WARNING! This post contains minor SPOILERS for Wednesday!Wednesday’s intro doesn’t reuse The Addams Family’s iconic theme song, but the tune is still worked into the series. The Addams Family theme song debuted in 1964 for the original sitcom, and has become recognizable in pop culture ever since. The simple lyrics describing the title family, the harpsichord notes, finger-snapping, and Lurch’s interjections are iconic elements of the spooky song composed by Vic Mizzy. Directed by Tim Burton, Netflix’s Wednesday uses a gothic theme composed by Danny Elfman for its intro credits, but doesn’t include any lyrics or snaps like in The Addams Family song.
Somewhat surprisingly, The Addams Family theme isn’t used at all in Netflix’s Wednesday soundtrack. However, Wednesday’s exclusion of the song makes sense; this is a series about Wednesday, not the Addams family. As such, the show deserved a new theme song that is solely inspired by Wednesday Addams, with Danny Elfman fittingly giving the opening title sequence a darker, gothic twist that reflects the title character. Wednesday also isn’t a lighthearted family-oriented series, so the new theme represents the more ominous, dark, and dramatic tone of the young adult show.
How Music Is Still Important To The Wednesday Show
In addition to Tim Burton's direction and a perfect cast, Wednesday’s music gives it an authentic advantage, as Danny Elfman is well-known for composing incredible gothic scores. Both Elfman’s score and the various songs that play throughout Wednesday elevate the series’ eerie atmosphere, with each genre of music giving insight into the characters. Gomez and Morticia sing love ballads to one another, Wednesday plays classical music on her cello or listens to Spanish songs on vinyl, and Enid plays pop songs that are essentially a form of torture for Wednesday.
Music in Wednesday has a much greater meaning than simple nostalgia, but Danny Elfman’s score does still incorporate the macabre themes and harpsichord notes attached to The Addams Family. Even without the iconic original song, Wednesday's music still connects the coming-of-age story to the larger Addams Family franchise while establishing it as its own entity. Leaning into teenage Wednesday Addams’ character traits, her cello talent is often worked into the show’s music, such as the numerous instrumental covers of hits songs like “Paint It, Black,” “Don’t Stop,” and “Nothing Else Matters.” Since music is often used to elevate the series’ tone and maintain The Addams Family’s gothic style, it's a character of its own within Wednesday.
Netflix's Wednesday Still Incorporates The Iconic Addams Family Snap
Despite not including a rendition of The Addams Family theme song, Wednesday still incorporates one iconic element of the tune. The double snap heard throughout The Addams Family song now has a different, more meaningful purpose in Netflix’s Wednesday. Snapping twice is the secret code used to enter the Nightshades Library at Nevermore Academy, which was established by Wednesday Addams' ancestors. As such, Wednesday gives the classic snapping feature of The Addams Family theme song a deeper meaning and presence in the family's history.