One Step Closer (Linkin Park song)

"One Step Closer"
Single by Linkin Park
from the album Hybrid Theory
B-side	"My December" "High Voltage"
Released	September 28, 2000
Format	Compact Disc, vinyl
Recorded	NRG Studios 2000
Genre	Nu metal
Length	2:35
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Linkin Park
Producer	Don Gilmore
Linkin Park singles chronology
"One Step Closer" (2000) "Crawling" (2001)
Music video "One Step Closer" on YouTube

"One Step Closer" is a song by the American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single and second track of their debut album, Hybrid Theory.^[1] This song is also featured in the game Rock Band 2.

The track was firstly known as "Plaster", a supposed demo version of "One Step Closer". This early version featured Bennington screaming "shut up" in the beginning of the song, as well as during the bridge.

The song was successful on the mainstream rock track chart, where it was named the 43rd best performing song of the decade.

Live performances

Until 2007, Linkin Park has closed every concert to date 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 D a half-step down. 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 2007, 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. At the end of the verse, Bennington then repeats the line "Blood is pouring" while the song builds up to the bridge.

On occasion, Shinoda sings "Blood is pouring" under Bennington's screaming during this part, as is done by Jonathan Davis on the remix. This is half-done on the performance at 2004's Rock am Ring (in that Shinoda only sings the part during the second half of the bridge) and fully done during a performance during 2003's Projekt Revolution tour, which was recorded and included 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.

A live version of the song was included as a b-side to "Faint".

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 Mike Shinoda on rhythm guitar. In 2008, it had a new extended outro, and sometimes it was performed as the last song.

For the 2010 A Thousand Suns World Tour, the song was used as the final song of the main Europe/North America set, with an extended outro featuring a guitar solo by Mike Shinoda while Brad Delson plays an extended rhythm section during the solo. In the main Australia setlist, as well as many random sets, the song was the final song of the concerts.

Music video

Joe Hahn of Linkin Park 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 actual video was directed by Gregory Dark and shot in Los Angeles 63 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 (male 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. The two go into the tunnel and the bands Guitarist Brad Delson is playing his guitar alone and then the song goes on. Strange figures are around doing martial-arts moves. Midway through the song, they knock over a box, drawing the attention of the monk-like martial arts guys, causing them to flee the tunnel. Eventually the strange man appears at the end of the video. While Bennington screams the "Shut up when I'm talking to you!" bridge, he is also upside-down as if gravity is inverted for him.

Track listing

Maxi single
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"One Step Closer"	Linkin Park	2:39
2.	"My December"	Shinoda	4:21
3.	"High Voltage"	Shinoda, Hahn, 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

Chart (2000)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	75
US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	68
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	4
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	5
Australian Singles Chart	4
Austrian Singles Chart	38
Germany Singles Chart	32
Italian Singles Chart	46
Dutch Singles Chart	57
Swedish Singles Chart	46
Swiss Singles Chart	42
UK Singles Chart	24

References

1. ^ Allmusic.com

External links

• One Step Closer official lyrics
• My December official lyrics
• High Voltage official lyrics