One Step Closer (Linkin Park song)
"One Step Closer" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park, released as the debut single from their debut album, Hybrid Theory.
A remixed version of the song entitled "1Stp Klosr", featuring Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, was featured on Linkin Park's remix album, Reanimation. In 2021, Linkin Park released a new remix of the song by electronic duo 100 gecs.
The 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.
Background
"One Step Closer" was inspired by the band members', particularly the lead singer Chester Bennington's, frustration with their producer Don Gilmore during the recording sessions for their debut album, Hybrid Theory. Gilmore consistently demanded lyric revisions for the song and other tracks, pushing the band to perfect the sound and structure for a radio release. This creative tension led to intense frustration, which Bennington channeled directly into the lyrics and vocal performance.Live performances
In 2001, Linkin Park performed "One Step Closer" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.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.
Music video
Joe Hahn of Linkin Park and director Gregory Dark came up with the concept for the video.Directed by Dark and shot in Los Angeles, sixty-three feet underground in the abandoned Hollywood Subway underneath Bunker Hill, the video begins with a group of teenage friends hanging out around a dark alley. Two of them 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, startling the monk-like men, and then 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.
In 2018, the staff of Metal Hammer included the video in the site's list of "the 13 best nu metal videos".
Critical reception
Billboard and Kerrang both named "One Step Closer" as the fourth-greatest Linkin Park song.Personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic for original release only.Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington – vocals
- Mike Shinoda – keyboards, backing vocals, programming, samples, artwork, production
- Brad Delson – guitars
- Joe Hahn – turntables, samples, synthesizers, artwork
- Rob Bourdon – drums
Guest musicians
- Scott Koziol - bass
Production
- Don Gilmore – producer, engineering
- Steve Sisco – engineering
- John Ewing Jr. – additional engineering, Pro Tools
- Matt Griffin – engineering assistance
- Andy Wallace – mixing
- Brian Gardner – audio mastering, digital editing
- Jeff Blue – executive producer
Artwork
- Frank Maddocks – graphic design
- James Minchin III – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
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