Lady Gaga
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella
Lady Gaga is taking a break from the Mayhem with a brief stay at Nevermore Academy. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning superstar has released “The Dead Dance” as part of the soundtrack for the second season of Netflix’s Wednesday series. Gaga herself appears in the sixth episode as a psychic teacher at the fictional school.
To bring “The Dead Dance” to life – no pun intended – Gaga tapped Tim Burton to direct the music video. It was a fitting choice considering Burton’s dark fantasy bona fides and involvement in the Wednesday series as director of several episodes.
“I had a wonderful time working on Wednesday season 2, even just being a small part of the show,” the singer said at a Netflix event last week commemorating the show’s second season, per Variety. “I loved working with Tim Burton and [Wednesday star]
Jenna [Ortega] and everyone here. It’s so incredible.”
“Like the words of a song, I hear you call / Like a thief in my head, you criminal / You stole my thoughts before I dreamed them / And you killed my queen with just one pawn,” Gaga sings on the funky track. “’Cause when you killed me inside, that’s when I came alive / The music’s gonna bring me back from death / I’m dancin’ until I’m dead / I’ll dance until I’m dead.”
To accompany “The Dead Dance”’s release, an extended version of Mayhem appeared on streaming services complete with the new track as well as two other new offerings: “Can’t Stop the High” and “Kill For Love.” Both bonus tracks, along with “The Dead Dance,” fit in seamlessly with the rest of the classically Gaga LP. It remains to be seen if she’ll perform any of the new music at the MTV Video Music Awards this Sunday.
All episodes of Wednesday are streaming now on Netflix. Gaga’s Mayhem Ball tour continues tonight in Miami and wraps up Jan. 30 in Tokyo.