Morticia Lyrics — Addams Family, The

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• What it is: A Gomez-led hymn of devotion with a chorus of Male Ancestors, built for swagger and comic insistence.
• Where it appears: On the Original Broadway Cast Recording, it follows "One Normal Night," which tells you the temperature of the room: nerves high, manners brittle.
• Who performs it on the 2010 album: Nathan Lane with the Male Ancestors.
• Album timing: Track 7, running 3:49.
• Show date anchor: The Broadway opening was April 8, 2010; the cast recording release was June 8, 2010.

The Addams Family (2010) - stage musical - non-diegetic. This number behaves like a marital trumpet blast: Gomez announces his wife as legend, then repeats the claim until the air itself starts to agree. In a show obsessed with "normal," the joke is that love is not quiet, private, or tasteful. It is noisy. It recruits backup singers. It kicks the furniture a little.

The writing is shrewd about its target. This is not romance as candlelight. It is romance as public ritual. The Ancestors function like an overzealous Greek chorus, turning the household into a cheering section. That choice also gives the actor a gift: you can play it as sincere praise, as a pep talk aimed at the room, or as a defensive spell cast to keep the night from curdling.

Morticia! Morticia! The name alone is gold.

That opening is a thesis and a grin. The lyric treats a proper name like a magic word: say it, and the world shifts toward adoration. As stated in Musicnotes' published sheet listing, this line is the lyric start in the licensed arrangement, and it tells you exactly where the song plants its flag.

Creation History

The Broadway production opened in April 2010, and the cast album was recorded on April 19, 2010, then released on June 8, 2010 by Decca Broadway. The score is by Andrew Lippa (music and lyrics), and the album credits keep him close to the sound as producer, too. That matters for a track like this: its punch depends on timing, orchestral bite, and a chorus that lands like a well-drilled joke.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

The musical runs on a collision: Wednesday has fallen for Lucas, a sweet, thoroughly "normal" boy, and their families attempt a dinner that turns into a minefield of secrets and etiquette. Gomez tries to manage the chaos without betraying his wife, and Morticia senses the cover-up long before anyone admits it. The story keeps flirting with domestic realism, then drags it back into Addams-land, where every feeling gets a costume change.

Song Meaning

At heart, this is Gomez insisting on the myth of his marriage while the household starts to wobble. The title points at the matriarch, but the real subject is him: his worship, his pride, and his need to keep the household story stable. When you hear the Ancestors pile in, the meaning sharpens. This is love as tradition, love as family brand, love as a chorus line that refuses to sit quietly at the dinner table.

Annotations

No user annotations were provided, so these are performance-facing notes: what the song is doing with character, rhythm, and theatrical focus.

The name alone is gold.

In a standard love song, you might get metaphor, moonlight, a hand on the cheek. Here, the lyric goes straight to reputation and aura. She is not only loved, she is celebrated. That choice keeps the number brisk and funny, and it sets up a useful contrast later when Morticia's confidence takes a hit.

Style, rhythm, and the show’s musical dialect

Andrew Lippa has said he wrote to character, and the Broadway materials and criticism often describe how Gomez gets a Spanish-leaning musical flavor while other characters move in different directions. This number sits comfortably in that idea: it plays like a bold, rhythmic declaration, with the Ancestors acting as percussion made human.

Emotional arc

There is a small arc from proclamation to insistence. First comes the banner-waving. Then comes the subtle edge: the sense that he needs the room to believe him. That tension is the actor's playground. If you keep it too smooth, it becomes a simple tribute. If you let a little anxiety leak in, it becomes a defense mechanism with a grin.

Technical Information (Quick Facts)

• Artist: Nathan Lane; Male Ancestors
• Featured: Ensemble vocals (Male Ancestors)
• Composer: Andrew Lippa
• Producer: Andrew Lippa
• Release Date: June 8, 2010
• Genre: Musical theatre; stage and screen
• Instruments: Voice; orchestra; ensemble vocals
• Label: Decca Broadway
• Mood: Devoted; comic bravura; insistent
• Length: 3:49
• Track #: 7 (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Language: English
• Album (if any): The Addams Family - Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Music style: Broadway character number with chant-like ensemble backing
• Poetic meter: Mixed; speech-driven phrasing with repeated refrains

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sings this number on the Original Broadway Cast Recording?

Nathan Lane as Gomez, joined by the Male Ancestors as backing chorus.

Why is the title a proper name?

Because the song is a public act of praise. It treats the name itself like a spell: speak it, and the household story steadies.

Is this track on the 2010 cast album?

Yes. It is Track 7 on the Original Broadway Cast Recording.

How long is it on the album?

3:49 on the cast album track listing.

Is it a solo or an ensemble piece?

It plays as a lead vocal supported by an ensemble response. The Male Ancestors are part hype squad, part ritual chorus.

What is the published key in a common piano-vocal arrangement?

B minor, as listed in a widely used licensed sheet arrangement.

What tempo should performers aim for?

The licensed listing marks it Agitato with a metronome note of quarter note equals 106. Productions may shade that faster or slower for comic timing.

Is it meant to sound romantic or funny?

Both. The laughter comes from the scale of the devotion and the way it recruits witnesses, but the affection has to be real or the joke collapses.

Does the track have a single release history?

It is best known as part of the cast album rather than as an independent single, at least in widely documented release records.

Awards and Chart Positions

The number itself is not typically tracked as a standalone chart entry, but the album and show have clear public records. The Tony Awards site lists The Addams Family as a 2010 nominee for Best Original Score (Andrew Lippa). Billboard's Cast Albums chart (as reported in a BroadwayWorld roundup for the week ending June 19, 2010) placed the Original Broadway Cast Recording at number 2.

How to Sing Morticia

Based on a commonly used licensed sheet arrangement, the published key is B minor, with a listed vocal range of A#3 to Ab5. The tempo marking is Agitato with a metronome note of quarter note equals 106. Treat that as a starting point, then let the text and ensemble cues decide the final pace.

1. Tempo first: Set your internal pulse at 106 and practice speaking the lyric rhythm on that beat. If the consonants smear, slow down and rebuild clarity.
2. Diction as comedy: This number lives on clean attacks. Aim for crisp initial consonants and short, energized vowels. Do not over-round the sound; keep it conversational.
3. Breath planning: Mark breaths where the thought changes, not where the lungs panic. If you are leading an ensemble response, save air for the cues that trigger them.
4. Flow and drive: Agitato is not speed for its own sake. It is forward motion. Keep the line moving and resist holding notes longer than the style supports.
5. Accents and shape: Build small crescendos into repeated name-calls, then release. The pattern is praise, repeat, intensify, land.
6. Ensemble coordination: Practice with a metronome, then with a rehearsal track, then with live voices. The chorus answers must feel inevitable, not delayed.
7. Mic and placement: If amplified, avoid shouting. Let the mic catch the bite of the text. If unamplified, keep resonance forward and let the orchestra carry weight.
8. Common pitfalls: Rushing the punch lines, flattening dynamics, and treating the chorus as background. This is a public declaration, so the leadership has to be audible.

Additional Info

The licensed sheet listing for this song is practical and specific: it names the publisher (Hal Leonard Music Publishing), marks the tempo as Agitato, and even supplies a metronome value. That is a quiet reminder of what this number is built to do: move. It is not a reflective ballad, it is a character engine.

A small theatrical pleasure: the title points at Morticia, but the spotlight belongs to Gomez. The joke is affectionate. He praises her like a monument, and the ancestors cheer like they have season tickets. If you want a one-sentence definition of the Addams marriage in this show, that is close enough.

Key Contributors

Sources

Sources: Playbill cast album release notice (June 8, 2010), Wikipedia track listing for the original cast recording, Tony Awards nominees list (2010), BroadwayWorld Billboard Top Cast Albums chart roundup (week ending June 19, 2010), Ovrtur recording database entry (track performer credits), Musicnotes licensed sheet listing (key, metronome, range, publisher), AllMusic album entry (recording date and release date)