One Step Ahead Lyrics
I'm only one step ahead of heartbreak
One step ahead of misery
One step is all I'd have to take backwards
To be the same old fool for you I used to be
[Verse 2]
I'm only one step ahead of your arms
One kiss away from your sweet lips
I know I can't afford to stop for one moment
'Cause I'm just out of reach of your fingertips
[Bridge]
Your warm breath on my shoulder
Keeps reminding me
That it's too soon to forget you
It's too late to be free, can't you see?
[Verse 3]
I'm only one step ahead of your love
I try and yet I can't take two
Seems like I'll have to take that one step backwards
'Cause one step ahead is a step too far away from you
'Cause one step ahead is a step too far away from you
Just one step ahead is a step too far away from you
About
“One Step Ahead” is a non-album single released by Aretha Franklin in 1965 toward the end of her record deal with Columbia Records.
Though Aretha sounds as mature as she always did, the song was released when she was only 23. The pop soul song, gently orchestrated with strings, bells, and plucked guitar, tells of a woman unable to stop herself from falling in love again with a former flame. Though Aretha didn’t score any major hits during her tenure with Columbia, this particular single made it to #18 on the Billboard R&B charts.
In 1999, interest in the song resurged as hip-hop lyricist Mos Def released “Ms. Fat Booty,” his own story-song about being stuck on a former flame. The hip-hop hit extensively sampled Aretha’s “One Step Ahead” vocals and repurposed the lines “I know I can’t afford to stop for a moment” and “It’s too soon to forget you” as its catchy chorus.
The more-than-50-years-old song got another boost as it was featured prominently in the award-winning, critically-acclaimed 2016 film Moonlight.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 3.One Step Ahead
- 9.Remember Me
- 10.Land of Dreams
- 12.Deeper
