"Dance Macabre" is a song by Swedish rock band

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

. It was their second single off of their fourth studio album '' Prequelle''. It topped the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Mainstream Rock Songs chart for two weeks in February 2019.

Background

"Dance Macabre" is a song from Ghost's fourth studio album, ''Prequelle''. The song was debuted in a live setting, being played live at a surprise live show on May 5, 2018. The studio version was previewed via the band's Instagram story on May 17, a day prior to being officially released. Additionally, a separate version of the song, a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

remix version, was released on August 24, 2018, done by synthwave musician Carpenter Brut. The remix had been requested by Ghost frontman Tobias Forge in April 2018, after Brut had opened for Ghost on tour in 2016. The song was later released as the second single from ''Prequelle'', after " Rats". A music video was released on October 17, 2018. It was described by '' Consequence of Sound'' as "a homage to '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show.''" In February 2019, the song topped the ''

'' Mainstream Rock Songs chart for two weeks. It was the band's third consecutive song to top the chart, after "Rats" and "

Square Hammer "Square Hammer" is a song by Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released as the lead single from the group's second EP ''Popestar''. The song peaked at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock chart in January 2017, making the band the first Swed ...

Composition and themes

Musically, the song was noted as having more of a "dance music" vibe than most of their work. Forge noted that when he originally wrote the song, he didn't envision it as a Ghost song, but once he started writing lyrics, he felt he could make it work as part of the album. Forge also shared the track with some "songwriter friends" of his, who encouraged him to use it as a Ghost song. Forge was inspired by the music diversity that Queen would have with their albums, feeling that Ghost could similarly use some diversity. Lyrically, the song is about the

Black Plague The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

– a theme across the entire ''Prequelle'' album – specifically about how people would literally dance and party until they died to cope with the illness.

Reception

''Metal Injection'' identified the song as the standout track on ''Prequelle''.

Track listing

May 2018 release

August 2018 release

In Prequelle Exalted box set

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. * Tobias Forge – vocals (credited as "Cardinal Copia") *A Group of Nameless Ghouls – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control Songs about diseases and disorders 2018 songs 2018 singles Ghost (Swedish band) songs Loma Vista Recordings singles Songs written by Tobias Forge Songs written by Salem Al Fakir Songs written by Vincent Pontare Song recordings produced by Tom Dalgety