A great 20th century musician\arranger\conductor. His arrangements and orc… Read Full Bio ↴A great 20th century musician\arranger\conductor. His arrangements and orchestral backing were used on the great Frank Sinatra albums starting with "Songs for swingin' lovers" in the 50's. A very modest man, his remuneration for the Sinatra works were only those of a session musician, improving only when Nat King Cole insisted Capitol records pay him the full entitlement. Very highly regarded amongst musicians and his many fans worldwide.

Theme
nelson riddle & his orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

They're creepy and they're kooky
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky
The Addams family
Their house is a museum
Where people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams family

Neat
Sweet
Petite

So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on

We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams family

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "The Addams Family" by Nelson Riddle & his Orchestra describe the odd and quirky characteristics of the Addams family. The song notes that the Addams family is creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky, but they remain together and oozy regardless of their unconventional behavior. The family's home is also a museum, where people come to see them, indicating that the Addams's oddity is something people are interested in observing. The song concludes by encouraging the listener to put on their witches shawl and grab a broomstick to visit the Addams family.

Line by Line Meaning

They're creepy and they're kooky
The members of the Addams family are unsettling and odd

Mysterious and spooky
The family and their behavior are inexplicable and eerie

They're all together ooky
Despite their strange behavior and unsettling ways, they have a strong sense of unity and togetherness

The Addams family
The subject of the song and the focus of attention

Their house is a museum
The family's home is filled with oddities and artifacts, like a museum

Where people come to see 'em
The family is a spectacle, and people visit their home to witness their strange behavior

They really are a scream
The family's behavior is entertaining, though also alarming or distressing

Neat
Tidy and organized

Sweet
Pleasant and endearing

Petite
Small and delicate

So get a witches shawl on
Prepare yourself to fit in with the Addams family's spooky aesthetic

A broomstick you can crawl on
A form of transportation that is stereotypically associated with witches and other spooky creatures

We're gonna pay a call on
We are going to visit

The Addams family
The destination of the visit

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Vic Mizzy

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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Comments from YouTube:

@joseosmirfiorelli2527

36w↑3

I loved this TV serie. Thank for the post.

@tonygumbrell22

20w↑1

There are eight million people in the city, and each of them has a story to tell.

@J.DeLaPoer

1y↑12

Riddle was a genius, and his Naked City themes are my favourites. Just incredible compositions that really don’t get the credit they deserve due to being “merely” theme songs.

@aspeigher

16w↑2

Classic retro hour shaken not stirred.

@jamescalifornia2964

41w↑1

• Route 66 theme was a classic Nelson Riddle gem 🎶👌

@jamesfox2579

24w↑2

I love this!💕🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️

@AlfredColeman-zs1jm

47w↑3

Yes, Nelson Riddle was a very smooth writer. He had me wanting Corvette 10 years old back in 62.. 1962

@federicocasari

14y↑16

Nelson Riddle is one of the greatest arranger, maybe the greatest arranger ever. In the first tune I love the use of the trombones. It's difficult to find another arranger so intense in writing for these delightful instruments.

@alansklar

3y↑2

Yup! I too love his trombones, especially on Sinatra songs.

@J.DeLaPoer

Riddle was a genius, and his Naked City themes are my favourites. Just incredible compositions that really don’t get the credit they deserve due to being “merely” theme songs.

@douglascarlson9006

Can't stop listening to this ... CITY MUSIC!

@louisevolintine8384

45w

He was a concert trombonist, and his major in music school

@TM-nd6zs

3y↑14

This is a Nelson Riddle masterpiece that I have listened to on a Riddle CD for decades and still can't stop experiencing it happily!

@bobmalack481

3y↑22

Does anybody notice a touch of class with the sweeping violin refrains that keeps it from becoming over 'too jazzy'? Robert at 68.

@douglascarlson9006

1y↑5

I'm a boomer and I absolutely loved this - thank you.

@jamesfox2579

48w↑2

@@douglascarlson9006 Me Too @ 62!💕😁

@douglascarlson9006

48w↑1

@@jamesfox2579 James, I've been listening to this several times a week for the past 4 months ... city music!

@alankiefer5477

36w↑1

Fantastic….reminds me of Route 66

@TheRacingEar

4y↑15

I caught this yesterday and I am staggered! It’s constantly in my brain. The theme for my day! Thank you. This is brilliant! Reminds me of my grandmother smoking in her living room!

@louishamilton9648

47w↑2

‘Have some more sherry, my dear’

@hfelton

12y↑6

I was just entering Junior High in NYC (Middle School in most of the country) when Naked City debuted. It was always THE New York city show to me with most of its guest stars as offbeat, often troubled lost souls. That's why it amazes me that for decades it has only been shown in reruns once in NYC, c. 1990. Since it was shot in NYC, they had their pick of veteran and aspiring theater actors, Redford, Klugman, George C. Scott, Peter Falk, Shatner, the great Luther Adler and dozens of others.

@terryyates8014

7y↑6

Timeless music,.. sounds just as fresh today as it did back then.

@boomerang905

6y↑10

Does anyone recall looking at a weekly series and enjoying the themes as much as the series? The late 50s and early to mid 60s were wonderful decades for that.

@retta1960

5y↑7

Classic cool....... beautiful....wonderful music to relax to. :)

@GOOSEYGOOSE9

4y↑11

There Are Eight Million Stories In The Naked City. This Has Been One Of Them.

@eddiemunster4094

3y↑1

That exact cliche is used a song title by Kurtis Blow rapper from early 80' s just g a fact! Awesome song and series!

@user-cc5yt3qo3e

31w↑2

❤B4 ALL THE GLITZ N GLAM WENT UP❤

@giant62

13y↑5

Loved this series of the late 60s. There were a million stories in the Naked City.....each week was one of them. Vintage detective drama with some great actors of that era

@patequiguapacha5382

4y↑1

There are 8 millions stories in the Naked City, this has been one of them.

@jorgesixtoantonio3162

3y↑3

THANKS YOU NELSON RIDDLE & ORCHESTRA FOREVER

@robertc8110

1y↑1

Like them both!

@mrlopez-pz7pu

9y↑13

1:23 - the passage for muted trumpets almost made me fall out of my chair.....amazing, beautiful, and swingin'.

@kingbee1500

9y↑5

***** The muted horn is a Riddle trademark! Put to good effect in "Route 66," too. Of course, this is on my Road Trip I-Pod.

@compsecure77

6y↑6

Nelson Riddle and Hank Mancini owned the 60's tv themes with honourable mentions to Cacavas and Shifrin.

@abmrl14

8y↑16

There should be much more of this music, so that everyone can appreciate the that was out there ❤

@koolkitty108

4y↑3

Look up Hans Ehrlinger!

@tnate6004

3y↑2

I bought "The Best of Nelson Riddle" when I was a teen in the late 70's and fell in love with the first version here - but didn't find out until the 2010's when I finally saw Naked City that it was never used on the show but the Billy May version used was equally awesome.

@bobmalack481

7y↑11

Many instruments here, and well represented, but the whole song is framed around the plucky single string guitar refrain. I am partial to the lush background violins which gives it some class and keeps the composition from becoming too overly jazz band-ish, and more within the orchestra range. A great balance here. 'Route 66' is another exceptional Jazz/orchestra arrangement with again, lead single string guitar picking. The sweeping violins are outstanding and even more pronounced here as it adds a nice touch of posh. The chug-along base fiddle just keeps that tune moving right along, and l never tire of hearing it. 'Route 66', probably the greatest all time T.V. theme song ever. In both cases, hats off to Nelson Riddle.

@hectorlaracobos7480

41w

Hay otra obra monumental "Aves del Paraíso" del Señor Riddle; es un poema instrumental !

@normagee47

4y↑4

Great shows and the best themes to go with them in the 60’s

@kg3718

2y↑1

Isn’t it just the coolest music. Nelson Riddle one of the greatest

@nemo227

7y↑2

Totally danceable tune. I can recall hundreds of couples whirling around the dance floor back in the sixties. Yeah, they were definitely having a lot of fun.

@debbiepullman4629

48w↑1

Great music

@44032

10y↑7

It's wonderful to see this back. It got taken down for a while and it's one of my favorite You-tube clips.

@williammattos9158

3y↑2

It is icredibly!!! I love this song!!!

@danwithjesus

10y↑6

I've been listening to this tracks for two days and still listening while writing...very good music..it makes you feel joy and express it through dance

@johnmccormick5702

8y↑3

+danwithjesus . . . Helps me to be more productive, puts me in a good mood while dealing with customers. I appreciate the hard work and dedication that went into these tunes and the recording sessions.

@danwithjesus

8y↑3

+John McCormick Yeah...you and me both...all in all...still listening to this song even after a year...it didn't lost it's power...that's how you know is a good song...coming back to it over and over...

@jamesfox2579

3y↑1

I can't seem to get enough of this incredibly beauuuutiful instrumental music!❤️🤸

@kingbee1500

8y↑8

NELSON RIDDLE...that's all I need to hear...sign me UP!

@johnmccormick5702

8y↑3

+King Bee . . . I cannot hear enough of him. What talent and ability to put a crew together!! I have appreciated his, Percy Faith, Mancini since I was 11 years old. Strange part about it for me is that I am a pro Rock & Roll player and I have such a deep interest in this era and brand of music.

@r.crompton2286

7y↑2

It's not strange, sir. It's because you appreciate more than one genre of music. Liking this "brand" of music demonstrates that you have class.

@koolkitty108

I mean, here I am listening to electronic all of the time, but I also like jazz and this type of music

@larryshaver3568

@@johnmccormick5702 Me either that Naked City theme makes me think of Bill Holman another awesome composer

@wafego

Naked City foi um dos bons seriados que assisti nos anos 60.
Wagner / RJ / Brazil

@hhanley007

13y↑3

I can't get enough of this video. I've sent it out to lists I thought would enjoy it, too. If you liked the series, you will surely like this. And Nelson Riddle sure could perform those themes'. Thanks very much to whoever put this one together.

@jsbach15

14y↑10

God, TV was great back then!

@vernondavis3718

7y↑4

jsbach15 So was the music!!

@r.crompton2286

5y↑2

jsbach15 The representative detective shows and the live theatre presentations of the late 50's and early 60's e.g. United States Steel Hour, Playhouse 90 featured many great up and coming actors in roles that reflected the struggles and disappointments of everyday life. They offered little or no fantasy but gut-wrenching drama that conveyed to the viewers, both young and old, that life's no picnic. It was good preparation for my eventual entry into the dog-eat-dog world. My favourite TV play was Requiem for a Heavyweight that featured Jack Palance in the lead role.

@okfallsrose

8y↑8

Love the trombones in these tunes

@BrianGValentine

4y↑3

Riddle was a trombone soloist, so he scored for trombones heavily.

@larryshaver3568

Nelson Riddle was another one we lost much too young

@patrickvillers6454

Epic! from a generation that was just being born and now to a generation dieing.

@juliocordova5340

5y↑6

Toda la magia de los 60's...

@jessicastanley8913

10y↑21

Two haunting themes of a great TV series. The cream of the crop actors worked their way through this series. I catch it every Monday, am, on Me TV's Sunday Night Noir.Wonder if Olivier did one and I missed it?

@juanarismendigo6598

5y↑4

¡Increible! Este tema te hace estar en una ciudad cosmopolita con todo lo que siempre has querido y soñado aún en éste siglo XXI en donde ya no existen las buenas orquestas, todo es sucedáneo y realidad virtual. Al menos con respeto y admiración lo digo. De manera nostálgica ya no hay servicio postal o el telegrama que te emocionaba o te entristecía por algún motivo , fecha o celebración. Cierto es que ahora todo es más rápido hasta la ¡Muerte!. Pero se vivía con ilusiones, sueños y esperanzas. Hoy si no tienes un móvil 🎮📱🖥️💳📡📳 no vives ni eres parte de la sociedad. ¡Ni modo, aquí me quedo!

@paulomedeiros6416

9y↑3

Incrível Nelson Riddle!!!!!

@klmhookedmoore5847

4y↑4

I still like Billy May's rendition best. So NY during that era...gritty yet beautiful; almost melancholy.

@r.crompton2286

For the theme of a city stripped bare to reveal all its pain and anguish, I agree with you.

@darkoanton5

9y↑9

Love this tune.

@micheldowning9953

9y↑5

great music,

@jamesfox2579

3y↑1

Oh.... Me, TOO!❤️🤸🤸🤸🤸

@adilsoncosta8560

4y↑2

Assisti praticamente todos os episódios. Muito bom mesmo!!!

@richintalent

Smooooooth jazz....

@carolynabrown3395

7y↑40

Incredibly, I remembered this song! I was looking for it in connection with something I'm writing in African history - about a city. I remember the Naked City from my youth (I'm 72) and it was this series that made me want to live in New York. At one time the beginning had the skyline of New York. I fell in love with New York from then and I've lived here since 1966 - on the same block since 1968. I'm writing a book about an African city - Enugu - and it's my experiences in New York that give me insight into the whole field of urban studies. So Thanks Nelson Riddle!! "There are eight million stories in the Naked City". Right now I look at New York as the place where the world comes together - sometimes fighting, sometimes getting along . But usually creating a culture and a tolerance for difference that makes this city my home!!!

@scotnick59

4y↑3

Nice anecdote, Carolyn: thanks for sharing it!

@edwardmallon8679

4y↑2

I remember the naked city also. It was a absolutely brilliant. Also Johnny stacatto . Sorry for th spelling. Great

@dakotarocco2433

3y↑1

i know it is quite randomly asking but does anyone know of a good website to stream new tv shows online?

@malcolmalexis1471

3y↑1

@Dakota Rocco try FlixZone. You can find it on google =)

@mosesarturo6136

3y↑1

@Malcolm Alexis definitely, been using instaflixxer for since april myself :)

@user-jp5nt6dj5l

Essa musica é fantástica!!!

@michaelchapman4955

Just listening to this Nelson S. Riddle jazz like 'Naked City theme from when I was a boy growing up in LA reminds me of Capitol Melrose Studios at 5515 Melrose Ave around the corner from My Grandparents' home on N. Bronson Ave where Nelson Riddle recorded with Nat Cole, Peggy Lee, Sinatra & So many others in this vintage LA Mid-Wilshire Hollywood neighborhood & in later yrs at nearby Capitol Records at 1750 N. Vine St. & Yes, a rush of Special Memories

@punto_y_coma_con_esteban_mayor

"Hay ocho millones de historias (1963) en ciudad desnuda y ésta es sólo una de ellas.
Que series y qué tema maravilloso. Recordar es vivir!

@estelaminondo8865

Remember my time in New York

@Keeferboy

2y↑1

Whenever I see film of New York like this, I always think of all the mob activity running rampant back then.

@estelaminondo8865

Just Wanderfull

@kurtburgess1519

9y↑27

This arrangement from his 1962 "Route 66 Theme" album where he rearranged popular TV themes of the era. This is not the original arrangement though opening NYC aerial looks familiar. I prefer this cooler version. Riddle added some punch to most of the themes and in most cases, sounding better than originally broadcast.

@44032

9y↑6

***** The opening cand closing clips that are actually new York City are from the 1948 movie "The Naked City"

@boomerang905

6y↑3

Kurt Burgess absolutely.

@Cadmium77

god I love Nelson Riddles composition style..

@TheClaudinho2010

5y↑2

Love it!!!

@horaciorocha7979

8y↑3

maravillosa interpretacion del tema de la inolvidable serie de fines de los 50. (I don"t write english well,sorry).

@julioandrade2023

Coisa mais linda do mundo essas músicas

@RonaldCharlesEpstein

8y↑2

I don't remember seeing this view on my flight to NYC from Toronto in 1968.

@r.crompton2286

6y↑1

Depending on which airline you took from Hogtown to NYC, you're more likely to have followed a flight path that passed over the Bronx, touching down at La Guardia in the north section of Queens.
If you were sitting on the left side of the aircraft, you'd not see any of the Manhattan skyline and if seated on the right side, only a relatively distant view of it while losing altitude in preparation for landing.

@markusruhlmann5991

Unexplained cool

@nyrojamesdio765

4y↑1

SALUDOS ESCUCHÁNDOLOS DESDE BARRANCA PERU MARZO DEL 2020

@eisenjeisen6262

6y↑1

very nice

@BegoneJonah

13y↑3

@Tacophrenic - Boy, have you got that right. I just finished watching a documentary about Apollo 11; the United States back when we dared to dream and achieve. So what great things do we do now? We fret about high fructose corn syrup, self-esteem and build park benches from recycled water bottles. Paugh.

@hhanley007

10y↑7

Love this set. Glad they brought it back. It was gone for a while. I was disappointed when it went, because it seemed to me that wouldn't have happened if more listened to it. Glad MeTV is running the series, because it was a great series...one that encouraged our younger people to want to become police officers at that particular time. It probably serves that same purpose, because it also re-enforces hard work and dedication to getting the job done, and making no excuses for not doing so.
So, welcome back to an appreciative audience, Naked City!!

@marioiuishidalgoconcha8224

Magnífico sonido de niñez

@silviomarcusbarrososalgado6968

9y↑1

inigualável som!

@johnmccormick5702

8y↑1

Grave sessões deve ter sido muito duro e dedicado!!

@Skidoo22

6y↑1

Arranged by Nelson Riddle but orchestrated by Warren Barker, I believe. You can hear Warren Baker's orchestration style on the original Bewitched TV series.

@robertramsay7778

5y↑1

love this song super cool but that was nelson riddle

@DrWhiggs

13y↑2

What the-- why am I suddenly wearing a velvet smoking jacket? And why did my Coke turn into a martini?

@blazintommyd1

14y↑1

Willie Bobos - from Willie Bobo's Beat is the Best IMHO

@neurofire

13y↑1

@RIMSHOTSON2AND4 You sure got that right. And thanks for the info and expla. This is timeless - the NYC flyover footage totally works - 50 years later - with Mr. Riddle's elegant, non-pastoral aural essay . I think Burn Notice and so many other TV shows draw (consciously or unc.- ) from this gorgeous combination of big band jazz and city-set images to create an unambiguous show opening mood. Hollywood's creative Young Turks should invest themselves in exploring past riches like this.

@hhanley007

13y↑2

@9876543217303 I couldn't agree more. Many shows during that era encouraged the best in young kids to be the most they could be. The stuff they have out now, with few exceptions, doesn't do anything but hurt that instinct. Very sad, because television is such a powerful medium.

@tat2dluvboy

44w

💖🤩💖🤩💖🤩💖🤩💖🤩💖🤩💖🤩💖🤩💖🤩

@verycoolsound

14y↑3

May be on CD, but we took if from the vinyl originals.

@larryshaver3568

8y↑2

the "new naked city" theme is awesome can I get a tape or dc with this?

@44032

14y↑1

@44032 I'll add that the shots of the real city, (from the 1948 movie) are much more statisfying to look at than the obvious model in the middle shots, (is that the panarama from the 1939 World's Fair?

@Oldlionel

14y↑2

Hi, what is the name of the CD? I haven't been able to find this tune on CD. Thanks

@Tobiemoss

I got the geoff love orch version, quirky tune.

@albertosilva4212

33w

Decada de 60

@briang.valentine4311

45w↑1

Riddle was a trombonist, so his arrangements typically have a heavy trombone chorus. I really like the reverb sound in the recording. The only thing I would change in the arrangement is the string bass lines. The arrangement would be a lot better with better walking bass progressions on the chord changes.

@jamescalifornia2964

41w

I would add a bit more drums - mostly at the end 🎶

@231143able1

8y↑1

I dont remember very well but i think Naked City was filmed in Chicago having the main start to Lee Marvin. If i wrong please let me know.

@ktsmith2557

8y↑4

Naked City was NYC. You are recalling M Squad starring get Lee Marvin as a Chicago detective.

@231143able1

8y↑2

+ktsmith2557 Ok, thanks, regards. L. Baynham from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

@johnmccormick5702

8y↑2

Wonderful Music t say the least!! What a pleasure to communicate with someone from Buenos Aires!! I am a 64 year-old professional musician from South Dakota, USA. I am a Rock & Roll Lead Guitarist who still tours & performs 35 shows per year - - my favorite music (what I grew-up with listening to on AM Radio no-less!!) is really Percy Faith, Henri Mancini, Nelson Riddle, etc. There never has been or will be music that may be compared to this genre. I hope that you are in good health, and enjoying life. God's Speed and the best to you!!

@231143able1

Hey John, hello, it´s a pleasure to answer to you, and yes, i remember all those wonderful musics from the 50s and 60, also Jazz and Bossa Nova, for example Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim, well, we would need a lot time to remember all those melodies. One thing, you have to hear a legend of the jazz, the great cornet player, Mr. Bobby Hackett playing THE LAMP IS LOW, not words for this performance. Best Regards.

@lujerios

8y↑1

lee Marvin protagonizo la serie Ballinger de Chicago por supuesto que en Chicago, Naked City en New York.

@albertosilva4212

33w

Alguém me ajuda aí ,este e o tema do filme cidade nua, acertei?

@koolkitty108

Jazzy! Reminds me of spongebob in a way

@benderbendingrofriguez3300

is the intro theme Cool Jazz or what type of genre?

@carlosanchezalferez2838

como se llama el juego que aparece en el minuto 2 minutos con 30
el de la ciudad

@44032

14y↑1

I have the same record and always hated this arrangement but somehow the mix on this version of it is more intriguing. It's still not as good as the version played on the show. The seocnd part of it is Riddle's own theme for the show, which is not on that record.

@Jonathan-mh5pz

Lol, Simcity 4000?

@larryshaver3568

6y↑1

ashame stereo tv took so long

@scotnick59

5y↑1

hey, better late than never...

@bobmalack481

The plucky guitar picking and sweeping violins get me.

@schmidtwilliams2419

10y↑1

I LIKE THE FIRST THEME ... GREAT SAX BY WHOEVER DID IT DOES ANYBODY KNOWS WHO PLAYED THE SAX?????

@nickellodeon55

9y↑1

Could be Don Raffell. He and Riddle played together in Charlie Spivak's orchestra.

@robertstarkey4900

Ocean's 11 anybody?

@louishamilton9648

Bachelor pad music…

@larryshaver3568

8y↑1

that should be cd not dc

@hectorlaracobos7480

41w

Les recomiendo escuchar "Aves del Paraíso" es un poema instrumental del Señor Riddle !

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