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"Two Become One" redirects here. For the Jewel song of the same name, see 2 Become 1 (Jewel song).
For the 2006 film of the same name, see 2 Become 1 (film).
"2 Become 1" is a pop song performed by the British group Spice Girls. It was the third single released from their debut album Spice (see 1996 in music). It was their first ballad release as a single and was very different from their previous material, which was more up-tempo and dance-based. "2 Become 1" became the group's third consecutive number-one and their second million-selling single in the United Kingdom. Released in December 1996, it stayed at the top for three weeks, and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. In the United States, the single was released in July 1997, peaking at four (the group's third consecutive top five) and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. It was one of their most successful singles, peaking inside the top ten on the majority of the charts it entered.
[edit] 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. The slow ballad focuses upon how the bonding of two lovers can become so strong that they practically become one entity, through the act of sex.[1] According to their official book, Girl Power!, after writing more animated and dance-based songs the group decided to write a slow ballad, but the lyrics started to sound a bit corny, so the group decided to address the importance of contraception to the song with the lyrics: "be a little bit wiser baby, put it on, put it on".[1]
The group wrote the song after they finished "Wannabe", inspired by the "special" relationship which was delevoping between Halliwell and Rowe. Melanie Brown hinted this development in her autobiography comenting: "When Matt and Geri started making eye contact at each other I knew what was going on, even though they denied it. I knew them both too well for it too be a secret for me".[2] Stannard also remembered the fondness that existed between the two: "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".[2] The song was more a melodically adept, mainstream number that added another string to their songwriting bow. As well as the obvious sexual connotations there was an aspirational undercurrent to the lyric and, desire was 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".[2] One interesting quality that this song has (which does not normally occur) is that the song's title appears in the verse instead of the chorus. There are two different versions with different lyrics of "2 Become 1": In the "album version", the second line of the second verse is "any deal that we endeavor/boys and girls feel good together".[3] In the "single version", the same line is changed to "once again if we endeavour/love will bring us back together".[4] The pitch of the second "take it or leave it" in the following line is also different. Victoria Beckham sings on the "single version", while Geri Halliwell sings on the "album version". On the music video and on stage they performed the "single version", both before and after Halliwell left the band. [edit] Spanish versionThe group also recorded a Spanish version of the song. The title was simply, "2 Become 1 – Spanish Version", although the title is loosely translated in one line of the song: "Seremos uno los dos". The song was released as the eleventh track of their debut album Spice in Colombia, Mexico, South Africa and other Latin American countries, also in a special re-edition of the album in Spain and as one of the tracks of the second version of the "2 Become 1" single in the US.[5] Even in the Spanish version, the line "Wanna make love to ya baby", remained in English".[6] The girls sing with an accent from Spain, using the traditional lisp on the letters C and Z. This is the only song the Spice Girls recorded in Spanish, aside from Halliwell's Spanish verse in the song, "If U Can't Dance".[7] [edit] Critical reception"2 Become 1" was generally well-received by music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic called the song a "perfect adult contemporary confection".[8] Ben Thompson from Amazon.com described as "the ultimate guilty pleasure" and a "classic pop song that makes Spice one of the best pop albums of the 90s".[9] LAUNCHcast's Dev Sherlock called the song a "glossy ballad that would do Mariah Carey proud".[10] Sputnikmusic said that it "has to be the smuttiest track in the entire record...a slow ballad where the girl's voices really shine through" adding that "if it weren't for the lyrics, this would be a great manufactured pop song".[11] Another review from Sputnikmusic noticed that the song "feels slightly awkward at times, with Sporty Spice sounding uncomfortable in her more melodic role" and that it "can be called dated" adding that the song "may have been totally appropriate in their day, yet today they just distract from the bubbly party going on in other songs".[12] [edit] Music video
The video for "2 Become 1" was directed by Big TV!,[13] and the photography was in charge of the cinematographer Stephen Keith-Roach, who also worked in other music videos like Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" and U2's "Discotheque".[14] It features the five girls in Times Square in New York City with fast moving cars appearing around multi-coloured lights, appearing in various places around the city, either alone, with one other member, or as a quintet. Sometimes the closing scene would not be shown on television due to the song fading out to an instrumental which lasts for forty seconds. 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'".[1] In the same book Victoria Beckham comments: "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".[1] [edit] Chart performance
The single was originally going to be released in the United Kingdom on 9 December 1996, but the release date was delayed to let Dunblane's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", a tribute to the children killed at the Dunblane Primary School in Scotland, to stay at the top of the UK Singles Chart.[15] The single was released the next week and unsurprisingly, it became their third chart-topper, debuting at the top,[16] staying there for three consecutive weeks and giving the girls their first Christmas number-one single in the UK.[17] Even though the single was released in the last two weeks of 1996, it was the ninth best seller of the year,[18] selling more than 200,000 in the first three days and 730,000 in those two weeks.[19] In 1997, it sold a further 350,000 copies, making it the thirty-fifth best seller of that year.[20] It sold 1.08 million copies total in the United Kingdom, giving the Spice Girls their second and final million-selling UK single.[21] The single was successful across Europe, reaching number three on the Euro Hot 100.[22] In Ireland it was their second single that top the chart. It stayed at the top for six weeks and became their first Christmas number-one single in that country.[23] In Norway the single debuted in December 1996 at number twelve,[24] reaching a peak position of three five weeks later, staying fourteen weeks in the charts,[25] and eventually received a gold certification.[26] In the Netherlands the single was quite successful, it was their third consecutive top five in the Mega Single Top 100 peaking at number two,[27] staying twenty-one weeks in the chart.[28] In the Dutch Top 40 the single was the group's third consecutive top ten, debuting the first week of January at number six,[29] and reaching a peak position of three the next week.[30] In France the single was their third consecutive top five,[31] it debuted on 1 March 1997 at number nine,[32] reaching a peak position of four two weeks later, staying thirteen weeks on the chart,[31] and receiving a gold certification by the Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique.[33] 
The single was largely successful across the rest of Continental Europe reaching the top ten in Austria, Finland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland and the top fifteen in Belgium and Germany. In New Zealand the single debuted on 22 December 1996 at number twelve when both "Wannabe" and "Say You'll Be There" still were in the top five.[34] It eventually peak at number three and stayed eighteen weeks in the chart.[35] In Australia the single debuted on 20 April 1997 at number five, peaking at number two for two weeks, being blocked off the top by Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply".[36] It stayed twelve weeks on the top ten and eighteen weeks in total,[37] and received a platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association.[38] In the U.S. the single was successful, reaching the top ten in both the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot 100 Singles Sales,[39][40] but failing to top the Billboard Hot 100, stalling at number four (one place lower than "Say You'll Be There").[41] Nevertheless, at the time of its release it became the second-highest debut on the Hot 100 by an international act, entering the charts at number six. The record is held by "Say You'll Be There", which debuted at number five.[42] Due to its long lasting popularity, the release of "Who Do You Think You Are" was cancelled for North America. [edit] Formats and track listingsThese are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "2 Become 1".[5]
[edit] Credits and personnel
[edit] Cover versions
[edit] Charts, peaks and certifications[edit] Chart positions
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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