"2 Become 1" is a song by the English girl group the Spice Girls. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, ''

Spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spice ...

'' (1996). "2 Become 1" is an R&B-influenced pop and

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

ballad that features instrumentation from a

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, an

electronic keyboard An electronic keyboard, portable keyboard, or digital keyboard is an electronic musical instrument, an electronic derivative of keyboard instruments. Electronic keyboards include synthesizers, digital pianos, stage pianos, electronic organs ...

and string instruments. The lyrics focus on the bonding of two lovers, and also address the importance of

contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

. Its Big TV!-directed music video, which features the group performing against time-lapse footage of

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, was completely shot against a blue screen at a studio in London. The backdrop was later superimposed. Released as the group's third single on 16 December 1996, it was generally well received by music critics and was a commercial success. It topped the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for three weeks, becoming the group's third consecutive chart-topper, their second million-selling single, and their first

Christmas number-one single In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are singles that top the UK Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas Day falls. The singles have often been novelty songs, charity songs or songs with a Christmas theme. Historically, the volume ...

in the United Kingdom. In July 1997, the song was released in the United States, peaking at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and receiving a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It performed similarly internationally, peaking inside the top ten on the majority of the charts that it entered. The song was named "Song of the Year" at the 1998 ASCAP London Music Awards. In 2019,

Emma Bunton Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice. With over 100 million recor ...

covered the song, as a duet, with

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

on her fourth solo album, ''

My Happy Place ''My Happy Place'' is the fourth studio album by British singer Emma Bunton. It was released on 12 April 2019 by BMG Rights Management. The album consists of ten tracks; eight are cover versions of some of Bunton's favourite songs and two are o ...

''.

Background

In December 1994, the Spice Girls persuaded their former managers—father-and-son team

Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places * Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

and

Chris Herbert Chris Herbert (born 22 February 1971 in Hillingdon, Middlesex) is a British talent manager who has helped oversee the careers of the Spice Girls, Five, Stephen Gately and Hear'Say, B*Witched, The Honeyz, Ben's Brother. He is the son of talent man ...

—to set up a showcase in front of industry writers, producers and A&R men at the Nomis Studios in Shepherd's Bush, London. Producer Richard Stannard was originally at the studio to meet pop star Jason Donovan, but he ended up in the showcase after hearing

Melanie Brown Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...

, as she went charging across the corridor. Stannard recalls:Sinclair, 2004. pp. 40–41.

More than anything, they just made me laugh. I couldn't believe I'd walked into this situation. You didn't care if they were in time with the dance steps or whether one was overweight or one wasn't as good as the others. It was something more. It just made you feel happy. Like great pop records.

Stannard stayed after everyone had left the showcase to talk to the group, he then reported back to his songwriter partner Matt Rowe, that he had found the pop group of their dreams. In January 1995, Chris Herbert booked the group's first professional songwriting session with the producers at the Strongroom in Curtain Road, East London. Rowe remember feeling similarly to Stannard when he first met the group, "I love them. Immediately. ..They were like no one I'd met before, really." The session was productive as the duo seemed to get along with the group, together they discussed about the songwriting process and what they wanted to do with the record. In her autobiography, Brown recalled that the duo instinctively understood their point of view and knew how to incorporate "the spirit of five loud girls into great

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

Writing and inspiration

"2 Become 1" was co-written by the Spice Girls along with partners Richard Stannard and Matthew Rowe. Stannard and Rowe also co-produced the track. After writing more

uptempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...

dance-based songs, such as "

Wannabe "Wannabe" is the debut single by English girl group the Spice Girls. Written and composed by the group members in collaboration with Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produ ...

", the group and the two producers decided to write a slow

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

. But as the group were writing the song, they realised that it was a bit too slushy, so it was decided to address the importance of

with the lyrics: "Be a little bit wiser baby. Put it on, put it on". The song was inspired by the "special relationship" that was developing between

Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...

and Rowe.Sinclair, 2004. pp. 42–43. Brown hinted at this development in her autobiography commenting: "When he oweand Geri started making eyes at each other I knew what was going on, even though they denied it. I knew them both too well for it to be a secret for me." Stannard commented about the fondness between Halliwell and Rowe: "I don't want to get into the side of things. They were very close. They clicked. And I think the lyrics in '2 Become 1' came from that, especially the first verse, which they wrote together."

Spanish version

The group recorded a

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

Spanish version of the song, written by them, Rowe, Stannard, and N. Maño. The title was "2 Become 1" (Spanish Version), although the title is loosely translated in one line of the song, "Seremos Uno Los Dos". It was released as the eleventh track of their debut album ''

'', in Latin America, South Africa, in a special re-edition of the album in Spain, and as one of the tracks of the "2 Become 1" maxi-single in the US. A

Spanglish Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mos ...

edit that traded verses between the English and Spanish versions was created by DJ

Mike Rizzo Michael Rizzo, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer from New York City, active since the early 1990s. He is well known for working with various artists such as Jennifer Green and Sun, all of whom scored hits on both '' Billboard's Ho ...

and production director Bill Schultz for New York-based radio

WKTU WKTU (103.5 FM) is a rhythmic adult contemporary formatted radio station licensed to Lake Success, New York, a suburb of New York City. WKTU is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neig ...

Composition

"2 Become 1" is a

pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Cu ...

with R&B influences, written in the key of

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor. The F major scale is: : F major is the ...

; it is set in the

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note va ...

of common time and moves at a slow tempo of 72

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

.Spice Girls, 2008. pp. 43–47. The song is constructed in a

verse–chorus form Verse–chorus form is a musical form going back to the 1840s, in such songs as " Oh! Susanna", " The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", and many others. It became passé in the early 1900s, with advent of the AABA (with verse) form in the T ...

, and its instrumentation comes from a

, an

, and string instruments. The song opens with an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

, with a

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of Em add₉–D/F–G–Am₇ sus₄, that is also used during the first part of the verses. The last two lines of each verse changes the progression to C–Bm₇–Am₇–D₁₁, and changes again during each chorus to G–D–C–D. It closes with a string outro that uses the chord progression F–G–B–C, which is arranged by Scottish composer Craig Armstrong. The lyrics focus on how the bonding of two lovers can become so strong that they practically become one entity, through the act of sexual intercourse.Spice Girls, 1997. pp. 38–39. Apart from the sexual connotations, there is an aspirational undercurrent to the lyrics, and like many of their subsequent songs, desire is explicitly linked to ambition: "Free your mind of doubt and danger/Be for real don't be a stranger/We can achieve it/We can achieve it". Two different versions of the song, each with different lyrics, were recorded: in the album version, the two first verses are sung by Melanie C and

sings the pre-choruses, the next second two verses are sung by Melanie C and

, and the first and third lines of the chorus are sung by Bunton and Halliwell together and the second and fourth lines are sung by Melanie C and

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...

. The second line of the second verse, "Any deal that we endeavour/Boys and girls feel good together", was changed in the single version to: "Once again if we endeavour/Love will bring us back together". Halliwell sings on the album version, while Beckham sings on the single version, after Halliwell confessed that she had a hard time singing on that particular key. Bunton later stated that the lyric change was necessary after realising that the group had become LGBT icons. Despite the original lyrics still being used in album pressings of ''Spice'', due to the album not being revised since 1997, the single version appeared on the 25th anniversary reissue of the album, in place of the album version. The single version also contains slightly different vocals from the rest of the group. The single version appears in the music video and is available on the group's ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' album, and on stage the girls always performed the single version before and after Halliwell's departure.

Release

"2 Become 1" was released in the United Kingdom on 16 December 1996, in three single versions.Sinclair, 2004. p. 297. The first one, a

maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was t ...

that included the single version of the track, an orchestral take, the

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

remix of "Wannabe", and "One of These Girls", a song written by the group with Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins—the songwriters and production duo known as Absolute. The second version was the special Christmas pack, a standard

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

in a cardboard case that included a signed postcard with a Christmas message from the group. This version contained the single version, the

Dave Way Dave Way is an American producer, mixer and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has worked with Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, Ringo Starr, Shakira, Phoebe Bridgers, John Doe, Sa ...

remix, and their own version of

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ) (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as ...

's "

Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had formed the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and he finished the work in February 1948. The original recordings were instrument ...

". The third version was a two-track

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debut ...

, featuring the single version and the orchestral take of the song. The same track listing was also used for the release of the European CD single. In the United States, the single was serviced to contemporary hit radio on 1 July 1997. Four weeks later, on 29 July, two CD singles were issued in the US.

Reception

Critical response

The song was generally well received by music critics. Brian Grosz from Albumism described it as "a smooth R&B jam". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

called it a "perfect

confection". In a review of the group's 2007 compilation album, ''

'', Talia Kraines of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

called it "shimmering", adding that "only a cold heart could fail to love their first festive #1". Larry Flick of '' Billboard'' magazine said that "they are surprisingly adept at weaving warm and romantic imagery over a sweet melody", adding that " veryonewill delight in the track's arrangement of soft harmonies and delicate acoustic guitar riffs".

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' said that their first album "is a compendium of slick secondhand urban pop encompassing ..

G-funk G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the late 1980s. The genre is heavily influenced by 1970s psychedelic funk (P-funk) sound of artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic. Charac ...

synths on '

Say You'll Be There "Say You'll Be There" is a song recorded by the English girl group Spice Girls for their debut studio album ''Spice'' (1996). The Spice Girls co-wrote the song with Eliot Kennedy after the group left Heart Management in 1995. Later, Jonathan ...

' ..and

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

's guitar and strings balladry on '2 Become 1'". Digital Spy's Nick Levine noted that the group's slower songs were "probably their strongest suit", and thought that the song "manages to combine every element of the perfect Christmas ballad–a touch of elegance, a hint of romance, a soupcon of sexiness and a generous sprinkling of sparkle–and still finds time for a coy safe sex message". Whitney Pastorek of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' said that it is "too slow, and the lyrics appear to have been written by a safe-sex-loving unicorn", adding that "it's almost impossible to identify the individual Spice Girls by their voices here, so airbrushed are the proceedings". A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' rated the song five out of five, adding, "No turkey this as Spice Girls virtually guarantee a third chart topper and look a strong bet for the Christmas number one with a seasonally lush ballad. Anticipate much smooching 'neath the mistletoe." ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine's

Christopher John Farley Christopher John Farley (born July 28, 1966) is a Jamaican-born American journalist, columnist, and author. Early life Farley was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and grew up in New York. He is a graduate of Brockport High School and Harvard Unive ...

called it a "slumberous ballad ..

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

seem designed to amuse, titillate, ingratiate". In a review of the group's debut album ''Spice'', Dev Sherlock of

Yahoo! Music Radio Yahoo! Music Radio (formerly known as LAUNCHcast) was an Internet radio service offered by Clear Channel Communications' iHeartRadio through Yahoo! Music. The service, formerly offered by LAUNCH Media, and originally developed by Todd Beaupré, ...

called it a "glossy ballad that would do Mariah Carey proud". Victoriaandemmaonpoleslv

Chart performance

"2 Become 1" was originally going to be released in the UK on 9 December 1996, but the release date was delayed to let

Dunblane Dunblane (, gd, Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links ...

's "

Knockin' on Heaven's Door "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, ...

"—a tribute to the children killed at the

Dunblane Primary School Dunblane (, gd, Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links ...

in Scotland—to stay at the top of the

. The single was released the next week, debuting at the top, becoming the group's third chart-topper and their first

in the UK. It sold 209,000 copies in the first three days of release and 462,000 in the first week, becoming the fifth best-selling single of the year. "2 Become 1" sold 1.14 million copies in total, giving the Spice Girls their second and final million-selling single in the UK. Despite being released during the final two weeks of 1996, "2 Become 1" was the 5th best seller of the year and that year's fastest selling single of the year. In Ireland, "2 Become 1" was the group's second number-one single, and their first to debut at the top of the Irish Singles Chart. It stayed at the top position for six weeks, and became their first Christmas number-one single in the country. "2 Become 1" peaked at No. 3 on the Eurochart Hot 100, and performed similarly across the rest of Europe, topping the singles chart in Spain, peaking inside the top ten in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland,Hits of the World: Continued
. '' Billboard''. 25 January 1997. Retrieved on 15 April 2015. and inside the top fifteen in Belgium and Germany. It was also commercially successful in Australia and New Zealand, peaking inside the top three on both countries. In July 1997, "2 Become 1" debuted on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' singles chart at No. 87, peaked at No. 3 on its fifth week, and ended at No. 25 on the year-end chart. On the Adult Contemporary chart it peaked at No. 4, and ended at No. 27 on the year-end chart. In the United States, the song debuted on 16 August 1997 at No. 6, reaching a peak of No. 4 in its fourth week, becoming the group's third consecutive top five in the country. The song peaked at No. 6 on the

Hot 100 Airplay The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...

chart and at No. 8 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart, selling 700,000 copies as of December 1997. It peaked at four on the Mainstream Top 40, and had

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

success, peaking at four on the

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

and at eight on the

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

Music video

Background

The music video for "2 Become 1" was directed on 5–6 November 1996 by Big TV!, in a two-day shoot located at a studio in

Old Compton Street Old Compton Street is a road that runs east–west through Soho in the West End of London. History The street was named after Henry Compton who raised funds for a local parish church, eventually dedicated as St Anne's Church in 1686. Th ...

, London. Cinematographer Stephen Keith-Roach, who worked in other music videos such as Jamiroquai's "

Virtual Insanity "Virtual Insanity" is a song by British funk band Jamiroquai, released on 19 August 1996 as the second single from their third studio album, ''Travelling Without Moving'' (1996). The song interpolates parts of Jocelyn Brown's post-disco hit "Som ...

" and U2's "

Discothèque A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

", was in charge of the photography. The shoot involved the group dressed in winter coats, wandering around the studio against a green screen, interspersed with close-up

camera angle The camera angle marks the specific location at which the movie camera or video camera is placed to take a shot. A scene may be shot from several camera angles simultaneously. This will give a different experience and sometimes emotion. The diff ...

s, so that the backdrop could be superimposed later. To achieve the effect of the wind rippling through their hair, the group was required to

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...

h the song in

double time In popular music, half-time is a type of meter and tempo that alters the rhythmic feel by essentially ''doubling the tempo resolution'' or metric division/level in comparison to common-time. Thus, two measures of approximate a single measure o ...

while wind machines were blowing on them.

Synopsis

The music video features the group wandering around

, with fast moving cars appearing around multi-coloured lights. They appear in various places around the city, either alone, with one other member, or as a quintet. The video is intercut with scenes of lovers experiencing moments of togetherness and closes with a deer wandering the streets. Such a scene, according to the group's first official book ''Girl Power!'', gave them a running gag all throughout the shoot—"Whenever anyone made a mistake it was, 'Oh, deer'." Sometimes, the closing scene would not be shown on television, due to the song fading out to an instrumental, which lasts for 40 seconds. In the same book,

wrote about the shoot: "I think '2 Become 1' is my favourite video. ..It was really different to the other videos–shot entirely in the studio, with high technology and loads of effects. It was really weird having to sing passionately into the camera, I was feeling a right mug in front of all those people singing 'wanna make love to ya baby'."

Live performances

The song was performed many times on television, including the '' Bravo Supershow'', '' GMTV'', ''

Live & Kicking ''Live & Kicking'' is a British children's television series that originally aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1993 to 15 September 2001. It was the replacement for ''Going Live!'', and took many of its features from it, such as phone-ins, games, c ...

'', ''

Noel's House Party ''Noel's House Party'' is a BBC light entertainment series that was hosted by Noel Edmonds. Set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo, it ran from 23 November 1991 to 26 March 2000 on BBC One, a ...

'', and ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

''. In October 1997, the group performed "2 Become 1" as the eighth song of their first live concert at the

Abdi İpekçi Arena Abdi İpekçi Arena, formerly known as Abdi İpekçi Sports Complex, was a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul, Turkey, situated just outside the ancient city walls, in Yedikule. History Designed in 1979 ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, Turkey. The performance was broadcast on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

in a pay-per-view event titled ''Spice Girls in Concert Wild!'', and was later included in the VHS and DVD release '' Girl Power! Live in Istanbul''. In December 2007, the group performed the song on the finale of the fifth season of the British television show '' Strictly Come Dancing''. The Spice Girls have performed the song on their four tours, the

Spiceworld Tour The Spiceworld Tour (also known as Spice Girls in Concert and the Girl Power Tour '98) was the debut concert tour by British girl group the Spice Girls. It was launched in support of their second studio album '' Spiceworld'' (1997). The sell-out ...

, the

Christmas in Spiceworld Tour Christmas in Spiceworld Tour was the second concert tour by British girl group the Spice Girls. The eight-show tour was launched following "solo projects, marriages, motherhood and another round of slagging in the press", as a reunion for the gi ...

, the

Return of the Spice Girls Tour The Return of the Spice Girls Tour was the third concert tour by British girl group the Spice Girls. It was the group's first tour since Christmas in Spiceworld in 1999, and their first with all five members since the Spiceworld Tour in May ...

and the

Spice World - 2019 Tour A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices are ...

. After Halliwell's departure in 1998, Bunton sang the first and third lines of the chorus alone during the Spiceworld Tour, but in the Christmas in Spiceworld Tour Beckham replaced Halliwell during the first and third lines of the chorus along with Bunton, while Brown replaced Beckham during the second and fourth lines of the chorus along with Melanie C. The performance at the Spiceworld Tour's final concert can be found on the video: ''

Spice Girls Live at Wembley Stadium ''Spice Girls Live at Wembley Stadium'' is the third video album by English girl group the Spice Girls. It was released on VHS on 24 November 1998 by Virgin Records, and was filmed at Wembley Stadium in London on 20 September 1998 during the Spi ...

'', filmed in London, on 20 September 1998. For the Return of the Spice Girls Tour, the group performed it during the second segment of the show. After the " Too Much" performance, each of the girls emerged from a cocoon of oversized swan wings and danced around a set of barber's poles while singing the song. For the Girls return without Beckham for

, Halliwell sang a mixture of her and Beckham's original lines – "Any deal that we endeavour/Love will bring us back together...". This was the first time Halliwell had sung a solo live on the track since the ''Spice'' debut album.

Cover versions

"2 Become 1" has been covered both in albums and live performances. In 1998,

The Countdown Singers The Countdown Singers is a name given to Madacy Entertainment's revolving group of studio musicians, used since 1994. They perform sound-alike cover versions of well-known songs. They have released over 80 albums. Other names They are also know ...

recorded a

sound-alike A sound-alike is a recording intended to imitate the sound of a popular record, the style of a popular recording artist, or a current musical trend; the term also refers to the artists who perform on such recordings. In the voice-over world, it m ...

version of the song for their album ''Today's Love Songs''.

Lester Bowie Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography Born in ...

's Brass Fantasy did an

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

cover for the 1999 album ''

The Odyssey of Funk & Popular Music ''The Odyssey Of Funk & Popular Music'' (also referred to as Vol. 1) is an album by Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy recorded for the Atlantic label in 1997. It is the eighth album by Bowie's Brass Fantasy group, and the final album by Bowie issued in ...

''. American guitarist Paul Gilbert covered the song for his fourth album ''

Alligator Farm A crocodile farm or alligator farm is an establishment for breeding and raising of crocodilians in order to produce crocodile and alligator meat, leather from crocodile and alligator skin, and other goods. Many species of both alligators an ...

''. Wildside recorded a dance remake for the 1997 album ''Mega Hits Dance Party, Vol. 1'', and was later included on the 2005 album ''Let's Hear It for the 90's, Vol. 1''. Filipino bossa nova singer, Sitti Navarro, recorded a cover of the song for her second album '' My Bossa Nova''. During her solo career,

has performed live covers of the song on television programmes such as '' CD:UK'' and ''

Popworld ''Popworld'' is a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 as part of the T4 strand, featuring pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from contemporary artists. The show bega ...

'', and it was also included as part of her set list for the ''Pepsi Silver Clef Concert''. She performed the song as a duet twice with her former bandmate Melanie C on 9 November 2013 as part of the Oxford Street Lights Switch on and on 11 January 2014 for Sporty's Forty at 02 Shepherd's Bush Empire.

Olly Alexander Oliver Alexander Thornton (born 15 July 1990) is a British singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of Years & Years and for his performance as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series, ''It's a Sin''. Early life Alexander w ...

of the band

Years & Years Years & Years is the solo project of British singer Olly Alexander. Originally formed as a band in 2010, Years & Years' music has been described as electropop, mixing R&B and 1990s house elements. The band's debut studio album, '' Communion'', ...

performed the song with special guest Melanie C at a charity event at London's Union Chapel. In December 2016, Melanie C performed the song with former bandmate

at the latter's New Year's Eve party concert. She also performed the song on her own for a live session on BBC Radio 2 in January 2017. In 2019, Bunton covered the song, as a duet, with

on her fourth solo album, ''

''. In October 2021,

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Uni ...

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

performed a duet of the song with Melanie C at the Hollywood Bowl for the

Audacy Audacy, previously known as Radio.com, is a free broadcast and Internet radio platform owned by the namesake company Audacy, Inc. (formerly known as Entercom). The Audacy platform functions as a music recommender system and is the national um ...

8th Annual "We Can Survive" concert.

Formats and track listings

* UK CD1; Australian, Brazilian, European, and South African CD # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "One of These Girls" – 3:33 # "

" – 5:57 * UK CD2 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "2 Become 1" – 4:01 # "

" – 3:18 * European and French 2-track CD # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 * Japanese CD # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "One of These Girls" – 3:33 # "Sleigh Ride" – 3:18 * US CD1 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "One of These Girls" – 3:33 * US CD2 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "2 Become 1" – 4:01 # "One of These Girls" – 3:33 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 * Spanish 12-inch vinyl single :A1. "2 Become 1" – 4:05 :A2. "2 Become 1" – 4:05 :B1. "Wannabe" – 5:57 :B2. "One of These Girls" – 3:33 * UK 12-inch vinyl single :A1. "2 Become 1" – 4:01 :B1. "Wannabe" – 5:57 :B2. "Wannabe" – 6:36 * Digital EP # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "2 Become 1" – 4:05 # "One of These Girls" – 3:33 # "Wannabe" – 5:57 # "2 Become 1" – 4:01 # "Sleigh Ride" – 3:18

Credits and personnel

* Spice Girls – lyrics, vocals * Matt Rowe – lyrics, producer, keyboards and programming * Richard Stannard – lyrics, producer, keyboards and programming * Andy Bradfield – additional production and

audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic ...

* Adrian Bushby – recording engineer * Patrick McGovern – assistant * Pete Davis, Paul Waller and Statik – additional programming * Greg Lester – guitar * Craig Armstrong – string arrangement * Isobel Griffiths – orchestral contractor * Perry Montague-Masson – orchestral leader *

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed She ...

– audio mixing *

– remixing * Published by Windswept Pacific Music Ltd./PolyGram Music Publishing Ltd.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1990s ballads 1996 songs 1996 singles 1997 singles Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Big T.V. Music videos shot in London Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Spain Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Richard Stannard (songwriter) Songs written by Emma Bunton Songs written by Geri Halliwell Songs written by Matt Rowe (songwriter) Songs written by Mel B Songs written by Melanie C Songs written by Richard Stannard (songwriter) Songs written by Victoria Beckham Spice Girls songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Virgin Records singles