Lady Gaga has released the video for The Dead Dance, directed by Tim Burton, and fans are calling it one of her most unsettling works yet. The video premiered at the same time as her guest appearance in season two of Wednesday on Netflix, blurring the lines between her music and the show’s supernatural world.
The video begins with Gaga perched against a wall surrounded by dozens of cracked baby dolls, their lifeless eyes fixed on her. As the beat kicks in, she launches into a jerky dance that brings the dolls to life, their heads twitching in sync with the rhythm. Masked dancers join her in a surreal sequence as daylight fades into a dreamlike night, creating a spectacle that feels both theatrical and sinister. Within minutes of release, clips flooded TikTok and X, with fans split between awe and shock. Some hailed it as Gaga at her most daring, while others confessed the imagery was too disturbing to watch twice.
Filmed at the infamous Island of the Dolls in Xochimilco, Mexico City, the project had been rumoured since Gaga was spotted with Burton on location earlier this year. In Wednesday, Gaga appears as Rosaline Rotwood, a mysterious Nevermore teacher with psychic powers, linking her character directly to the mood of the track. The series’ music supervisors confirmed that Gaga wrote The Dead Dance specifically for the show and kept it secret for over a year.
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The timing of the release is no accident. Gaga is currently on her Mayhem Ball tour, which opened in Las Vegas in July and has already sold out arenas across North America. She is also set to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, where speculation is building that The Dead Dance will dominate the night.
This twisted collaboration with Tim Burton cements Gaga’s status as pop’s fearless shapeshifter, always ready to shock, provoke and captivate.
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