Step (ClariS song)

"Step" is a pop song by the Japanese duo and idol unit ClariS, written by Kz. It was released as the unit's tenth single on April 16, 2014 by SME Records. The song was used as the second opening theme to the 2014 anime series Nisekoi.[1] A music video was produced for "Step", directed by Jungo. The single peaked at No. 3 on Japan's weekly Oricon singles chart.

"Step"
Single by ClariS
from the album Party Time
Released	April 16, 2014
Recorded	2014
Genre	J-pop
Length	4:16
Label	SME
Songwriter(s)	Kz
ClariS singles chronology
"Click" (2014) "Step" (2014) "Border" (2015)

Composition

"Step" is a synthpop song with instrumentation from a synthesizer. It is set in common time and moves at a tempo of 146 beats per minute in the E minor key throughout the song. The introduction starts with the synthesized music to transition into the first verse, followed by the chorus. After a short bridge, this pattern is repeated for the second verse and chorus featuring the same music with different lyrics. A break is used to transition into the third verse, immediately followed by the chorus used as the outro to close the song.

Release and reception

"Step" was released in a regular edition and two limited editions on April 16, 2014 as a CD by SME Records in Japan.[1][2][3] One of the limited edition versions was packaged with Nisekoi artwork and also contained a short version of "Step" instead of its instrumental version.[3][4] The other limited edition version came bundled with a DVD containing the music video for "Step".[2] The song peaked at No. 3 on Japan's weekly Oricon singles chart and charted for 8 weeks.[1] "Step" debuted and peaked on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 at No. 5.[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Step"	Kz	Kz	Kz	4:16
2.	"Dream World" (ドリームワールド Dorīmu Wārudo)	Koh	Koh	Koh	4:03
3.	"Sakura Saku" (桜咲く)	Manabu Ida	Manabu Ida	Atsushi Yuasa	4:42
4.	"Step (Instrumental)"		Kz	Kz	4:16
Total length:					17:18

Nisekoi limited edition

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Step"	Kz	Kz	Kz	4:16
2.	"Dream World" (ドリームワールド Dorīmu Wārudo)	Koh	Koh	Koh	4:03
3.	"Sakura Saku" (桜咲く)	Manabu Ida	Manabu Ida	Atsushi Yuasa	4:42
4.	"Step (TV Mix)"	Kz	Kz	Kz	1:31
Total length:					14:33

DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Step" (Music Video)	4:32

Personnel

ClariS

• Clara – vocals
• Alice – vocals

Additional musicians

• Hiroomi Shitara – guitar
• Tak Miyazawa – guitar

Production

• Takashi Koiwa – mixer
• Yuji Chinone – mastering
• Tatsuo Murai – art direction, design

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Japan Billboard Japan Hot 100[5]	5
Japan Oricon Weekly Singles[1]	3

References

1. "Step" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
2. "STEP【初回生産限定盤】" [Step (limited edition)] (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
3. "Step (limited production edition)" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
4. "STEP(期間生産限定盤)" [Step (limited production edition)] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
5. "Billboard Japan Hot 100 2014/04/28" (in Japanese). Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2015.