Lady Gaga has dropped a new song, ‘The Dead Dance’, accompanied by a spooky Tim Burton-directed music video. The track was released as part of the Wednesday Season 2 Part 2 soundtrack, in which Mother Monster has a cameo role as the mysterious Rosaline Rotwood.

Although boasting lyrics like, “You’ve created a creature of the night / Now I’m haunting your air, your soul, your eyes,” the single also contains an infectious dance beat, reminiscent of an ‘80s electro-pop banger. Gaga explained ‘The Dead Dance’ was inspired by a breakup, and “it was all about the way that we sometimes feel when it’s over; how a relationship ending can kill our ability to feel hopeful about love.”

However, she also notes, “It’s got this really cool, funky beat underneath it. And that is when the song becomes not just about the relationship; it becomes about having fun with your friends when you’ve been through something tough and amazing.”

The music video marks the 14-time Grammy, Oscar and Emmy Award winner’s first collaboration with Tim Burton. The director brought the story to life on location at Isla de las Muñecase—Mexico’s infamous Island of the Dolls. The video shifts between eerie black-and-white and bursts of vivid colour, weaving creepy imagery with the singer’s commanding performance.

Gaga and Burton are both listed as producers, alongside Michael Polansky and Natalie Testa, and costumes were designed by Colleen Atwood.

The video also sets up Wednesday for another viral dance trend, thanks to choreography from Parris Goebel and Corey Baker. In Season 1, a sped-up version of Gaga’s ‘Bloody Mary’ was paired with a routine from Jenna Ortega’s character, which viewers had fun recreating on TikTok.

Season 2 Part 2 of Wednesday fittingly dropped on Wednesday, September 3. Lady Gaga makes a cameo appearance in Episode 6 as Rosaline Rotwood, a new teacher at the Nevermore Academy.

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