1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back

{{Blockquote|text=We interpolated "New Year's Day," which is Taylor's song from Reputation. I came up with the "1 step forward" concept and I sort of wrote a verse and a chorus, and when I got home — I was in the car on a road trip, and when I got home, I decided to sing it over the chords of "New Year's Day." I think they're really beautiful chords. I was lucky enough to get that approved, and it's on the record now.|author=Rodrigo on interpolating "New Year's Day" in "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back"|source=Billboard}}

Following the viral success of her debut single "Drivers License", on April 13, 2021, Rodrigo announced the title, track listing and cover artwork of her debut studio album, Sour; the fourth track was titled "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back".{{cite magazine|last=Martoccio|first=Angie|date=April 13, 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo Details Debut Album 'Sour,' Reveals Tracklist|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/olivia-rodrigo-sour-album-tracklist-1155119/|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413173932/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/olivia-rodrigo-sour-album-tracklist-1155119/|archive-date=April 13, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone}} On May 20, 2021, the personnel involved in the album were revealed on digital music platforms, in which Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff were credited as songwriters on "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back". Rolling Stone reported that the song interpolates Swift's 2017 song "New Year's Day", which was written by Swift and Antonoff. Rodrigo has cited Swift as her biggest music inspiration{{cite magazine|last=Spanos|first=Brittany |date=May 20, 2021|title=Why Taylor Swift Got a Writing Credit on Olivia Rodrigo's Album|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-olivia-rodrigo-album-1172170/|url-status=live|access-date=June 30, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=May 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520171948/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-olivia-rodrigo-album-1172170/}} and one of the core influences on Sour.{{cite web|date=April 21, 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo talks debut album SOUR, being inspired by Alanis Morissette|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/olivia-rodrigo-talks-debut-album-sour-being-inspired-by-alanis-morissette-taylor-swift-and-kacey-musgraves__32951/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425051638/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/olivia-rodrigo-talks-debut-album-sour-being-inspired-by-alanis-morissette-taylor-swift-and-kacey-musgraves__32951/|archive-date=April 25, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=Official Charts Company|language=en}} The album was released on May 21, 2021, via retail stores, digital music and streaming platforms, as well as on Rodrigo's website.{{cite magazine|date=May 21, 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' Is Here: Stream It Now|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9575978/olivia-rodrigo-sour-stream|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521180158/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9575978/olivia-rodrigo-sour-stream|archive-date=May 21, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|magazine=Billboard|language=en}}

{{Listen

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|title= "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back"

|description=A sample of the final chorus in "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back", displaying Rodrigo's intimate vocals over soft piano keys and faint bass strums.}}

"1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" details the impact of inconsistent and unhealthy communication on a relationship,{{cite magazine|last=Paul|first=Larisha|date=May 21, 2021|title=Every Song Ranked on Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour': Critic's Picks|url=https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/columns/pop/9576109/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review-tracks-ranked|url-status=live|archive-date=May 22, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|magazine=Billboard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522091510/https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/columns/pop/9576109/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review-tracks-ranked}} and the subject's mixed responses via text messages. It is a ballad led by a dampened piano{{Cite news|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|date=May 21, 2021|title=Allow Olivia Rodrigo to Introduce Herselves|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/21/arts/music/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review.html|access-date=May 22, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521233237/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/21/arts/music/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review.html|url-status=live}} with a descending chord progression.{{cite web|last=Wood|first=Mikael|date=May 21, 2021|title=Review: Olivia Rodrigo delivers flawless Gen Z pop on her debut album|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-05-20/olivia-rodrigo-sour-debut-album-review|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521180205/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-05-20/olivia-rodrigo-sour-debut-album-review|archive-date=May 21, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=Los Angeles Times}} The song interpolates the piano chords from Swift's "New Year's Day", the final track of her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017).{{cite magazine|last=Spanos|first=Brittany|date=May 20, 2021|title=Why Taylor Swift Got a Writing Credit on Olivia Rodrigo's Album|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-olivia-rodrigo-album-1172170/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520171948/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-olivia-rodrigo-album-1172170/|archive-date=May 20, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone}} Rodrigo stated that she had the verse and chorus of "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back", and decided to play it over the chords of "New Year's Day", which she thought were "beautiful".{{cite magazine|last=Iasimone|first=Ashley|date=May 30, 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo Tells the Stories Behind Several 'Sour' Songs on 'Zach Sang Show'|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9580330/olivia-rodrigo-sour-song-meanings-zach-sang-show/|url-status=live|access-date=June 30, 2021|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531021516/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9580330/olivia-rodrigo-sour-song-meanings-zach-sang-show/}} The song is set in the key of D major with a slow tempo of 56 beats per minute. Rodrigo's vocals span from A₃ to B₄.{{cite web|last1=Rodrigo|first1=Olivia|last2=Swift|first2=Taylor|last3=Antonoff|first3=Jack|date=May 21, 2021|title=1 step forward, 3 steps back|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0234378|url-status=live|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=MusicNotes|publisher=|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181928/https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0234378}} She created the song's hook from a text message, stating that she "thought it would be a cool way to describe this toxic, sort of manipulative relationship". The bird chirping heard at the beginning of the track was an idea by Dan Nigro, the song's producer and Rodrigo's musical collaborator on Sour, who recorded them through a window at his house. The song's title is inspired by the phrase "1 steps forward and 2 steps back", but replaces the 2 with 3, which has been associated with Swift's lucky number 13.{{cite web|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=May 21, 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' Is One Sweet Entreé Into a Lifetime of Music-Making: Album Review|url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/olivia-rodrigo-sour-album-review-1234978321/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521180232/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/olivia-rodrigo-sour-album-review-1234978321/|archive-date=May 21, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=Variety}}

Maura Johnston of Entertainment Weekly called the song a "regret-wracked" tune.{{cite magazine|last=Johnston|first=Maura|author-link=Maura Johnston |date=May 21, 2021|title=Sour review: Olivia Rodrigo's debut album hints at an even brighter future|url=https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521180203/https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review/|archive-date=May 21, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} The A.V. Club critic Tatiana Tenreyro wrote that "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" blends Swift's influences with that of Regina Spektor, "inviting listeners who may have mourned failed romances while listening to Begin To Hope to feel nostalgic, while also allowing a new generation of teenagers to recognize themselves". Tenreyro added that the track "seamlessly transitions" into "Deja Vu", the succeeding track on Sour.{{cite web|last=Tenreyro|first=Tatiana|date=May 22, 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo's SOUR is so much more than a breakup album|url=https://www.avclub.com/olivia-rodrigo-s-sour-is-so-much-more-than-a-breakup-al-1846939048|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603043323/https://www.avclub.com/olivia-rodrigo-s-sour-is-so-much-more-than-a-breakup-al-1846939048|archive-date=June 3, 2021|access-date=June 3, 2021|website=The A.V. Club}} NME{{'s}} Rhian Daly said that "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" is a "perfectly fine song" but leaves "little impression" due to its location between Rodrigo's familiar singles "Drivers License" and "Deja Vu".{{cite web|last=Daly|first=Rhian|date=May 21, 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo – 'Sour' review: this year's breakout star channels '90s alt-rock|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review-2942135|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521180227/https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review-2942135|archive-date=May 21, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=NME}}

Writing for The New York Times, Jon Caramanica asserted that the song, like its fellow tracks, perfects "the precise language for an imprecise, complex emotional situation; and working through private stories in public fashion." Pitchfork{{'s}} Olivia Horn identified the song's "Swiftian" songwriting, in which Rodrigo "treats emotional turmoil like jet fuel, and laces her lyrics with specifics". Horn labelled it "dewy-eyed soft balladry à la Ingrid Michaelson".{{cite web|last=Horn|first=Olivia|date=May 21, 2021|title=Olivia Rodrigo: SOUR Album Review|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/olivia-rodrigo-sour/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521142022/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/olivia-rodrigo-sour/|archive-date=May 21, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=Pitchfork}} Chris DeVille, reviewing for Stereogum, said that "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Forward" depicts "the strength of Rodrigo's conviction and her ability to condense universal frustrations into soundbites."{{cite web|last=DeVille|first=Chris|date=May 21, 2021|title=Premature Evaluation: Olivia Rodrigo Sour|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2148461/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review/reviews/premature-evaluation/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521180208/https://www.stereogum.com/2148461/olivia-rodrigo-sour-review/reviews/premature-evaluation/|archive-date=May 21, 2021|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=Evening Standard}} Billboard writer Larisha Paul lauded the song's mature and confessional lyricism.

Following the release of Sour, all of the album's 11 tracks debuted on the Billboard Global 200,{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Global 200 Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-global-200/2021-06-05|access-date=2021-06-30|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=June 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604163338/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-global-200/2021-06-05|url-status=live}} U.S. Hot 100,{{cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2021-06-05|access-date=2021-06-30|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605103531/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2021-06-05|url-status=live}} Canadian Hot 100,{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100/2021-06-05|access-date=2021-06-30|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603005100/https://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100/2021-06-05|url-status=live}} and Australian Singles charts,{{cite web|title=ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/singles-chart|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-30|website=ARIA|language=en|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201114073343/https://www.aria.com.au/charts/singles-chart}} simultaneously. "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" entered the Global 200 at number 17. It landed at numbers 17, 18 and 19 in Canada, Australia, and the United States, respectively. The song also reached numbers 26 and 28 in New Zealand and Portugal, respectively.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Sour.{{cite AV media notes|title=Sour|first=Olivia |last=Rodrigo|year=2021|type=liner notes|publisher=Geffen Records|id=00602438077441}}

Recording

• Recorded at Amusement Studios (Los Angeles)
• Mixed at SOTA Studios (Los Angeles)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

{{div col}}

• Olivia Rodrigo – vocals, backing vocals, songwriter, co-producer, piano
• Daniel Nigro – producer, recording engineer, organ, bass
• Taylor Swift – songwriter
• Jack Antonoff – songwriter
• Dan Viafore – assistant engineer
• Mitch McCarthy – mixing engineer
• Randy Merrill – mastering engineer

{{div col end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|certyear=2024|access-date=December 24, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|title=1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back|artist=Olivia Rodrigo|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2021|certyear=2024|access-date=July 10, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back|artist=Olivia Rodrigo|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2021|certyear=2024|access-date=March 4, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Mexico|title=1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back|artist=Olivia Rodrigo|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2021|certyear=2023|access-date=July 5, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back|artist=Olivia Rodrigo|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2021|certyear=2024|source=radioscope|access-date=2024-12-21}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|title=1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back|artist=Olivia Rodrigo|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2021|certyear=2024|access-date=November 29, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=1 Step Forward 3 Steps Back|artist=Olivia Rodrigo|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2021|certyear=2024|access-date=March 1, 2024|id=17980-5451-1}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back|artist=Olivia Rodrigo|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2021|certyear=2023|access-date=July 6, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

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{{Olivia Rodrigo}}

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Category:2020s ballads

Category:2021 songs

Category:Olivia Rodrigo songs

Category:Songs written by Olivia Rodrigo

Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift

Category:Songs written by Jack Antonoff

Category:Song recordings produced by Dan Nigro