Step (Vampire Weekend song)

"Step"
Single by Vampire Weekend
from the album Modern Vampires of the City
A-side"Diane Young"
ReleasedMarch 19, 2013
Genre
Length4:11
LabelXL
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s)
Vampire Weekend singles chronology
"Diane Young"
(2013) 		"Step"
(2013) 		"Ya Hey"
(2013)

"Step" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Written and composed by band members Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Batmanglij, the song was released as the fourth and final single from the band's third studio album Modern Vampires of the City. The song was inspired by American hip hop group Souls of Mischief's song "Step to My Girl".[2][3]

Composition

The lyrics and other elements of "Step" were inspired by the song "Step to My Girl" which was recorded as a demo by the Oakland-based hip-hop group Souls of Mischief. The hip-hop group was contacted by Vampire Weekend's legal team to sample and use one of the lines from "Step to My Girl". One of the members of Vampire Weekend also spoke directly to Souls of Mischief about the song's sample.[4]

When Souls of Mischief member Tajai finally heard "Step" after it was completed, he expressed his approval stating that "it was so good; I was just happy we were able to be part of that." Impressed with the song's outcome, Souls of Mischief are contemplating on doing a collaboration with Vampire Weekend.[4]

The Souls of Mischief's song ,"Step to My Girl", samples Grover Washington Jr.'s saxophone cover of Bread's 1973 single, "Aubrey". This is why David Gates, founder of Bread and songwriter of "Aubrey", is credited as a songwriter of "Step".[5] The song also contains lyrical references to the musician Jandek and the band Modest Mouse.[6]

Release

"Step" was initially released as a double A-side single with "Diane Young" on March 18, 2013, with both songs being promoted as the lead singles taken from the band's third studio album Modern Vampires of the City.[7][8] "Step" premiered with "Diane Young" on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show in the UK.[7]

Remix

Vampire Weekend composed a remix of "Step", featuring guest verses from American rappers Danny Brown, Heems and Despot. The remix was released December 31, 2013.[9]

Commercial performance

"Step" peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[10] The single also reached number 170 in France.[11] It also peaked at number 54 on the Ultratip charts in the Flanders region of Belgium.[12]

Critical reception

"Step" is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs. Paste and Far Out ranked the song number four and number eight, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Vampire Weekend songs.[13][14]

Music video

The lyric video to "Step" was uploaded on March 18, 2013 on YouTube and VEVO. The background of the video shows various shots of New York City with the lyrics being shown over the top.[15]

Personnel

Vampire Weekend

Technical

Charts

Chart (2013–2014) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[12] 4
France (SNEP)[11] 170
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[16] 45
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[10] 35

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Contains elements from "Aubrey" by David Gates and interpolates YZ's "Who's That Girl" in its hook, "every time I see you in the world you always step to my girl".

References

  1. ^ "The Guardian - Modern Vampires of the City review". The Guardian. January 10, 2015.
  2. ^ "Vampire Weekend - Step". MusicBrainz. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  3. ^ "Vampire Weekend: Step, as Inspired by Souls of Mischief's Step to My Girl". somuchsilence.com. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Ducker, Eric. "A Rational Conversation: Souls of Mischief On Their Vampire Weekend Connection and Why '93 'Til Infinity' Endures..." The Daily Swarm. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  5. ^ "Vampire Weekend On The Secrets Of Its New Album". NPR.org. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  6. ^ Healy, Pat (September 12, 2013). "Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend: The gloves are off – Metro US". www.metro.us. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Vampire Weekend reveal new songs 'Diane Young' and 'Step' – listen". nme.com. NME. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  8. ^ "Vampire Weekend Reveal Two New Songs, 'Diane Young' And 'Step'". live105.cbslocal.com. CBS Local. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  9. ^ "Listen: Danny Brown jumps on remix of Vampire Weekend's "Step"". Consequence of Sound. December 31, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Vampire Weekend Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  11. ^ a b "Vampire Weekend – Step" (in French). Les classement single.
  12. ^ a b "Vampire Weekend – Step" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  13. ^ Edelstone, Steven (January 25, 2019). "The 10 Best Vampire Weekend Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  14. ^ Taysom, Joe (April 8, 2021). "The 10 best Vampire Weekend songs". Far Out. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  15. ^ "Vampire Weeking – Step (Official Lyrics Video)". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  16. ^ "Vampire Weekend Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Vampire Weekend – Step". Music Canada. Retrieved January 27, 2023.

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