{"id":150166,"date":"2025-09-17T10:27:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T10:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/150166\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T10:27:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T10:27:12","slug":"is-it-what-we-expected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/150166\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It What We Expected?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIt\u2019s been a massive year for Lady Gaga<\/a>, who returned to the top of both the Billboard Hot 100<\/a> and Billboard 200<\/a> albums chart (with \u201cDie With a Smile\u201d alongside Bruno Mars and Mayhem, respectively), headlined Coachella and launched an acclaimed arena tour. This month, she continues her winning streak with an acting turn on the hit Netflix series Wednesday, and the accompanying new song \u201cThe Dead Dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

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See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter an incomplete first week of tracking following its Wednesday, Sept. 3 release, \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d debuts at No. 40 on the Hot 100 in its first full week of release. It\u2019s Gaga\u2019s third top 40 hit of 2025 on the chart, following \u201cSmile\u201d and the No. 13-peaking \u201cAbracadabra\u201d \u2014 and shortly after its release, it was also included on a newly expanded edition of Mayhem, along with two additional new tracks, \u201cCan\u2019t Stop the High\u201d and \u201cKill for Love.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tIs the song\u2019s debut higher or lower than we expected? And is this Wednesday\/\u201dDead Dance\u201d era now a major part of Gaga\u2019s 2025? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below. <\/p>\n

\n\t1. Lady\u00a0Gaga\u2019s \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d debuts at No. 40 on the Hot 100 this week in its first full week of tracking. Is that bow lower, higher or about what you expected?<\/p>\n

\n\tKatie Atkinson:\u00a0Top 40 feels about right, as an end-of-Mayhem,\u00a0Wednesday-cameo treat for all the Little Monsters. This is a fun song with a great beat that\u2019s cut from the same cloth as morbid disco classics like \u201cMurder on the Dancefloor\u201d or \u201cHeads Will Roll,\u201d and\u00a0Gaga\u00a0is one of only a handful of artists who can say Tim Burton directed a music video for them. But after a steady year of\u00a0Gaga\u00a0output, there might not have been as much anticipation for new music as there had been. Having said that, \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d did debut in the top 10 of the Global 200 chart, so international fans were hungrier for more ghoulish\u00a0Gaga.<\/p>\n

\n\tChris Claxton: I think that\u2019s actually lower than expected. This track had everything going for it, a major VMA performance, a viral TikTok dance, a feature in Netflix\u2019s big summer hit Wednesday, a Tim Burton\u2013directed video, and more yet it only peaked at No. 40. Not that No. 40 is bad by any means, but given how perfectly Lady Gaga executed every move, I was expecting it to chart much higher.<\/p>\n

\n\tStephen Daw: Higher that what I would have originally expected \u2014 mostly because I was not expecting a one-off single written and performed for a\u00a0Netflix\u00a0show to do huge numbers on the chart \u2014 but lower than I thought it might get after I heard it for the first time. It\u2019s extremely catchy, fits into the sound of her last album and has a very well-produced music video. With all of that, and a live debut at the VMAs, I thought the song might get a bigger boost, but breaking into the upper echelons of this chart has proven to be harder and harder lately.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: Definitely lower. Between a Wednesday sync, a new music video and a VMAs performance \u2014 not to mention an accompanying dance that\u2019s clearly jockeying for TiKTok virality \u00e0 la \u201cBloody Mary\u201d \u2014 I expected a top 25 debut at the very least. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: Given the unusual timing of the release, and the fact that Gaga\u2019s solo streaming debuts aren\u2019t always the flashiest, I think \u201cDead Dance\u201d creeping into the top 40 is probably a little better than I expected. The real question is how long it can hang on the chart, which may be up to whether or not radio ends up picking up on it. <\/p>\n

\n\t2. \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d received a big look at the VMAs as part of\u00a0Gaga\u2019s medley performance from her satellite gig at MSG \u2014 did the performance change your perception of or feelings about the song at all?<\/p>\n

\n\tKatie Atkinson:\u00a0I don\u2019t love a satellite performance at an awards show \u2013 especially when the Mother herself was actually (briefly) in the building that night to pick up some hardware. This did mark the TV debut of the broken-doll choreography that perfectly matches the song, and for anyone who hasn\u2019t yet seen the Mayhem Ball in person, it was a glimpse into\u00a0Gaga\u2019s latest live spectacle. But overall, I don\u2019t know if the remote performance moved the needle for the song.<\/p>\n

\n\tChris Claxton: No, the performance didn\u2019t change my view, I was already a fan of the song, and the show only amplified that feeling. Lady Gaga has always known how to put on a spectacle, and this track is no exception. The performance captured everything that makes her world so unique: theatrical visuals, flawless vocals, and that bold mix of art and pop she\u2019s mastered throughout her career. It fits seamlessly into the Gaga universe, where music isn\u2019t just heard, it\u2019s experienced. For longtime fans, it felt like a reminder of why she\u2019s one of the greatest performers of our time, and for newer fans, it was a perfect introduction to her artistry.<\/p>\n

\n\tStephen Daw: As a staunch\u00a0Gaga\u00a0lover, I was pretty immediately into \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d when it came out \u2014 so while that really well-done performance for the VMAs certainly made me happy, it didn\u2019t really alter how much I was already into the track.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: Not particularly, but that may have been because Gaga paired \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d with the much stronger (and still infectious) \u201cAbracadabra.\u201d It was a very solid performance, though!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: I was impressed with how big and how immediately familiar \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d felt as part of that performance, like it\u2019s always been a fixture of the Mayhem era. I do hope, though, that next time she\u2019s in the building for the VMAs, she can hang around for long enough to perform there too. <\/p>\n

\n\t3. Between \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d and her\u00a0Wednesday\u00a0cameo, does this moment feel like its own mini-era within\u00a0Gaga\u2019s 2025, or is it more of a footnote to her year?<\/p>\n

\n\tKatie Atkinson:\u00a0It feels more like\u00a0Gaga\u00a0is tying a shiny black bow on the\u00a0Mayhem\u00a0era than kicking off anything new. Even the\u00a0Wednesday\u00a0cameo fits into the aesthetic of her sixth album. Last August, she and Bruno wanted to die with a smile, and now, more than a year later, she still has one last breath in her to leave it all on the dance floor.<\/p>\n

\n\tChris Claxton: This honestly feels like its own mini-era. As a\u00a0Wednesday\u00a0fan, I can\u2019t separate the two anymore: I associate the song with the show and the show with the song. Hearing the track and watching the performances almost feels like seeing\u00a0Wednesday\u00a0come to life in real time. I even half-expected Gaga to bring Jenna Ortega out during her MSG show. Either way, Lady Gaga is in the middle of an incredible 2025, and \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d is only adding to the momentum.<\/p>\n

\n\tStephen Daw: This, to me, feels like a coda for the\u00a0Mayhem\u00a0era, a little musical (and cinematic) motif to celebrate this particularly excellent album year that she\u2019s found herself in. Even her appearance on\u00a0Wednesday\u00a0feels like it\u2019s part and parcel with\u00a0Mayhem\u00a0\u2014 they\u2019re both gothic, campy, horror-adjacent art pieces where\u00a0Gaga\u00a0gets to try some very fun new stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis:This feels like more of a footnote \u2014 especially since \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d has been added to Mayhem on streaming services. I don\u2019t think \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d and her Wednesday season two cameo quite replicated the 2022 fervor \u201cBlood Mary\u201d did, which makes this month feel like an extension of Mayhem\u2019s momentum instead of an entirely different juggernaut. And that honestly has more to do with the new Wednesday season having a far less feverish reception than the last.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: I think combined with Wednesday and some of the tour visuals, it\u2019s been a really effective bonus extension of Mayhem in general \u2014 a way to keep Gaga and this era of hers in the pop culture mix at a time when album cycles usually don\u2019t last long beyond their first month or two.<\/p>\n

\n\t4. When you go back to\u00a0Mayhem, will it be the deluxe version with this song, \u201cKill for Love\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t Stop the High\u201d or are you good sticking with the original?<\/p>\n

\n\tKatie Atkinson:\u00a0Reissues often seem like afterthoughts to me, but I think \u201cThe Dead Dance\u201d deserves to be in the mix on this project \u2014 so I\u2019m voting for the deluxe. In the grand scheme of reissues, three extra songs is just a little icing on the already-delicious cake.<\/p>\n

\n\tChris Claxton: I\u2019ll definitely be going back to the deluxe version \u2014 honestly, the more tracks the better. Songs like \u201cKill for Love\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t Stop the High\u201d just add more depth to the project, and I feel like they expand the world of Mayhem in a really exciting way. The original holds up on its own, but the deluxe feels more complete, and that\u2019s the version I see myself returning to.<\/p>\n

\n\tStephen Daw: I\u2019m a big fan of all three new songs, so I will definitely be revisiting with the new additions. I especially appreciate that\u00a0Gaga\u00a0thought about where to place each of these songs on the album instead of simply tacking them onto the end as a series of bonus tracks. \u201cPerfect Celebrity\u201d bleeds perfectly into \u201cCan\u2019t Stop the High,\u201d and \u201cKill for Love\u201d is a great transition from \u201cDon\u2019t Call Tonight\u201d into \u201cShadow of a Man.\u201d The only one I wish she would\u2019ve put at the end is \u201cThe Dead Dance,\u201d if only because I already loved the album going from \u201cZombieboy\u201d to \u201cLoveDrug.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: I\u2019m\u2026. good with the original. \u201cVanish Into You\u201d is still in constant rotation. These new songs are all fine, but none of them get anywhere near my personal favorites on the original Mayhem tracklist. It\u2019s pretty clear to me why these were relegated to bonus track\/soundtrack status.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: I tend to be kind of a purist when it comes to album tracklists, so when I return to Mayhem it\u2019ll almost certainly be the original version. But the new songs are all fairly strong, so if I accidentally end up queueing the deluxe instead, they\u2019ll be pleasant surprises to me when they hit. <\/p>\n

\n\t5.\u00a0Gaga\u00a0has been pretty active throughout 2025 \u2014 is there anything else she can still do to finish the year strong, or do you think she should just finish out her Mayhem Ball dates for the year and otherwise keep it low-key?<\/p>\n

\n\tKatie Atkinson:\u00a0She can (and should) coast through the end of the year on all the good will she\u2019s built up over the past 12 months. After all, she just announced a 2026 extension of the tour, so people clearly want more\u00a0Mayhem\u00a0on a stage near them.<\/p>\n

\n\tChris Claxton: If Gaga decides to do more, that would be great, but honestly, if she just focuses on finishing out her Mayhem Ball dates, that\u2019s more than enough. She\u2019s been really active all year and has already given fans so much to take in. Either way, she\u2019s been doing incredibly well, so whether she keeps the momentum going or chooses to keep it low-key, it still feels like a win for her fans.<\/p>\n

\n\tStephen Daw: While we have been spoiled for content with\u00a0Gaga\u00a0this year, I am holding out hope for just one more video.\u00a0Gaga\u00a0is the queen of visuals, and we have gotten four from this particular era. But the thought of there being a definitive, truly insane video for a song as chaotic and fun as \u201cKillah\u201d would be the cherry on top of this already very excellent year for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: I think she should finish out Mayhem Ball and announce her next film role to close out the year. She\u2019s steered the Mayhem era brilliantly, especially for a pop star of her stature this deep into the streaming era. She deserves a low-maintenance end to a banner year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: I don\u2019t think she needs to do anything else \u2014 but if she can add a couple big Grammy nominations to her resum\u00e9 in November, that\u2019ll be a pretty nice note to end her extremely successful 2025 on. <\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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