And you can dance
For inspiration

The song that inspired this blog’s name seemed like a good place to start. Madonna‘s Into the Groove, released in 1985, was arguably the greatest gift that the movie Desperately Seeking Susan gave to the free world. (That, and the revelation that you can use a hand dryer on your armpits simply by turning up the nozzle.) I was obsessed with Madonna in the 80s, and this easily ranks in my top 5 of her songs.

Inspired by the underground dance scene – which loved Madge just as hard as she loved it back – Into the Groove was Madonna’s first No. 1 hit in the United Kingdom. Never released as a single in the United States, the song was relegated to the B side of Angel, which, other than Madonna’s laugh track at the beginning of the song, doesn’t hold up as well after 30-plus years. And while Into the Groove was featured in Desperately Seeking Susan, it didn’t appear on the soundtrack due to licensing restrictions. It later appeared on the 1985 European reissue of Like a Virgin and on compilation albums like Celebration and You Can Dance.

The European release of the single featured this cool picture sleeve with the same image of Madonna and Rosanna Arquette that appeared on the cover of the soundtrack. Fairly easy (and inexpensive) to come by on Discogs, especially if you’re willing to buy from a seller outside of the United States.