A Little Time

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Not to be confused with So Little Time.

"A Little Time"
Single by the Beautiful South
from the album Choke
B-side
  • "In Other Words I Hate You"
  • "What You See Is What You Get"
Released24 September 1990 (1990-09-24)[1]
Length2:58
LabelGo! Discs
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mike Hedges
The Beautiful South singles chronology
"I'll Sail This Ship Alone"
(1989) 		"A Little Time"
(1990) 		"My Book"
(1990)

"A Little Time" is a song by English pop rock group the Beautiful South, the first single to be released from their second album, Choke. It consists of a duet featuring vocalists Dave Hemingway and Briana Corrigan.[2] Produced by Mike Hedges, "A Little Time" is the band's only single to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, and it peaked inside the top 20 in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Lyrical content[edit]

The Beautiful South have given different interpretations about the song's meaning. Songwriter Paul Heaton stated that "A Little Time" is about relationships in general while co-writer David Rotheray considers it an unconventional love song. Briana Corrigan explained that the song encapsulates an everyday situation, as love is not always a good thing and can lead to conflict.[3]

Critical reception[edit]

Upon its release, Nick Duerden, writing for Record Mirror, described the song as "a sloping country lilt that unfolds so gracefully and quietly that it is truly touching" and added that the band's "sardonic humour is present as ever".[4] Nick Robinson of Music Week praised it as a "beautiful ballad" and "a tale of a crumbling relationship softly sung over a light rhythm complete with strings and piano".[5]

Awards[edit]

The video won the 1991 Brit Awards for British Video of the Year, directed by photographer Nick Brandt, which is their only Brit Award to date.[6] It features a fighting couple (played by Hemingway and Corrigan), a trashed house, a load of flour and feathers, and a teddy bear's head impaled on the end of a kitchen knife.[2]

Track listings[edit]

7-inch single and Australasian CD single[7][8]

  1. "A Little Time"
  2. "In Other Words I Hate You"

UK and European CD single[9]

  1. "A Little Time"
  2. "In Other Words I Hate You"
  3. "What You See Is What You Get"

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Gold 400,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Beautiful South: A Little Time". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b [1] Archived 16 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (2005). 1,000 UK Number One Hits (E-book) (2013 ed.). London, England: Omnibus Press. pp. 937–939. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
  4. ^ Duerden, Nick (29 September 1990). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 14. ISSN 0144-5804.
  5. ^ Robinson, Nick (29 September 1990). "A&R: Singles". Music Week. p. 21. ISSN 0265-1548.
  6. ^ "The Beautiful South". Brit Awards. 19 February 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  7. ^ A Little Time (UK 7-inch single sleeve). The Beautiful South. Go! Discs. 1990. GOD 47, 869 210-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ A Little Time (Australasian CD single liner notes). The Beautiful South. Go! Discs. 1990. 869 210-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ A Little Time (UK & European CD single liner notes). The Beautiful South. Go! Discs. 1990. GODCD 47, 869 211-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  11. ^ "The Beautiful South – A Little Time" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  12. ^ "The Beautiful South – A Little Time" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 44. 3 November 1990. p. IV. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  14. ^ "The Beautiful South – A Little Time" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Little Time". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 51, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  17. ^ "The Beautiful South – A Little Time" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  18. ^ "The Beautiful South: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  19. ^ "1990 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 2 March 1991. p. 41.
  20. ^ "British single certifications – Beautiful South – A Little Time". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
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