"Into the Groove" is a song by American singer Madonna from the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan. It was featured on the re-issue of her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984), outside North America.
Sire Records released it as a single on July 15, 1985. Madonna's inspiration behind the song was the dance floor and she wrote it while watching a handsome Dominican man, across her balcony. Initially written for her friend Mark Kamins, Madonna later decided to use it as the soundtrack of the film Desperately Seeking Susan.
"Into the Groove" consists of instrumentation from synthesizers and drum machines. Madonna's voice is double tracked in the chorus; the song also consists of musical contrasts, overdubs and Madonna's voice in lower register during the bridge.
The lyrics of the song are simple, written as an invitation to dance with the singer. However, it carries sexual innuendos and undertones in the meaning. The song received positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success. "Into the Groove" topped the record charts in Australia, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and became her first number-one song in the United Kingdom.
The song was only available as the B-side of the 12-inch single of "Angel" in the United States, therefore it was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time. "Into the Groove" has appeared on three Madonna compilations: in a remixed form on You Can Dance (1987), The Immaculate Collection (1990), and in its original form on Celebration (2009).
A music video, consisting of clips from the film, was released to accompany the song. The song has been performed by Madonna in most of her concert tours, most recently on the Rebel Heart Tour in 2015–16.
"Into the Groove" has been covered by a number of artists, including Australian singer Dannii Minogue, who combined the song with her single "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling".
By the end of the 1980s, "Into the Groove" was honored by Billboard magazine as the Dance Single of the Decade. In 2021, Rolling Stone listed "Into the Groove" as one of the "500 Best Songs of All Time", at number 161.