A Couple Minutes

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"A Couple Minutes"
Song by Olivia Dean
from the album The Art of Loving
Released26 September 2025
Genre
Length3:32
Label
Songwriters
Producers

"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.

Contents

Composition and lyrics

The song is influenced by the Motown sound [1] [2] and Clairo's album Charm . [3] Over a violin instrumental, [4] Olivia Dean sings about reconnecting with a past lover, [4] [5] exploring the intimacy of the moment, however brief it may be. [5] She finds a silver lining in their unsuccessful relationship, [2] suggesting that although they are now distant from each other, their mutual affection remains, [4] [5] and notes that "Love's never wasted when it's shared". [2] [4]

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. [3] 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." [5]

Charts

Chart (2025)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [6] 13
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [7] 48
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [8] 57
Netherlands (Single Tip) [9] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [10] 6
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100) [11] 47
Portugal (AFP) [12] 89
UK Singles (OCC) [13] 13
US Billboard Hot 100 [14] 55

References

  1. ↑ Mylrea, Hannah (26 September 2025). "Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving review: musings on love from a star risen". NME . Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Cardenas, Cat (6 October 2025). "Olivia Dean Makes Space for Herself". W . Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Thomas (26 September 2025). "Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving: All 12 Tracks Ranked". Billboard . Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of November 29, 2025". Billboard . Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Billboard Global 200: Week of November 29, 2025". Billboard . Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  9. ↑ "Dutch Single Tip – 8 November 2025" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts . Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  10. ↑ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "Philippines Hot 100 for the week of November 22, 2025". Billboard Philippines . Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Top 200 Singles Semana 47 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 8. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  13. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of November 29, 2025". Billboard . Retrieved 25 November 2025.
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