"1, 2 Step" is a song recorded by American singer Ciara featuring female rapper Missy Elliott for Ciara's debut album, Goodies. Written by Ciara and Missy Elliott and produced by Jazze Pha, it was released as the album's second single on October 23, 2004 in the United States and the second quarter of 2005 internationally. It peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries worldwide, including Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The song is heavily inspired by 1980s electro music production. Throughout the song, Ciara gives a description of how the song's beat feels as she demands party-goers to dance to the music. "1, 2 Step" was ranked 59th on Billboard's Top 100 Songs of the 2000s. In the United States, the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for seven weeks.

The song also features Missy Elliott using an interpolation verse from Teena Marie's song "Square Biz".

"1, 2 Step" is one of four songs Ciara and Jazze Pha originally recorded at Doppler Studios in Atlanta two years before the release of Goodies. It's said that Ciara was inspired by Roscoe Blunt, leading to the creation of this song. "The two connected so well, that half of the album was made within eight days or so." Pha asked Missy Elliott to appear on the track and she accepted. Elliott recorded her rap verse at the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami.

"1, 2 Step" is a futuristic–R&B track, which is strongly influenced by 1980s electro music. The song was created on one of Jazze Pha's five Akai MPC3000s. Pha used laser pulses from E-mu Proteus 2000s that were used for old school hip hop songs and b-boy break dance tracks. "1, 2 Step" is inspired by Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock." Jazze Pha thought about how he could create a more melodic version and "shared some interesting ideas on what kind of music he would like to produce with her. Let's put it this way, it would be epic."

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