A Couple Minutes

"A Couple Minutes"
ColorsxStudios version cover
Single by Olivia Dean
from the album The Art of Loving
Released13 July 2026 (2026-07-13)
Genre
Length3:32
LabelCapitol
Songwriters
Producers
Olivia Dean singles chronology
"So Easy (To Fall in Love)"
(2025)		 "A Couple Minutes"
(2026)		 "Baby Steps"
(2026)
Live version
"A Couple Minutes" (A COLORS SHOW) on YouTube
Lyric video
"A Couple Minutes" on YouTube

"A Couple Minutes" is a song by English singer Olivia Dean from her second studio album, The Art of Loving (2025). It was produced by Zach Nahome, with TommyD serving as a string producer. Dean performed her song "A Couple Minutes" live as part of the 30th Anniversary MOBO Awards, where the performance was celebrated for its intimate presentation.[1] The song was sent to American radio as the album's fifth single on 13 July 2026.[2]

Composition and lyrics

The song is built on a sample from "We Had True Love" (1971) by the band Hot Chocolate (from Cleveland, Ohio), written by Louis Ragland and James Hawkins. The song is influenced by the Motown sound[3][4] and Clairo's album Charm.[5] Over a violin instrumental,[6] Olivia Dean sings about reconnecting with a past lover,[6][7] exploring the intimacy of the moment, however brief it may be.[7] She finds a silver lining in their unsuccessful relationship,[4] suggesting that although they are now distant from each other, their mutual affection remains,[6][7] and notes that "Love's never wasted when it's shared".[4][6] In discussing her songwriting process, Dean has noted that good songs are uncommon because they require volume, stating that songwriters often “circle” the truth through different attempts before fully capturing it in the final product. [8]

Critical reception

Thomas Smith of Billboard ranked "A Couple Minutes" as the sixth best song from The Art of Loving, describing that the soundscape "perfectly suits Dean's aesthetic and talents" and praising how the influences shape the song.[5] Grace Beard of Time Out. reanked the song as the third on the list of the "The 30 Best Love Songs of all Time".[9]

Adele Julia of The Line of Best Fit wrote "it's in the album's quietest moment that Dean delivers her most compelling performance yet. Tucked between all the carefully-styled numbers rests 'A Couple Minutes' – a soft interlude that stands apart from the rest, feeling like a glimpse of calm after the grandiose spectacle of Saturday night. There's no disputing that Dean can float seamlessly between these two worlds, but there's an undeniable pull about her performance here; away from the orchestrated drama, her voice lilted under a soft spotlight, against a bed of raw harmonies. Almost like a lullaby, conjuring something oddly familiar from the distant past, she recalls a run-in with an ex."[7]

Charts

Chart (2025–2026) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 13
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 38
Global 200 (Billboard)[12] 40
Ireland (IRMA)[13]62
Netherlands (Single Tip)[14] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 4
Philippines Hot 100 (Billboard Philippines)[16]27
Portugal (AFP)[17] 89
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts)[19]13
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 26
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[21]25
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[22]33

Certifications

Certifications for "A Couple Minutes"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[24] Platinum 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[26] Gold 12,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "A Couple Minutes"
Region Date Format Version Label(s) Ref.
Various 26 September 2025 Original Capitol [29]
22 October 2025 A Colors Show [30]
United States 13 July 2026 Hot adult contemporary radio Original [2]
14 July 2026 Contemporary hit radio

References

  1. ↑ Levitt, Matthew. "Olivia Dean - A Couple Minutes (Live At The MOBO Awards 2026) | MOBO 30 (mw4A1m0Ah5)". Fathom. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 @USRadioUpdater (8 July 2026). "Update: [A Couple Minutes] will officially impact US Hot AC radio on July 13th and US Pop radio on July 14th as the third US radio single from 'The Art of Loving' (via @IslandRecords/@RepublicRecords)" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 July 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  3. ↑ Mylrea, Hannah (26 September 2025). "Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving review: musings on love from a star risen". NME. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Cardenas, Cat (6 October 2025). "Olivia Dean Makes Space for Herself". W. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Thomas (26 September 2025). "Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving: All 12 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Hilferty, Shauna (26 September 2025). "For hopeful romantics, The Art of Loving is Olivia Dean's best work yet — Album Review". Melodic Magazine. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Julia, Adele (23 September 2025). "Olivia Dean: The Art of Loving review - love story". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  8. ↑ Booth, Teri (30 January 2026). "Lessons on Writing from Olivia Dean". Medium. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Beard, Grace (30 January 2026). "The 30 best love songs of all time". Time Out. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of January 17, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Billboard Global 200: Week of February 14, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "History of Top 100 Singles Charts (2026-08-21) – IRMA". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Dutch Single Tip – 8 November 2025" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  16. ↑ "Philippines Hot 100 – Week of February 28, 2026". Billboard Philippines. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Top 200 Singles Semana 47 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 8. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 2, 2026". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 21/11/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  20. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of January 24, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  21. ↑ "Olivia Dean Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Olivia Dean Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2026 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  24. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Olivia Dean – A Couple Minutes" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Olivia Dean – A Couple Minutes". Radioscope. Retrieved 24 April 2026. Type A Couple Minutes in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  26. ↑ "Portuguese single certifications – Olivia Dean – A Couple Minutes" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  27. ↑ "British single certifications – Olivia Dean – A Couple Minutes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 April 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type A Couple Minutes Olivia Dean in the "Search:" field.
  28. ↑ "American single certifications – Olivia Dean – A Couple Minutes". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  29. ↑ "A Couple Minutes by Olivia Dean on Apple Music". Apple Music - Web Player. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Single by Olivia Dean on Apple Music". Apple Music - Web Player. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
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