One Step Closer (Linkin Park song)

"One Step Closer" is the debut single by the American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single and second track of their debut album, Hybrid Theory.[5] The song was featured in the 2008 music video games Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades, and the soundtrack to the 2000 film Dracula 2000 in the end credits.

"One Step Closer"
Single by Linkin Park
from the album Hybrid Theory
B-side	"My December" "High Voltage"
Released	September 28, 2000[1]
Recorded	Los Angeles, California 2000
Studio	NRG Studios
Genre	Nu metal[2][3] rap rock[4]
Length	2:35
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Linkin Park
Producer(s)	Don Gilmore
Linkin Park singles chronology
"One Step Closer" (2000) "In the End" (2000)
Music video
"One Step Closer" on YouTube

A remixed version of the song entitled "1Stp Klosr" was featured on Linkin Park's remix album, Reanimation. The remix features Jonathan Davis, the lead singer of American nu metal band Korn.

This Song was Mashed Up with another Song by the Band from Hybrid Theory, "Points of Authority", and a Collaboration of the Song 99 Problems from "The Black Album" by Jay-Z on the EP Collision Course.

Live performances

Until 2007, Linkin Park closed every concert with "One Step Closer", excluding Live 8, and their live performances at Summer Sonic. In 2007, Linkin Park played "One Step Closer" toward the beginning of their live performances and sometimes at the end. The song is always played in Drop C#. In 2008, they ended some of their shows with either "One Step Closer" or "Bleed It Out". In 2009, every show they played was ended with "One Step Closer", excluding the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen premiere.

During the 2001 MTV VMA performance of the song, the band had the X-Ecutioners do an extended break before the bridge. This part was somewhat similar to the atmosphere on the remix, with synth parts and faint vocal parts being scratched.

From 2003 to 2006, performances of the song include a verse originally sung by Jonathan Davis in the Reanimation remix of the song before the "Shut up when I'm talking to you!" bridge, which can be heard on LP Underground 4.0. At the end of the verse, Davis repeats the line "Blood is pouring" while the song builds up to the bridge. During the Projekt Revolution 2004 Tour, as Korn was part of the tour's line up, Davis would come out to sing his part on the song before Chester Bennington starts screaming his part.

On several of these occasions, Mike Shinoda would sing "Blood is pouring" under Bennington's screaming during this part, as was done by Jonathan Davis on the remix. This was half-done on the performance at 2004's Rock am Ring (in that Shinoda only sung the part during the second half of the bridge) and fully done on performances during 2003 and 2004's Projekt Revolution tours (along with Davis on the 2004 tour), which was completely recorded and included as a B-side on the "Faint" single and is available as a bonus track for Reanimation when purchased on iTunes. On the single cover, it is called "One Step Closer (Reanimated Live)". It can also be heard on the Live from Nottingham Rock City 2003 Live from Nottingham record. During the 2006 live performances in Japan, the Reanimation bridge was played with the main riff of the song.

During the band's 2007 tour, "One Step Closer" became the opening song of Linkin Park's performances, and the Reanimation verse was removed. It also featured a new, extended intro featuring Shinoda on rhythm guitar. In 2008, it had a new extended outro, and sometimes it was performed as the last song.

For the 2009 International Tour, the song was used as the final song of setlists, with an extended outro featuring a guitar solo by Shinoda while Brad Delson played an extended rhythm section during the solo. On the A Thousand Suns World Tour onward, the songs served as the last song in certain setlists. In others, the song closed off the main set instead.

The tours for The Hunting Party and One More Light (in 2014-2015 and 2017 respectively), however, consistently placed the song mid-set instead of closing either the main set or the show. On the One More Light World Tour, the song was performed with a brand new extended intro based on the Gunshot Intros, particularly the 2007 Intro.

On October 27, 2017, during the Linkin Park and Friends: Celebrate Life in Honor of Chester Bennington, Jonathan Davis performed the song again with the remaining Linkin Park members alongside Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh of Julien-K and Dead by Sunrise. The performance retained the 2017 Intro, but the extended outro was not played for the first time since 2008.

Music video

Joe Hahn of Linkin Park and director Gregory Dark came up with the concept for the video. The original version of the video was supposedly meant to be live footage of the band with fans (similar to their music video for "Faint").

The video was directed by Dark[6] and shot in Los Angeles, sixty-three feet underground in an abandoned LA Subway tunnel, that is adjacent to an abandoned V.A. hospital. The video starts out with a group of teenage friends hanging out around a dark alley. Two of them (the male is played by local LA artist Tony Acosta who goes by the moniker "TonyMech") follow a strange man wearing a black hooded robe into a door which leads them to a dark, misty room where the band is playing. Monk-like men are performing martial arts moves throughout the video. Midway through the song, they knock over a crate, drawing the attention of the monk-like men, causing them to flee the tunnel. Eventually, the strange man appears at the end of the video. While Bennington screams the song's bridge, he is also upside-down as if gravity is inverted for him.[7]

Stand-in bassist Scott Koziol can be seen in several shots in the video.

"One Step Closer" is the only Linkin Park music video to be filmed with SD cameras, which can be seen in 480p and is available in the US exclusively on the Warner Bros. Records YouTube channel.

As of November 2020, the song has over 113 million views on YouTube.

Personnel

Linkin Park

• Chester Bennington – lead vocals
• Mike Shinoda – keyboards, vocals, samplers
• Brad Delson – guitars
• Joe Hahn – turntables, samples, programming
• Rob Bourdon – drums

Additional personnel

• Scott Koziol – bass guitar

Track listing

Maxi single (Europe)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"One Step Closer"	Linkin Park	2:39
2.	"My December"	Mike Shinoda	4:21
3.	"High Voltage"	Shinoda Joe Hahn Brad Delson	3:45
4.	"One Step Closer" (Video)	Linkin Park	2:55

US promo

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"One Step Closer" (Album Version)	Linkin Park	2:36
2.	"One Step Closer" (Rock Mix)	Linkin Park	2:36

10" vinyl

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"One Step Closer"	Linkin Park	2:39
2.	"My December"	Shinoda	4:21

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2000–01)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[8]	4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9]	38
Germany (Official German Charts)[10]	32
Italy (FIMI)[11]	46
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12]	57
Poland (LP3)[13]	16
Scotland (OCC)[14]	23
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15]	46
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16]	42
UK Singles (OCC)[17]	24
UK Rock and Metal (OCC)[18]	3
US Billboard Hot 100[19]	75
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[20]	5
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[21]	4

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[22]	75
Portugal (AFP)[23]	77
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[24]	14

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)	Position
Portugal (AFP)[25]	1299

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26]	Gold	35,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[27]	Silver	200,000
United States (RIAA)[28]	Platinum	1,000,000
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Linkin+Park&ti=One+Step+Closer#search_section
2. Green, Chris. "Linkin Park have launched a venture capital brand, but can such a company ever be rock n' roll?". The Independent. (June 25, 2015). Retrieved on October 11, 2015
3. Diver, Mike (September 6, 2009). "Top Ten - Nu-Metal Anthems". Clash. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
4. Green, Chris. "Linkin Park have launched a venture capital brand, but can such a company ever be rock n' roll?". The Independent. (June 25th, 2015). Retrieved on October 11th, 2015
5. Allmusic.com
6. https://www.allmusic.com/album/one-step-closer-mw0000728479
7. "One Step Closer (Official Video) on YouTube". from the Warner Bros. Records YouTube Channel
8. "Australian-charts.com – Linkin Park – One Step Closer". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
9. "Austriancharts.at – Linkin Park – One Step Closer" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Linkin Park – One Step Closer". GfK Entertainment Charts.
11. "Italiancharts.com – Linkin Park – One Step Closer". Top Digital Download.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Linkin Park – One Step Closer" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
13. "Polish Singles Chart |". Archived from the original on 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
14. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
15. "Swedishcharts.com – Linkin Park – One Step Closer". Singles Top 100.
16. "Swisscharts.com – Linkin Park – One Step Closer". Swiss Singles Chart.
17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
18. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
19. "Linkin Park Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
20. "Linkin Park Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
21. "Linkin Park Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
22. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201730 into search. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
23. "Portuguesecharts.com – Linkin Park – One Step Closer". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
24. "Linkin Park Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
25. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
27. "British single certifications – Linkin Park – One Step Closer". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type One Step Closer in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
28. "American single certifications – Linkin Park – One Step Closer". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.