It also peaked in the top five on the Hot Digital Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Rhythmic Airplay and the Top 40 Tracks charts, and the top 30 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. "1, 2 Step" reached number one on the Billboard Pop 100 (the first on the then new chart), Hot Dance Airplay, Hot Digital Tracks, and Top 40 Mainstream charts. In the January 8, 2005, issue of Billboard, the song climbed to number two on the chart and stayed there for seven weeks, while being held from the top slot by Mario's " Let Me Love You" and became Ciara's second top-10 single. "1, 2 Step" debuted at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also received a nomination at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Music Awards for "Best Dance Cut." The song was nominated for "Viewer's Choice" at the 2005 BET Awards, but lost to Omarion's " O." The song won the award "Best Performed Songs in the ASCAP Repertory for the 2005 Survey Year," which included the title track from the album as well as third single, " Oh." The song won the award for "Choice Music R&B/Hip Hop Track" at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards and "Best Collaboration" and "Viewer's Choice" at the BET Awards in 2005. "1, 2 Step" was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for " Best Rap/Sung Collaboration," but lost to " Numb/Encore" by Jay-Z and Linkin Park. wrote it's "a feel good track," something that is not overproduced but works its magic." Kate Watkins of The Situation called it "a funky song in the style we have come to expect from Missy." Fazed stated that the song is about "joys of dancing around with family." Slant thought that "1, 2 Step" was a "fun dance track."
Contact Music gave the song three out of five stars and called it "arse shaking floor filling R&B" and a "wicked melodic souful twist." Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic was published that the track is "good, if not great." Gerardo E. "1, 2 Step" received favorable reviews from music critics. Let's put it this way, it would be epic." "1, 2 Step" references her past song " Goodies" and " We Will Rock You" by Queen. "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. Pha used laser pulses from E-mu Proteus in the 2000s that were used for old school hip hop songs and b-boy break dance tracks. The song was created on one of Jazze Pha's five Akai MPC3000s. "1, 2 Step" is a Crunk&B track, which is strongly influenced by 1980s electro music.
Elliott recorded her rap verse at the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami. "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.
It is explained that Ciara was inspired by Roscoe Blunt, leading to the creation of this song. "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. The song also features Missy Elliott using an interpolation verse from Teena Marie's song " Square Biz". In the United States, the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for seven weeks. "1, 2 Step" was ranked 59th on Billboard's Top 100 Songs of the 2000s. Throughout the song, Ciara gives a description of how the song's beat feels as she exhorts party-goers to dance to the music. The song is heavily inspired by 1980s electro music production. It peaked within the top 10 of the charts in several countries worldwide, including Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Written by Ciara and Missy Elliott and produced by Jazze Pha, it was released as the album's second single on November 1, 2004, in the United States. " 1, 2 Step" is a song recorded by American singer Ciara featuring hip-hop rapper Missy Elliott for Ciara's debut album, Goodies.