The ultimate 1980s dance tracks and one of the finest musical compositions and productions of all time. Yet 'Into The Groove' couldn't be simpler and this podcast discusses the lead up to its recording, including Madonna's inspiration for the lyrics along with studio recordings and isolated tracks, a demo of the song and elements that were used in the subsequent remixes.

The song that flagposted Madonna's most controversial era, released in conjunction with her fifth studio album of the same name and her collection of erotic photographs called Sex. Erotica went through many versions before becoming the final piece of music and this podcast includes an exclusive interview with one of the songwriters.

Tony was the composer of so many tracks on Erotica which he discusses in great detail along with his experiences on the songs Vogue, This Used To Be My Playground, Rescue Me and the mixing of Immaculate Collection. There are some terrific recollections here on both a technical and personal level.

This stunning house pop track launched the Rebel Heart era, but this time with a controversy not of Madonna's making as it was rushed out early following a leak of 13 songs from Madonna's new project. But this is an opportunity to explore the creation of the song and listen to isolated tracks including the piano played by Alicia Keys. We also get to hear a demo of the song which may be regarded as superior to the released version.

Has Lady Gaga ripped of Madonna? That's what some fans are saying... so I'm hot off the line to NYC where I spoke to Tony Shimkin, the man who recorded and edited Vogue and wrote several other songs with Madonna for the definitive word.

What happens when you combine Madonna with Stuart Price and ABBA? You get one of the most fantastic pop songs of all time and as her highest-selling digital single, a great commercial success too. The song's origin was as part of a musical written by Luc Besson, but can be traced back even further to the summer of 1979 when ABBA rehearsed their tour at Europa Studios in Stockholm. Hear outtakes from that ABBA record along with the stems from the Madonna song which would hit no. 1 around the world.

Lucy is author of the definitive biography of Madonna, Like An Icon, which charts the singers career and includes interviews with many of the key players from Madonna's times in the studio and on the road. Here, she discusses the book, her research and her own thoughts on Madonna as a songwriter, producer and performer.

The song that closed one era of Madonna's career and began another and it still sounds fresh almost 30 years later. Shrouded in controversy, not least of all for its video, which was banned from MTV, but for the fact that three separate legal cases were brought against the song's producer, Lenny Kravitz. Also discussed is the issue of sampling, the singer's Immaculate Collection album and the isolated tracks from the studio session for Justify My Love.

The first single from True Blue was also the main song from husband Sean Penn's movie 'At Close Range'. The story behind the writing and recording with collaborator Patrick Leonard is as dramatic as the film itself and, by listening to the isolated tracks from the studio recording, a new depth can be found to one of Madonna's most popular song. 

Second single from the album Hard Candy, Madonna's co-write and co-sing with Pharrell Williams, has stood the test of time as we deep dive into this 2008 single, listening to demos, multitrack takes and a brief tutorial on pitch correction.