It happened fast. One minute, Jenna Ortega is doing a stiff, gothic shuffle to The Cramps in a Netflix show, and the next, the entire internet is obsessed with lady gaga dance dance videos. It's one of those weird internet accidents that nobody could have predicted. If you were on TikTok or Instagram Reels during late 2022 or early 2023, you couldn't escape it. That sped-up version of "Bloody Mary" was everywhere. It was basically inescapable.
What's actually wild about the whole thing is that Lady Gaga wasn't even in the show. Not even a cameo. The song used in the actual Wednesday ballroom scene was "Goo Goo Muck" by The Cramps, a 1980s psychobilly classic. But the internet decided it knew better. Someone, somewhere, took Ortega’s deadpan choreography and layered it over a high-pitched, sped-up snippet of Gaga’s 2011 track "Bloody Mary." Specifically the part where she sings, "I'll dance, dance, dance, with my hands, hands, hands, above my head, head, head..."
The rest is history.
The Weird History of the Lady Gaga Dance Dance Craze
Music industry insiders call this "organic resurgence," but honestly, it’s just chaos. "Bloody Mary" was never a single. It was a deep cut from Born This Way, an album released over a decade before the show even aired. Yet, suddenly, a song that was twelve years old was climbing the Billboard Hot 100. It's funny because Gaga has always been the queen of the dance floor, but this particular lady gaga dance dance moment wasn't even her idea. It was a fan-led revolution.
The choreography itself is fascinating because it’s so intentionally awkward. Jenna Ortega choreographed the routine herself, drawing inspiration from Siouxsie Sioux, archival footage of goth kids dancing in clubs in the '80s, and Denis Lavant in Beau Travail. It’s jerky. It’s stiff. It’s perfect for the character of Wednesday Addams. When people started doing the lady gaga dance dance trend at home, they mimicked that "paws up" hand motion that fits perfectly with Gaga’s Little Monster aesthetic.
It was a total collision of two different subcultures.
Gaga eventually noticed. She had to. You can't have millions of people using your song for a specific dance and not acknowledge it. She posted her own version of the lady gaga dance dance on TikTok, dressed in full "Gaga-fied" Wednesday Addams attire—black pigtails, knee-high socks, and a sharp blazer. That video alone racked up millions of views in hours. It was the ultimate "real recognize real" moment.
Why Sped-Up Audio Changed the Game
We need to talk about why the "Bloody Mary" version worked so well. The original track is actually quite dark and mid-tempo. It’s a moody, electronic piece about Mary Magdalene. But when you speed it up? It becomes a frantic, high-energy pop anthem that matches the frenetic energy of TikTok’s short-form loops.
This isn't just a Lady Gaga thing. It's a seismic shift in how we consume music. Labels are now officially releasing "sped-up" versions of songs because they know that's what drives the lady gaga dance dance style of viral success. It’s a bit strange, if you think about it. Artists spend months perfecting the mix and the tempo of a track, only for a 14-year-old in their bedroom to pitch it up by 30% and make it a global hit.
The data back this up. Following the trend, "Bloody Mary" saw a massive surge on Spotify, reaching the top 50 in dozens of countries. Radio stations—which usually ignore decade-old album tracks—started putting it into heavy rotation. It’s proof that the "Dance Dance" trend wasn't just a flash in the pan; it was a legitimate commercial powerhouse.
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Breaking Down the Moves
If you're actually trying to nail the lady gaga dance dance look, there are a few specific beats you have to hit. It’s not about being a "good" dancer in the traditional sense. It's about the vibe.
- The Dead Stare: You cannot blink. If you blink, you lose. The whole point is to look as soul-less as Wednesday Addams herself.
- The Hand Flip: When the lyrics hit the "hands, hands, hands" part, you bring your hands up by your ears and do that rhythmic, alternating flip. It's the signature move.
- The Side-to-Side Shuffle: It’s a very stiff, Victorian-esque movement. Your torso stays mostly still while your arms do the heavy lifting.
- The Outfits: Black. Obviously. Most people who took part in the lady gaga dance dance trend wore some kind of gothic attire, whether it was a full-on prom dress or just an oversized black hoodie.
The Cultural Impact: More Than Just a Meme
People like to dismiss TikTok trends as shallow, but the lady gaga dance dance phenomenon actually tells us a lot about how we bridge the gap between "niche" and "mainstream." Before this, The Cramps were a band for vinyl collectors and old punks. Lady Gaga was a pop icon. Wednesday Addams was a nostalgic TV character.
The trend mashed them all together into a singular aesthetic that defined the winter of 2022. It created a space where it was cool to be "weird" again. It also gave Gaga a new generation of fans. Gen Z might have known her for A Star Is Born or "Rain on Me," but the lady gaga dance dance trend introduced them to the darker, more experimental side of her discography.
There's also the "Gaga effect" on streaming. It’s rare for an artist to have such a massive hit so long after a song’s release. It usually only happens when a song is featured in a massive movie (like "Running Up That Hill" in Stranger Things). The fact that "Bloody Mary" did it without even being in the show—purely by association—is almost unheard of. It shows the power of the fan edit.
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Looking Ahead: Will It Happen Again?
Probably. But you can't force it. Record labels spend millions trying to manufacture the next lady gaga dance dance moment, and they usually fail because they try too hard. The reason this worked was because it was messy and unplanned.
If you want to stay ahead of the next curve, you have to look at what fans are doing, not what the marketing departments are saying. The internet loves a underdog story. It loves a deep cut. And it loves a dance that looks like you're trying to summon a ghost in a high school gym.
How to Lean Into the Aesthetic
If you're a creator or just someone who loves the vibe, there's a lot to learn from the lady gaga dance dance surge. It’s about more than just one song. It’s about a specific brand of "dark pop" that combines theatricality with high-energy beats.
To really tap into this, you should check out the rest of the Born This Way album. Tracks like "Heavy Metal Lover" or "Government Hooker" have that same gritty, danceable energy. Also, if you’re looking for the original inspiration, go listen to "Goo Goo Muck." It’s a legendary track for a reason, even if it didn't get the same "sped-up" treatment that Gaga's song did.
The most important thing to remember is that trends like the lady gaga dance dance happen because of community. It’s about a bunch of people deciding that a specific song and a specific movement represent how they feel in that moment. It's weird, it's digital, and it's definitely here to stay.
Actionable Steps for Today
- Listen to the full version of "Bloody Mary": Don't just stick to the 15-second TikTok clip. The full production by Paul Blair (DJ White Shadow) and Gaga is a masterpiece of dark synth-pop.
- Experiment with your own edits: If you’re a creator, try pairing "classic" tracks with modern visuals. The lady gaga dance dance trend proved that the pairing doesn't have to be logical to be successful.
- Explore "Goth-Pop" history: Dig into the artists that inspired both Wednesday and Gaga. Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, and Nina Hagen are great starting points.
- Watch the original Wednesday scene: Compare the "Goo Goo Muck" version with the Gaga edits. It’s a great lesson in how music completely changes the "feel" of a visual scene.
The lady gaga dance dance phenomenon wasn't just a lucky break. It was a perfect storm of a great character, a brilliant actress, and a pop star who has always embraced the "monstrous" side of life. Even years later, the impact of that one viral moment continues to influence how songs are marketed and how we interact with our favorite shows.