Lady Gaga's "The Dead Dance" is a glossy goth-pop flex made for Wednesday
Lady Gaga’s new track “The Dead Dance” arrives as a moody companion to Wednesday Season 2, Part 2—and as a tidy extension of her 2025 MAYHEM palette. Dropping September 3 alongside the back-half of the season, the song is positioned as the marquee original on the updated soundtrack and as a calling card for Gaga’s guest turn as Nevermore’s enigmatic Rosaline Rotwood.
On first pass, “The Dead Dance” plays like a sleek, midnight 1980s electro offering: steady kick, rubbery bass, and a chorus that lifts without blowing out the mix. Production/writing credits—Gaga with Andrew Watt and Henry “Cirkut” Walter—telegraph the polish; the hook lands clean, then gets out of the way. It’s less maximalist spectacle and more precision mood, which tracks with the Wednesday brief and with the colder, synth-led cuts Gaga’s been threading through the MAYHEM era.
Gaga’s Wednesday link has certainly been brewing since “Bloody Mary” unexpectedly went viral for Jenna Ortega’s viral Season 1 dance craze. “The Dead Dance” is a made-to-measure sequel to that moment—this time by design, not necessarily algorithm. And, for fans, the single reads like a Halloween-adjacent treat that’s catchy on its own and smarter within the context of the episode, where its lyrics about resurrection-through-rhythm dovetail with Wednesday’s sharpened arc.
So, needless to say, “The Dead Dance” is quick, darkly glossy, and purpose-built for Wednesday’s world—more vibe than bombast, and all the better for it. But don’t just take our word for it, make sure to check out Gaga’s latest track, included below.
