Lady Gaga is back on the Billboard Hot 100 yet again with a little extra help from Wednesday fans. Her up-to-date single, “The Dead Dance,” was released on September 3 and is today included on the deluxe edition of her March 2025 album, Mayhem.
The track debuted at 40 on this week’s Hot 100 chart.
The song’s release was coordinated to occur alongside the Netflix release of the second half of Wednesday‘s second season, which features the song in the season finale’s big dance number moment.
Gaga herself also makes a cameo appearance in the second season of the show as the ghost of Rosaline Rotwood, a mysterious and powerful former teacher at Wednesday Addams’ school.
Since collaborating with the show, Gaga has also become close to actress Jenna Ortega, who plays Wednesday Addams, and executive producer and director Tim Burton. In a recent Instagram post, Gaga shared a picture of her and Ortega dramatically standing in a coffin together with a caption saying, “@jennaortega love u lady.”
Gaga also chose Burton to direct the beat video for the song, giving it his signature creepy-fun flair. The video, which is almost entirely in black and white, centers on Gaga dressed as a cracked porcelain doll alongside other equally frightening real dolls.
Collaborating with Wednesday certainly gave the song a boost on the charts, as did airing a highly theatrical performance of the song during the MTV Video beat Awards.
Gaga also took home an impressive collection of four awards for creator of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Direction, and Best Art Direction at the awards show later that same night. “I dedicate this award to the audience. You very much deserve a stage to shine on, and I give you all my applause. Thank you, little monsters, my fans, for always supporting me,” she said in her acceptance speech for creator of the Year.
“The Dead Dance” is today the fourth song from Gaga’s album Mayhem to debut in the leading 40 on the Hot 100, making it her first album with four leading 40 hits since Artpop in 2013.
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