Lady Gaga’s “The Dead Dance” from Netflix’s “Wednesday” will be submitted for Emmys consideration in the outstanding music and lyrics category.
The song is written and produced by Gaga and her frequent collaborators Andrew Watt and Cirkut (Henry Russell Walter). “The Dead Dance” can be heard in the second season of the Tim Burton-helmed series during Episode 7. It plays when Enid (Emma Myers) and Agnes (Evie Templeton) perform a dance routine during the Venetian Gala.
Gaga, already a fan of the series, told Tudum: “I got a phone call that the show was looking for music. I immediately had a song in mind called ‘The Dead Dance.’ Once I knew it would be for ‘Wednesday,’ I decided to work on it even more and made it extra special for the show.”
Gaga, who released the tune last September, incorporated it into her Mayhem Ball Tour setlist. The multi-hyphenate said the inspiration for “The Dead Dance” was about a breakup. “It’s about how we sometimes feel when it’s over — how a relationship ending can kill our ability to feel hopeful about love,” she told Tudum. “In the song, I say, ‘I’ll keep on dancing till I’m dead,’ meaning that I’m acknowledging that, and I’m going to keep going. I’m also saying, ‘I’m taking the power back.’”
The upbeat track is anything but a sad song. It’s about transformation and celebration. Said Gaga, “In the middle of the song, it says, ‘Do the Dead Dance, the Dead Dance’ over and over. 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.”
A spooky video helmed by Burton was also released. In the video, Gaga is on a wall surrounded by baby dolls before she launches into her dead dance, awakening the dolls. She’s joined by masked backup dancers for the chorus as day segues into night, all while the dolls bop their heads along to the upbeat tune. Gaga produced the video with Michael Polansky alongside Burton and Natalie Testa. Costume designer Colleen Atwood designed the outfits for both the video and show.
Gaga also made a brief cameo in the show as Rosaline Rotwood, a “legendary Nevermore teacher who crosses paths with Wednesday (Jenna Ortega).
Speaking about their collaboration, Burton, who directs and executive produces the show told Variety, “She’s such an artist and so for me, working with an artist is inspirational.”
Emmy nominations voting begins on June 11.