"A Little Time" is a song by English

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

group

the Beautiful South The Beautiful South were an English pop rock group formed in 1988 by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway, two former members of the Hull group The Housemartins, both of whom performed lead and backing vocals. Other members throughout the band's exi ...

, the first single to be released from their second album, '' Choke''. It consists of a duet featuring vocalists

Dave Hemingway Dave Hemingway (born David Robert Hemingway, 20 September 1960) is an English musician and songwriter, best known as a vocalist for the Hull-based band The Beautiful South until they disbanded in 2007. Previously he had been a member of The House ...

and

Briana Corrigan Briana Corrigan (born 30 May 1965) is a Northern Irish singer. She was the female singer for The Beautiful South from 1988 to 1992. Early life Corrigan was born in Northern Ireland. When she was 11 years old, her family moved from Belfast to Po ...

.
Produced by

Mike Hedges Mike Hedges (born 1953) is a British audio producer/engineer best known for his work with The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Manic Street Preachers. During his career, Hedges has worked with an eclectic roster of artists ranging from roc ...

, "A Little Time" is the band's only

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

to reach number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and it peaked inside the top 20 in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Lyrical content

The Beautiful South The Beautiful South were an English pop rock group formed in 1988 by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway, two former members of the Hull group The Housemartins, both of whom performed lead and backing vocals. Other members throughout the band's exi ...

have given different interpretations about the song's meaning. Songwriter

Paul Heaton Paul David Heaton (born 9 May 1962) is an English singer-songwriter. He was the frontman of the Housemartins, who had success with the singles " Happy Hour" and the UK number one "Caravan of Love" in 1986 before disbanding in 1988. He then forme ...

stated that "A Little Time" is about relationships in general while co-writer

David Rotheray David Rotheray (born 9 February 1963, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England) is an English rock and pop musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for The Beautiful South. Rotheray was born the last of five children. His parents were ...

considers it an unconventional

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

explained that the song encapsulates an everyday situation, as love is not always a good thing and can lead to conflict.

Critical reception

Upon its release, Nick Duerden, writing for ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'', 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". Nick Robinson of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' praised it as a "beautiful ballad" and "a tale of a crumbling relationship softly sung over a light rhythm complete with strings and piano".

Awards

The video won the

1991 Brit Awards Brit Awards 1991 was the 11th edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 10 February 1991 at Dominion Theatre in London. It was ...

for

British Video of the Year The Brit Award for British Video of the Year was an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annua ...

, directed by photographer

Nick Brandt Nick Brandt (born 1964) is an English photographer. Brandt's work generally focuses on the rapidly disappearing natural world, as a result of environmental destruction, climate change and humans' actions. Background and early career Born in 19 ...

, which is their only Brit Award to date. 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 # "A Little Time" # "In Other Words I Hate You" UK and European CD single # "A Little Time" # "In Other Words I Hate You" # "What You See Is What You Get"

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Time, A 1990 singles 1990 songs The Beautiful South songs Go! Discs singles Music videos directed by Nick Brandt Song recordings produced by Mike Hedges Songs written by David Rotheray Songs written by Paul Heaton UK Singles Chart number-one singles