A Little Time

Not to be confused with So Little Time.

"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 (1990). It was released in September 1990 by Go! Discs and 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, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Its accompanying music video was directed by Nick Brandt and won the British Video of the Year award at the 1991 Brit Awards.

"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"
Released	24 September 1990 (1990-09-24)
Genre	Pop[1]
Length	2:58
Label	Go! Discs
Songwriters	Paul Heaton David Rotheray
Producer	Mike Hedges
The Beautiful South singles chronology
"I'll Sail This Ship Alone" (1989) "A Little Time" (1990) "My Book" (1990)

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.^[3]

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".^[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

The music video for "A Little Time" won the 1991 Brit Awards for British Video of the Year, directed by English 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

• 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

Weekly charts Chart (1990–1991) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[10] 72 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 20 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 17 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 3 Germany (GfK)[14] 47 Ireland (IRMA)[15] 2 Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)[16] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 24 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 18 UK Singles (OCC)[19] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position UK Singles (OCC)[20] 12

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Gold	400,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	24 September 1990	—	Go! Discs	[22]
Australia	4 February 1991	7-inch vinyl cassette	Go! Discs London Polydor	[23]
	10 June 1991	CD		[24]