What’s creepier than a new Lady Gaga music video? One helmed by the gothic mastermind Tim Burton, of course.
Dropped Wednesday morning, the new video for “The Dead Dance” opens with Gaga waking up in a graveyard littered with abandoned dolls. She twirls and thrashes her way through the black and white scene, dressed as a doll in Victorian-inspired layers and tight ringlets, while singing about moving through the pain.
“‘Cause when you killed me inside, that’s when I came alive / Yeah, the music’s gonna bring mе back from death / I’m dancin’ until I’m dead I’ll dancе until I’m dead,” she sings.
For the video, Gaga turned to Wednesday mastermind Tim Burton, who brought his signature gothic touch to the project. The visual was filmed on the infamous Island of the Dolls in Xochimilco, Mexico, a location already steeped in horror lore.
The haunting choreography comes courtesy of Parris Goebel, who previously teamed up with Gaga on the viral “Abracadabra” video earlier this year. Here, Goebel matches the macabre backdrop with sharp, theatrical movements that make “The Dead Dance” feel like both a nightmare and a spectacle.
The release isn’t just a music moment, it’s a Wednesday moment. Gaga’s gothic new track is directly tied to Netflix’s hit series about the Addams Family, where she makes a special cameo in season 2 part 2 as Nevermore Academy professor Rosaline Rotwood.
She first announced the single last month at Netflix’s star-studded Wednesday Graveyard Gala in New York City. “I’m thrilled to release this song alongside Wednesday,” Gaga said at the time. “I’m a huge fan of the show and had so much fun appearing in it to support ‘The Dead Dance.’”
Fittingly, the track haunts its way into episode 7 of the new drop, soundtracking the annual Nevermore Academy fundraising gala—and yes, it comes with a dance sequence you’re about to obsess over.
“The Dead Dance” also joins Gaga’s Mayhem album, paired with two darkly delicious bonus tracks: “Can’t Stop the High” and “Kill for Love.”
