Into the Groove

"Into the Groove" was written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray in 1984. Living in Manhattan's East Village at the time, Madonna claimed to have rushed the writing process, motivated by her attraction to a Puerto Rican neighbor. Inspired by the liberating nature of the dance floor and her background as a dancer, she described the track as a reflection of self-expression through music. The track was initially conceived for Cheyne, a teenage protégé of DJ Mark Kamins, with a demo funded by Kamins himself. While filming a scene at Danceteria, a dance song was needed; Madonna suggested "Into the Groove" and, together with Bray, reworked the lyrics and structure of the original demo for inclusion in the film. Kamins was angered by the decision, as Madonna had not informed him she planned to use the song herself. She later defended the move, saying, "I'm tough, I'm ambitious and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, that's okay". Recording took place at New York's Sigma Sound Studios. and later appeared on several of her compilations, including You Can Dance (1987), The Immaculate Collection (1990), Celebration (2009), and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). == Composition and remixes ==

Musically, "Into the Groove" has been noted a dance-pop track characterized by its upbeat tempo, synth-driven production, and layered vocals. Lyrically, "Into the Groove" is an invitation to dance, layered with sexual innuendo and themes of self-liberation. Pettibone later collaborated with Goh Hotoda for another version featured on The Immaculate Collection (1990). In 2003, a mashup titled "Into the Hollywood Groove" —combining "Into the Groove" with Madonna's single "Hollywood"— was created for a Gap advertisement featuring Missy Elliott, and later included on Remixed & Revisited. Elements of this particular version were used in live performances during Madonna's Re-Invention (2004) and Celebration (2023―2024) concert tours. A shortened remix incorporating stuttering vocal effects appeared on the 2022 compilation Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones. == Critical reception ==

"Into the Groove" has received widespread critical acclaim since its release. Early praise came from NME, which ranked it the 18th best single of 1985, and author Rikky Rooksby, who called it Madonna's "first great" song. Critics hailed its infectious energy and dance-floor appeal: J. Randy Taraborrelli emphasized its "infectious" quality, while Clive Barker and Simon Trussler identified it as the first disco-anthem of the 1980s. David Browne described it as an "ebullient, wonderfully pushy hit", and Toby Cresswell praised its blending of pop sensibility with subcultural allure. PopMatterss Enio Chola deemed it "the absolute best Madonna single ever released", adding that it "epitomizes exactly why she's maintained such a long and significant career". Retrospective rankings have continued to affirm the song's legacy. Slant Magazine listed it as Madonna's third best single and one of the greatest dance songs of all time. Rolling Stone placed it at number 121 on its 2021 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time and later ranked it 91st on its list of top dance songs. Blender emphasized the track's commanding invitation to dance, and The Guardians Nosheen Iqbal called it Madonna's "hottest summon to the dancefloor". The song has featured prominently in various "best of" lists by Entertainment Weekly, HuffPost, The Guardian, and TheBacklot.com, with critics highlighting its cultural significance and irresistible production. The single has also been recognized by music historians and scholars. Billboard named it the best dance single of the 1980s in a reader poll. Writers such as Andrew Unterberger and Nayer Missim lauded its ability to merge themes of music, sex, love, and dance into one seamless expression of pop joy. "Into the Groove" was included in both 1001 Songs: You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery, as well as Bruce Pollock's Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock & Roll Era. == Chart performance ==

Although "Into the Groove" became a major hit in the United States, it was never released as a commercial A-side single by Warner Bros. Records. Instead, it appeared as the B-side to the 12-inch maxi-single of "Angel", rendering it ineligible for the Billboard Hot 100 or Hot Singles Sales charts. Despite this, the release —billed as "Angel/Into the Groove"— reached number one on both Billboards Dance Club and Dance Singles Sales charts. It also peaked at number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On July 30, 1985, the maxi-single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping one million units in the US ―the requirement for a gold single prior to 1989― becoming the fourth 12-inch single to achieve this milestone, following Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand's "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (1979), Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks" (1980), and Frankie Smith's "Double Dutch Bus" (1981). By year's end, it had sold over 600,000 copies and was ranked 12th on Billboards year-end Dance Club chart. Internationally, "Into the Groove" was released as a commercial single and achieved widespread success. In the United Kingdom, it was released on July 15, 1985. Certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), "Into the Groove" ended 1985 as the third best-selling single of the year in the UK, behind Jennifer Rush's "The Power of Love", and "I Know Him So Well" by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson. The song also topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, In March 2026, over 40 years after its initial release, the song experienced a significant resurgence on streaming platforms following a viral social media trend initiated by online influencer Gymskin. This led to the song re-entering the official UK singles chart at number 40, its first appearance in the top 40 since 1985. The following week, the song re-entered the top 20 at number 18, becoming Madonna's first solo entry in the UK top 20 since "Celebration" reached number three in 2009. The song also re-entered the Irish charts, at number 24. == Music video ==

No official music video was filmed for "Into the Groove". Instead, a promotional clip was assembled using scenes from Desperately Seeking Susan, with the lyrics aligned to match the film's visuals. The video was created by Doug Dowdle of Parallax Productions, a company known for producing movie-related music videos during the 1980s, and was added to MTV during the week of March 30, 1985. Although author James King described the video as "basic" and "nowhere near as high-concept" as Madonna’s other visuals, he noted in ''Fast Times and Excellent Adventures: The Surprising History of the '80s Teen Movie that it demonstrated "just how striking Desperately Seeking Susan'' is visually", comparing it to Prince's "Purple Rain" (1984). Julien Sauvalle of Out magazine later ranked it among Madonna's "most stylish" videos. The video was included in Celebration: The Video Collection (2009). == Live performances ==

(2023–2024) Madonna has performed "Into the Groove" in seven of her concert tours: Virgin (1985), Who's That Girl (1987), Blond Ambition (1990), Re-Invention, Sticky & Sweet (2008―2009), Rebel Heart (2015―2016), and Celebration. On the first one, she wore lace leggings, crucifixes, and played a tambourine alongside two male dancers. The Observer–Reporters Terry Hazlett called it the concert's standout moment. The performance from her show at Detroit's Cobo Hall was featured on the video release Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour. On July 13, 1985, she performed the song at the Philadelphia Live Aid benefit concert, joking that she wouldn't remove her jacket because, "[the media] might hold it against me ten years from now". The Who's That Girl Tour's performance saw Madonna in a pink fringed jacket decorated with colorful accessories, including a large letter "U", a tin of Campbell's soup, and the word "DANCE" —a visual pun on the phrase "You Can Dance". The Washington Posts Richard Harrington called the number a "tingling" highlight. This rendition was captured in'' Who's That Girl: Live in Japan and Ciao Italia: Live from Italy, filmed in Tokyo and Turin, respectively. On the Blond Ambition World Tour, Madonna followed a speech about condoms and safe sex with a sultry rendition of the song, dancing Lambada-style with a male partner while wearing a black marabou mini-dress. Two performances were later featured on Blond Ambition Japan Tour 90 and Blond Ambition World Tour Live''. .|alt=Picture of a blonde woman jumping rope. She's wearing a black vest, red shorts, and black knee-high socks. Behind her, a black male wearing a yellow-and-blue sweatshirt, and blue-and-orange pants, also jumps rope. The backdrop behind them is green and depicts different colored human-like drawings For the Re-Invention World Tour, "Into the Groove" was reworked with a Scottish theme that included kilts, a live bagpiper, and a video appearance by Missy Elliott. Newsdays Glenn Gamboa praised the reimagining as a dynamic dance performance. It appears on Madonna's 2006 live album and documentary ''I'm Going to Tell You a Secret''. On the Sticky & Sweet Tour, the track was remixed with samples from Newcleus' "Jam on It" (1984), and The Sugarhill Gang's "Apache" (1981). Madonna wore gym shorts, danced on a pole, and played Double Dutch as Keith Haring's artwork lit the stage. The Denver Posts Ricardo Baca called the number a "delightful explosion of color [...] pure pop goodness"; the performance was featured on the Sticky & Sweet Tour live album (2010), recorded in Buenos Aires. On the MDNA Tour (2012), the song was briefly sampled in a video intro to "Turn Up the Radio". A slow, Mexican-inspired medley combining "Dress You Up", "Into the Groove", and "Lucky Star" (1983) was performed during the Rebel Heart Tour, featuring Day of the Dead–themed visuals. Billboards Joe Lynch praised the Spanish guitar arrangement, though he felt "the maracas might have been a little much". This rendition can be found on the Rebel Heart Tour live album (2017), recorded in Sydney's Allphones Arena. "Into the Groove" was given a punk makeover on the Celebration Tour, with Madonna in chains, corset, and a short skirt, performing alongside dancers styled after the 1980s New York punk scene. The Chicago Tribunes Bob Gendron described it as a throwback to a "buttoned-down era guided by conservative taboos". Despite its enduring popularity, Madonna admitted in a 2009 Rolling Stone interview that "Into the Groove" is a song she "feel[s] retarded singing". == Cover versions and samples ==

(picture) was accused by Madonna of sampling "Into the Groove" without her permission. "Into the Groove" has been widely covered and sampled by a diverse array of artists. In 1988, American Alternative rock band Sonic Youth recorded a reimagined version titled "Into the Groovey" for The Whitey Album; AllMusic's Bradley Torreano praised it as a "fantastic dirge" based on the original. The track was also interpreted by Dale Bozzio for the 2000 tribute compilation Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Vol. 2. In 2002, Eurodance group Mad'House released a dance cover for their album Absolutely Mad, while French band Superbus included their own version on Aéromusical. Other renditions include American singer Jeremy Jay's cover for Through the Wilderness (2007) and The Magic Droid's 2008 take on their album ''What's Your Medium? The song was also featured on the television series Glee'', where it was performed by Lea Michele, Naya Rivera, Demi Lovato, and Adam Lambert in the 2013 episode "Puppet Master". In 2003, Australian pop artist Dannii Minogue became the first performer officially permitted to sample Madonna's music, incorporating "Into the Groove" into her single "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling". Minogue later recalled, "To this day I still can’t believe it [...] 'Into the Groove' is just legendary". In contrast, Madonna publicly accused Canadian artist Tory Lanez in December 2021 of illegally sampling the song on his track "Pluto's Last Comet", from the album Alone at Prom. She commented on one of Lanez's Instagram posts, "Read your messages for illegal usage of my song Get Into the Groove!" While it remains unclear whether legal action was pursued, Madonna later told Rolling Stone, "I am tired of being taken advantage of and I mean business". == Track listing and formats ==

• ;US and Australian 12-inch single • "Angel" (extended dance remix) – 6:15 • "Into the Groove (single version) – 4:43 • ;UK 7-inch single and 7-inch limited edition picture disc • "Into the Groove" (Single Version) – 4:43 • "Shoo-Bee-Doo" (LP Version) – 5:16 • ;Japanese 7-inch single • "Into the Groove" (Single Version) – 4:43 • "Physical Attraction" (Single Edit) – 3:55 • ;West German 3-inch CD single (1989) • "Into the Groove" (Single Version) – 4:43 • "Who's That Girl" (Extended Version) – 6:29 • "Causing a Commotion" (Silver Screen Mix) – 6:39 • ;You Can Dance promo 12-inch single (1987) • "Into the Groove" (Extended Remix) – 8:31 • "Into the Groove" (Remix Dub) – 6:22 • "Everybody" (Extended Remix) – 7:06 • ;UK 12-inch single • "Into the Groove" (Single Version) – 4:43 • "Everybody" (LP Version) – 4:52 • "Shoo-Bee-Doo" (LP Version) – 5:16 • ;Digital download (2026) • "Into the Groove"  – 4:43 • "Into the Groove" (Edit) – 4:09 • "Into the Groove" (You Can Dance Single Edit) – 4:48 • "Into the Groove" (Extended Remix) – 8:31 • "Into the Groove" (Remix Dub) – 6:22 • "Shoo-Bee-Doo"  – 5:16 == Credits and personnel ==

Credits and personnel are adapted from the liner notes of both the 1985 reissue of Like a Virgin, and You Can Dance. • Madonna – writer, vocals, producer • Stephen Bray – writer, producer • Shep Pettibone – audio mixing, additional production, audio editing • Andy Wallace – remix engineering • The Latin Rascals – audio editing • Herb Ritts – photography == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts == Certifications and sales ==

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|title=Into The Groove|artist=Madonna|award=Platinum|relyear=1985|id=3364-2003-1|salesamount=907,500|salesref= == Notes ==