’t know everything anymore.

The sushi line isn’t just a rimshot; it’s a button that tags the theme of appetite and risk.

A reference to how sushi is raw fish, and when something is alive, it obviously hasn’t been cooked.

Raw is the point - emotional rawness reframed as taste acquired under pressure.

Stylistically, “In the Arms” fuses light music-theatre bounce with crisp, speech-forward phrasing. It’s scored to move - the orchestra decorates, the voices drive.

“In the arms of a squid” - repeated like a mantra - keeps the image funny enough to hold the metaphor in place.

The repetition works as a chant that cancels cynicism, which is exactly what Mal needs to do.

Historically, the album dropped in June 2010 with Andrew Lippa wearing several hats - composer, lyricist, and album producer. That tidy pipeline is why the cut feels so coherent with the stage moment.

“Featuring most of the show's musical numbers, it was released on June 8, 2010.”

That’s the cast-recording sweet spot: capture the scene, make it replayable on the subway.

Message

Drop the armor, choose your person, and laugh while you do it. That’s the message dressed in calamari.

“This song takes place right before the finale...”

In story terms, it’s a hinge - the Beinekes get right so the final tableau can include them for real.

Emotional tone

Starts cheeky, turns tender. The actors shade the vowels so the joke never undercuts the vow.

“She saw your soul... She took control.”

Those little admissions change the temperature from farce to affection.

Production

Recorded April 19, 2010 at MSR Studios in New York, the album bears that clean, intimate Broadway-cast sheen - vocals on top, pit bright but balanced.

“Recording Date: April 19, 2010 - Recording Location: MSR Studios, NYC.”

It’s engineered for replay, not spectacle - perfect for a dialogue-driven duet.

Instrumentation

Larry Hochman’s orchestrations keep colors light - reeds, strings, rhythm pocket - with dance-friendly pulse and crisp hits for the punchlines.

“The production features orchestrations by Larry Hochman and dance arrangements by August Eriksmoen.”

Those credentials tell you why the groove sits just right under patter.

Creation history

The album was released by Decca Broadway on June 8, 2010, produced for records by Andrew Lippa, with the full Broadway company that featured Terrence Mann and Carolee Carmello among the principals.

“The 21-track album is produced by the show's composer-lyricist, Andrew Lippa... The cast recording gets released by Decca Broadway on June 8.”

That alignment between writer and producer helps explain the song’s tight fit inside the show’s arc.

Key Facts

• Artist: Terrence Mann & Carolee Carmello
• Featured: Original Broadway Cast of The Addams Family
• Composer: Andrew Lippa
• Lyricist: Andrew Lippa
• Producer: Andrew Lippa
• Release Date: June 8, 2010
• Genre: Musical theatre - show tune
• Instruments: Broadway pit orchestra - reeds, brass, strings, percussion, rhythm section
• Label: Decca Broadway
• Mood: Playful - affirming
• Length: ~2 minutes, mid-tempo comic duet
• Track #: 18
• Language: English
• Album: The Addams Family (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Music style: Patter-tinged musical comedy with lyrical chorus
• Poetic meter: Mixed - conversational patter into regular stress patterns
• © Copyrights: Decca Broadway / Decca Label Group, 2010

Questions and Answers

Who produced “In the Arms”?

Andrew Lippa produced the Original Broadway Cast Recording session that includes this track.

When was it released?

June 8, 2010, via Decca Broadway.

Who wrote it?

Andrew Lippa wrote both music and lyrics for the song and the broader score.

Where does it sit in the show?

Late Act Two, just before the closing run to “Move Toward the Darkness.”

Who sings on the cast album cut?

Terrence Mann (Mal) and Carolee Carmello (Alice), with company voices tucked in the mix.

Awards and Chart Positions

Album charts. The cast album appeared on Billboard’s Top Cast Albums chart, reaching at least no. 4 the week ending June 26, 2010, and standing at no. 8 the week ending August 21, 2010.

Production honors. While not song-specific, the Broadway production collected design kudos and more during its run, including Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for set design, with broader recognition across the season.

How to Sing “In the Arms”?

Vocal ranges. Typical casting places Mal around C3–A4, with Alice sitting roughly Ab3–G#5. If you’re covering both, set the key to favor the duet blend rather than top notes.

Tempo and feel. Keep it buoyant - a moderate clip that lets the patter breathe. Smile on the consonants; the comedy is in the diction.

Breath strategy. Favor short, frequent breaths between patter units. Land the rhyme, then release into the sustained vow at the close.

Character notes. Mal’s arc is controlled man loosening up; Alice starts amused, turns aligned. Play the turn without winking too hard at the joke.

Blend. In the duet lines, match vowels on held words like “endless” so the harmony reads as one thought, not two solos.