Editing 2 Become 1 (section)

{{Short description|1996 single by the Spice Girls}}
{{About||the Jewel song|2 Become 1 (Jewel song)|the 2006 film |2 Become 1 (film){{!}}''2 Become 1'' (film)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = 2 Become 1
| cover      = 2 Become 1.jpg
| alt        = 
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Spice Girls]]
| album      = [[Spice (album)|Spice]]
| B-side     =
* "One of These Girls"
* "Sleigh Ride"
* "2 Become 1" (Spanish version)
| released   = {{Start date|1996|12|16|df=y}}
| recorded   = 10 December 1995
| studio     = Strongroom, London
| genre      = 
* [[Pop music|Pop]]
| length      =
* 4:01 (album version)
* 4:05 (single version)
| label       = [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]
| writer      = 
* [[Spice Girls]]
* Matt Rowe
* [[Biffco|Richard Stannard]]
| producer    = 
* Matt Rowe
* Richard Stannard
| prev_title  = [[Say You'll Be There]]
| prev_year   = 1996
| next_title  = [[Mama (Spice Girls song)|Mama]]
| next_title2 = [[Who Do You Think You Are (Spice Girls song)|Who Do You Think You Are]]
| next_year   = 1997
| misc        = {{External music video|{{YouTube|FA5jsa1lR9c|"2 Become 1"}}}}
}}
"'''2 Become 1'''" is a song by the British [[girl group]] the [[Spice Girls]]. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and [[Biffco|Richard Stannard]] during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, ''[[Spice (album)|Spice]]'' (1996). "2 Become 1" is an [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]-influenced [[Pop music|pop]] [[Sentimental ballad|ballad]] that features instrumentation from a [[guitar]], an [[electronic keyboard]] and [[string instrument]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cliff |first=Aimee |date=2019-05-19 |title=Spice Girls: Spice |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/spice-girls-spice/ |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |quote=Then, there’s the softer-edged R&B-influenced ballads like “Mama,” “2 Become 1,” and “Naked.”}}</ref> The lyrics focus on the bonding of two lovers, and also address the importance of [[safe sex]]. Its Big TV!-directed music video, which features the group performing against [[Time-lapse photography|time-lapse footage]] of [[Times Square]] in [[New York City]], was completely shot against a [[Chroma key|blue screen]] at a studio in London. The backdrop was later superimposed.

Released as the group's third single on 16 December 1996 by [[Virgin Records|Virgin]], it was generally well received by music critics and was a commercial success. It topped the [[UK Singles Chart]] for three weeks, becoming the group's third consecutive chart-topper, their second million-selling single, and their first [[List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones|Christmas number-one single]] in the United Kingdom. In July 1997, the song was released in the United States, peaking at number four on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], and receiving a [[Recording Industry Association of America certification|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 [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP]] London Music Awards.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQoEAAAAMBAJ&q=ascap+london+awards++spice+girls&pg=PA43|title=ASCAP Awards Honor U.K. Acts |magazine=Billboard |date=7 November 1998 |access-date=18 February 2017 }}</ref>

In 2019, [[Emma Bunton]] covered the song, as a duet, with [[Robbie Williams]] on her fourth solo album, ''[[My Happy Place]]''. In December 2024, an orchestral version by Bunton with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra was released.<ref>https://music.apple.com/sg/album/2-become-1-single/1781420769</ref>