2 Become 1 - Composition

Composition

"2 Become 1" is a pop ballad, written in the key of E♭ minor, it is set in the time signature of common time and moves at a slow tempo of 72 beats per minute. The song is constructed in a verse-chorus form, and its instrumentation comes from a guitar, an electronic keyboard, and string instruments. The song opens with an instrumental introduction, with a chord progression of E♭m add₉–D♭/F–G♭–A♭m₇ sus₄, that is also used during the first part of the verses. The last two lines of each verse changes the progression to C♭–B♭m₇–A♭m₇–D♭₁₁, 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 focuses upon how the bonding of two lovers can become so strong that they practically become one entity, through the act of sexual intercourse. 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 with different lyrics were recorded. In the album version, the second line of the second verse: "Any deal that we endeavor/Boys and girls feel good together", was changed in the single version for: "Once again if we endeavour/Love will bring us back together". Victoria Beckham sings on the single version, while Halliwell sings on the album version, after Halliwell confessed that she had a hard time singing on that particular key. On the music video and on stage they performed the single version, both before and after Halliwell left, and later re-joined the band.