"1+1" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). It was released by Columbia Records in the United States on May 25, 2011, as a promotional single. Serving as the opening track on 4, it was written and produced by The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Beyoncé. "1+1" was originally titled "Nothing But Love" and The-Dream had initially planned to include it on his second studio album, Love vs. Money (2009). A slow-tempo R&B and soul power ballad, "1+1" lyrically discussing her endless love to her soul mate; the lyrics make strong statements about the power of the relationship.
"1+1" garnered acclaim from music critics, who noted its resemblance to the work of American singers Prince and Sam Cooke. It was also complimented for its subtle instrumentation, which provides emphasis on Beyoncé's vocals. "1+1" peaked at number 82 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and at number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Its accompanying music video was directed by Beyoncé herself, alongside Lauren Briet and Ed Burke, and it premiered on August 26, 2011. The video was a "different" direction in the sense that it does not incorporate the heavy dance routines Beyoncé is known for, and that it experiments with psychedelic visual effects as well as innovative lighting, which give the clip a cinematic feel. The clip met with generally positive reception from music critics, who praised its aesthetic and sexual theme and claimed that it will be remembered as one of Beyoncé's most iconic visuals.
Soon after Beyoncé's performance on American Idol, a video that surfaced online received considerable coverage from different media. It was filmed by Jay-Z with a camera phone and shows Beyoncé rehearsing "1+1" backstage at American Idol. The ballad was included on Beyoncé's set list for a free concert as part of Good Morning America Summer Concert Series, the ITV special A Night With Beyoncé, and her revue, 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé, held at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Beyoncé's live performances of "1+1" have received positive reception; a writer from HuffPost described her live performance on American Idol as "an epic, emotionally-charged [one]." American singers Dondria and Tiffany Evans have performed covers of the ballad, with lyrical modifications.
Conception and release
"1+1" was initially written and titled "Nothing but Love" for Terius "The-Dream" Nash, who intended to include it on his second studio album, Love King (2010). He later gave it to Beyoncé Knowles for her fourth studio album 4, where she and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart did some additional writing. The song was produced by the trio at the Studio at the Palms in Paradise, Nevada and Triangle Sound Studio in Atlanta, Georgia, where Beyoncé recorded the song. The-Dream and Stewart did the musical arrangements and Beyoncé worked on arranging the vocals. Lee Blaske, Nikki Glaspie and Pete Wolford played the instruments, while Brian Thomas alongside Pat Thrall assisted in recording the music. Jordan Young then recorded Beyoncé's vocals. Tony Maserati mixed the track with assistance from Val Brathwaite, and Jason Sherwood, Mark Gray, Steven Dennis and Wolford all assisted in the audio engineering.
Shortly after "1+1" was released online, Beyoncé debuted the ballad by performing a piano version on the finale of the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011. "1+1" was made available for download only a few hours after her performance; its cover art was photographed by Anthony Duran. The song was released through the iTunes Store as a promotional single from 4 in the United States. People who pre-ordered 4 at the iTunes Store received a free download of "1+1". The song was not sent for airplay in the US as "Best Thing I Never Had" was favored as the second single, following the release of the lead single "Run the World (Girls)".
Composition and lyrical interpretation
"1+1" is a slow-tempo R&B and soul power ballad with influences of indie rock. The song features "a soft, almost non-existent" beat and makes use of a guitar and a piano as its foundation, while wind chimes, sprinkling strings, synthesizers, funk-influenced bass and a pipe organ are also present. "1+1" is set in time with a slow tempo of 50 beats per minute and was written in the key of G major. Beyoncé's voice spans from the low note of F#3 to the high note of C6. "1+1" essentially demonstrates her "urgent" and "raw" vocals; in an interview with Ray Rogers of Billboard magazine, Beyoncé stated that she wanted to use her album 4 to showcase this side of her vocal abilities: "I used a lot of the brassiness and grittiness in my voice that people hear in my live performances, but not necessarily on my records." Nadine Cheung wrote that the subtle instrumentation allows Beyoncé's voice to emphasise the emotional lyrics Amos Barshad of New York magazine and Tim Finney of Pitchfork Media described the vocals as similar to those of Whitney Houston's work.
Several critics including Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone noted that "1+1" is comparable to Sam Cooke's 1960 song "Wonderful World" and Prince's 1984 song "Purple Rain". Brandon Soderberg of Pitchfork explained that "Wonderful World"s line, "don't know much about algebra", was retained during the conception of "1+1" by its producers, who however accentuated its "love song sentiment". Soderberg further wrote that "1+1" bears resemblance to "Purple Rain" as they both have similar "delicate guitars, melodramatic piano, and [Beyoncé affects Prince's] high-register whimper a few times". Jillian Mapes of Billboard magazine wrote that the guitar solo is similar to the ones in Bon Jovi's power ballads.
"1+1" begins with a low fidelity indie rock arrangement which is brought about by distorted guitar arpeggios and a discreet pipe organ. Beyoncé sings a meandering melody as she alternately references the pleasures of love and sex. Using simple arithmetic to describe her undying love for her partner, she begins the first verse as she affirms to her romantic interest that the only thing she is sure about are her feelings for him, "I don't know much about algebra, but I know that one plus one equals two ... If I ain't got something, I don't give a damn / 'Cause I got it with you". In the pre-chorus lines, Beyoncé expresses her reliance on her man without whom she believes to be incomplete as she sings, "And it's me and you, that's all we'll have when the world is through / Because baby we ain't got nothing without love / Darling, you got enough love for the both of us".
Brandon Soderberg of Pitchfork commented that Beyoncé mixes "vulnerability and confidence" while singing the chorus lines, where she repeatedly pleads her romantic interest, "Make love to me when my days look low / Pull me in close and don't let me go / Make love to me when the world's at war / That our love will heal us all", while the music stays steady and soft with only a few piano chords and a baseline plucked guitar riff. As she continues to chant about having sex in apocalyptic circumstances, "So when the world's at war / Let our love heal us all", she projects a universal "all you need is love" feeling, as noted by Jillian Mapes. In the second verse, Beyoncé sings, "Hey! I don't know much about guns but I ... I've been shot by you", as she pushes the final word "you" up at a full octave. She then continues: "Hey! And I don't know when I'm gonna die, but I hope that I'm gonna die by you / Hey! And I don't know much about fighting, but I, I know I will fight for you / Hey! Just when I ball up my fist, I realize that I'm laying right next to you". According to of the Chicago Sun-Times, these lines are intended to show that love conquers all. The song ends with an intense electric guitar solo.
Critical reception "1+1" was lauded by music critics, who complimented the effective display of Beyoncé's emotive vocals due to the use of light instrumentation, and approved that the ballad was the opening song on 4. AOL Music's Contessa Gayles called it "an achy, screechy ballad – in the best way possible" and Nadine Cheung from AOL Radio noted that the minimal instrumentation highlights the song's lyrics, and effectively show Beyoncé's "powerful voice and impressive control", further writing, "The professions are so intense that there's no need for a complicated bridge or dramatic key change." Brandon Soderberg from Pitchfork wrote, "she really digs in and sells the song's knotty qualities, and when that over-the-top guitar break appears exactly when it should, it's cathartic. At that precise moment, this passionate pastiche of timeless pop becomes a classic all its own." Ryan Dombal, writing for the same music webzine, commented that Adele's 'Someone Like You' is the only recent pop ballad which comes close to "the power" of "1+1". Michael Cragg of The Guardian called the song a "loved up ballad" and praised Beyoncé for showcasing her raw vocals. Describing "1+1" as "[having] no interest in [Beyoncé'ss] typical pursuit of forward-thinking, energetic fare, preferring to throw the emphasis on her radio-destroying vocal chords", David Amidon of PopMatters wrote that the song "is the best result of this, finally providing Beyoncé a song that can compete with the favorites of this generation's parents."
Jocelyn Vena of MTV News wrote, "Beyoncé may not know a thing about algebra, but when it comes to the math of power ballads, she totally gets it." Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone wrote that "the album opens with its most tender ballad, a slow-burning number that calls back to both Sam Cooke's 'Wonderful World' and Prince's 'Purple Rain' without sounding like a retread of either tune [...] it sounds best in the context of the album, where its slow, steady build to a cathartic guitar break is the perfect introduction to a set of mostly low-key tracks about love and heartbreak." Similarly considering "1+1" to be "the perfect opener" of 4, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK wrote that it exposes a more vulnerable side of Beyoncé and that it will remain "a classic stripped-back slow jam from the diva." Praising Beyoncé's vocals, Jon Caramainca of The New York Times stated that "['1+1'] requires a vocal muscle few singers possess, and even fewer would care to deploy." Writing for The Baltimore Sun, Wesley Case included "1+1" in his list of Five Great Songs and praised song's concept, writing that he began crying when he heard the album version and called it "gut-wrenching" and "gorgeous". Case appreciated Beyoncé's sensitivity and concluded that it "fades to black like an ellipsis and it's so damn beautiful."