A Little Time
{{Short description|1990 single by the Beautiful South}}
{{Distinguish|So Little Time}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name = A Little Time
| cover = Alittletime.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = the Beautiful South
| album = Choke
| B-side =
- "In Other Words I Hate You"
- "What You See Is What You Get"
| released = {{start date|1990|9|24|df=y}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/211-1846-1|title=Beautiful South: A Little Time|publisher=British Phonographic Industry|access-date=28 February 2022}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop{{cite web|first= Tom|last= Eames|title= The 100 greatest songs of the 1990s, ranked|website= Smooth Radio|date= July 31, 2024|url= https://www.smoothradio.com/news/music/1990s-best-songs-ranked/|accessdate= August 15, 2024}}
| length = 2:58
| label = Go! Discs
| writer =
| producer = Mike Hedges
| prev_title = I'll Sail This Ship Alone
| prev_year = 1989
| next_title = My Book
| next_year = 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.[http://www.newstatesman.com/200410180036 ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616105306/http://www.newstatesman.com/200410180036 |date=16 June 2008}} 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
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.{{cite book|last1=Kutner|first1=Jon|last2=Leigh|first2=Spencer|date=2005|title=1,000 UK Number One Hits|location=London, England|publisher=Omnibus Press|type=E-book|edition=2013|pages=937–939|isbn=978-0-85712-360-2}}
Critical reception
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".{{cite magazine |last=Duerden |first=Nick |date=29 September 1990 |title=Singles |magazine=Record Mirror |page=14 |issn=0144-5804}} 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".{{cite magazine |last=Robinson |first=Nick |date=29 September 1990 |title=A&R: Singles |magazine=Music Week |page=21 |issn=0265-1548}}
Awards
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.brits.co.uk/artist/the-beautiful-south|title=The Beautiful South|publisher=Brit Awards|date=19 February 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020075428/http://www.brits.co.uk/artist/the-beautiful-south|archive-date=20 October 2013|access-date=30 March 2014}} 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.
Track listings
7-inch single and Australasian CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=A Little Time|others=The Beautiful South|year=1990|type=UK 7-inch single sleeve|publisher=Go! Discs|id=GOD 47, 869 210-7}}{{cite AV media notes|title=A Little Time|others=The Beautiful South|year=1990|type=Australasian CD single liner notes|publisher=Go! Discs|id=869 210-2}}
- "A Little Time"
- "In Other Words I Hate You"
UK and European CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=A Little Time|others=The Beautiful South|year=1990|type=UK & European CD single liner notes|publisher=Go! Discs|id=GODCD 47, 869 211-2}}
- "A Little Time"
- "In Other Words I Hate You"
- "What You See Is What You Get"
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (1990–1991) !scope="col"|Peak |
| scope="row"|Australia (ARIA){{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia}}
|72 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Austria|20|artist=The Beautiful South|song=A Little Time|rowheader=true|access-date=4 February 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Flanders|17|artist=The Beautiful South|song=A Little Time|rowheader=true|access-date=4 February 2019}} |
| scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/MM-1990-11-03.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=7|issue=44|page=IV|date=3 November 1990|access-date=12 May 2020}}
|3 |
| {{single chart|Germany|47|artist=The Beautiful South|song=A Little Time|songid=12448|rowheader=true|access-date=4 February 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Ireland2|2|song=A Little Time|rowheader=true|access-date=4 February 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|24|year=1990|week=51|rowheader=true|access-date=4 February 2019}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|18|artist=The Beautiful South|song=A Little Time|rowheader=true|access-date=4 February 2019}} |
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|1|artist=The Beautiful South|artistid=24551|rowheader=true|access-date=14 November 2020}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (1990) !scope="col"|Position |
| scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC){{cite magazine|title=1990 Top 100 Singles|magazine=Music Week|publisher=Spotlight Publications|location=London, England|page=41|date=2 March 1991}}
|12 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Beautiful South|title=A Little Time|award=Gold|relyear=1990|certyear=1990|id=211-1846-1|access-date=14 November 2020}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{The Beautiful South}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Time, A}}
Category:The Beautiful South songs
Category:Music videos directed by Nick Brandt
Category:Song recordings produced by Mike Hedges
Category:Songs written by David Rotheray