MC Hammer and the Addams Groove

I spent a lot of my time as a kid with the radio on in the background. Nowadays, I hardly turn the radio on in the car. Usually when I do I just hit seek, hoping something interesting will pop up. Last weekend I was not disappointed. Because for some reason a local station played MC Hammer’s Addams Groove. I was over the moon!

For those not familiar Addams Groove by MC Hammer was released as the theme song to the 1991 film The Addams Family. This was oddly enough a swan song for Hammer. It would be his last top ten hit in the United States. To add insult to injury it was also the recipient of the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song at the 12th Golden Raspberry Awards in 1991.

The song would go onto chart worldwide and would eventually hit number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It helped to promote a film that grossed $113,502,246 in the United States and $191,502,246 worldwide.

Now I know the song is silly, but if you were excited for the release of The Addams Family back in 1991, like I was, this song was a big deal. It got a ton of radio play and the music video entered heavy rotation on Mtv.

It is the type of movie-related music video I love. Where they actually get the actors from the film to participate. The video opens with Hammer pleading with Wednesday and Pugsley to not chop off his head. Then we get lots quick cuts of various characters from the film, a sword-fight between Gomez and Hammer, and finally Hammer at the end reassuring us that Addams family just likes to have fun.

If you were one of the people seeing The Addams Family during its first few weeks of being in the theater, they ran this video before the film started. It set the tone for the film. I was sure that this was going to be a new trend for film. It was not.

Watch the music video for Addams Groove by MC Hammer

I am not sure if the makers behind this song had Thriller in mind when making the music video. But much like that well-respected epic video, a Making of was also made about Addams Groove. While not as informative as the Making of Thriller, it is still a fun peek behind the scenes.

Watch the making of the Addams Groove

Addams Groove was just one component of a marketing juggernaut that helped make The Addams Family a success. In addition to spawning a sequel, the film would have merchandise, a pinball machine, a video game and much more. With all that stuff out there, it might be easy to overlook the Addams Groove. But for me, this song is tied to the film and was the soundtrack to my winter in 1991.