Into the Groove
"Into the Groove" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna, and featured on the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan. Written and produced by both Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind the song was the dance floor; the singer wrote it while watching a Latin American man to whom she was attracted. Its instrumentation features synthesizers and drum machines, with Madonna's voice being double tracked on the chorus. Sexual innuendos and undertones are present throughout the lyrics, which are written as an invitation to dance with the singer. Originally written for her friend Mark Kamins, Madonna later decided to use it on the film, as one of the scenes needed a dance song. It was later added to the 1985 international re-issue of her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984), and remixed for her compilations You Can Dance (1987), The Immaculate Collection (1990), and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022).
"Into the Groove"
- "Shoo-Bee-Doo"
- "Physical Attraction"
- "Who's That Girl"
- "Causing a Commotion"
- "Everybody"
July 15, 1985
Sigma Sound (New York City)
4:44
- Madonna
- Stephen Bray
- Madonna
- Stephen Bray
Warner Bros. Records did not give "Into the Groove" an official release in the United States, thus making it ineligible to enter the Billboard Hot 100. It was only released as the B-side to the 12" maxi-single of "Angel", the third official single from Like a Virgin, and reached the first spot of Billboard's Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. In the United Kingdom, "Into the Groove" was released on July 15, 1985. It became Madonna's first number one hit and remains her best-selling single. It was also successful throughout Europe, topping the charts in Austria, Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands. Critically acclaimed since its release, "Into the Groove" was voted the best dance single from the 1980s decade in a Billboard poll, and has been cited by multiple publications as Madonna's best single.
While no official music video was shot, a compilation made up of scenes from Desperately Seeking Susan was created to accompany the release, and received heavy rotation on MTV. Madonna has performed "Into the Groove" on seven of her concert tours, the most recent being the Celebration Tour of 2023―2024. It has been covered and sampled by many artists, notably Australian singer Dannii Minogue, who released a mashup of "Into The Groove" and her 2003 single "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling".
Composition and remixes[edit]
Musically, "Into the Groove" is a dance-pop song that begins with a spoken introduction by Madonna, the sound of drums, and a synth bassline. This is followed by the chorus, where the singer's voice is double tracked and the treble is increased by a notch. The synth line counterpoints the main tune, adding a contrast effect.[12] The bridge Live out your fantasy here with me has Madonna using her vocals in a lower register, alongside the main ones.[12] According to the sheet music published in Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing Co. Inc., "Into the Groove" is set in the time signature of common time with a medium tempo of 116 beats per minute.[13] It is composed in the key of C minor, with Madonna's voice spanning from the low-tone of C4 to the high-tone of D5. The song has a basic sequence of Cm7–B♭/C–Cm7–A♭ as its chord progression.[13]
The "simple" lyrics, which invite the listener to dance with the singer, carry sexual innuendos and undertones,[12] Rikky Rooksby, author of Madonna: the complete guide to her music, argued that, similar to "Like a Virgin", "Into the Groove" counts with a lyrical hook aimed at shy girls. He held that the line At night I lock the door so no-one else can see implied that Madonna was not as "brazen as her provocative image suggested".[12] By his part, author Marc Andrews felt the lyrics' theme of "dance floor liberation" works as a call to all minorities, specifically the gay community.[9] Similarly, Clive Barker, one of the authors of In New Theatre Quarterly 46, Part 2, said that the line Only when I'm dancing can I feel this free expresses the "freedom that a dance floor brings about". He also pointed out that a neume that "blurred the boundaries of reality and brings one closer to the world of fantasy", can be found on the bridge.[14]
"Into the Groove" was first remixed by Shep Pettibone for You Can Dance (1987), Madonna's first remix compilation.[15] In this remix, overdubs are present alongside the continuous repetition of the phrase c'mon. Additionally, the first verse does not start until about ninety seconds into the song. After the first Now I know you're mine line is sung, there is a percussion break, and repetition of the phrases step to the beat and c'mon. The last verse incorporates echoing on the vocals, causing overlap of the phrases, it ends with instrumentation from congas, whistles and timbales.[16] Pettibone collaborated with Goh Hotoda in another remix of the song, which was included on 1990's The Immaculate Collection.[10] In 2003, "Into the Hollywood Groove", a mashup of "Into the Groove" and "Hollywood", was used for a Gap ad featuring Madonna and rapper Missy Elliott.[17] It was then added to Madonna's second remix compilation, Remixed & Revisited.[18] An edited "truncated take" of the You Can Dance remix was included on the singer's third remix compilation, Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022), this time incorporating stuttering vocals.[19]
Music video[edit]
No official music video was shot for "Into the Groove"; instead, a clip consisting of compiled scenes and footage from Desperately Seeking Susan ―the lyrics matching the images and scenes― was put together by Doug Dowdle from Parallax Productions, a company that specialized in movie-related music videos during the 1980s.[43][72] It was added to MTV on the week of March 30, 1985.[73]
Despite naming it "basic" and "nowhere near as high-concept" as Madonna's previous music videos, author James King wrote in Fast Times and Excellent Adventures: The Surprising History of the '80s Teen Movie that the clip proved "just how striking Desperately Seeking Susan is visually", comparing it to "Purple Rain" (1984) by Prince and the Revolution.[43] He concluded that, "the prospect of the attitude-filled Madonna [...] on the big screen was impossible to resist", thus the video was successful on MTV.[43] John Fiske, author of Television Culture, pointed out that, just like Desperately Seeking Susan, ['Into the Groove'] is almost exclusively about style" and "women seeking control over their social identity".[74] On a similar note, Out's Julien Sauvalle named it one of Madonna's "most stylish" music videos.[75] "Into the Groove" can be found on Madonna's 2009 compilation Celebration: The Video Collection.[11]
These credits are adapted from the liner notes of You Can Dance and the 1985 re-issue of Like a Virgin.[2][15]