Viva Forever May, the Spice Girls appeared on the National Lottery, performing "Viva Forever" and "Spice Up Your Life" without Geri Halliwell, the excuse being that she was ill. In early June, the single was confirmed to simply be "Viva Forever". The single was to be released on 13 July, over two months after the original release date of 11 May. Even though posters were printed showcasing the 13 July release date, it was not long before the release dates started changing again. On the day of release, stores around the United Kingdom received a notice saying that the single was not
Say You'll Be There encompassing [...] G-funk synths on 'Say You'll Be There' [...] and Babyface's guitar and strings balladry on '2 Become 1'". Larry Flick of "Billboard" magazine compared it to "Wannabe" saying that it "is as immediately infectious, though it's not nearly as silly and novelty-driven". Ken Tucker from "Entertainment Weekly" called the song "a bid for street cred", while David Browne from the same magazine commented about the confusing lyrics, "let's see: She wants to be friends, he wants more, and yet she croons, 'I'm giving you everything/All that joy can bring'? She's as confused as I am. Better to revel