How Long's a Tear Take to Dry?

"How Long's A Tear Take To Dry?" is a single by British pop group The Beautiful South from their album "Quench". It was written by Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray. The lyrics, which take the form of a conversation between two reconciling lovers, are noted for a reference to the TARDIS from Doctor Who. According to the book Last Orders at the Liars Bar: the Official Story of the Beautiful South, "How Long's A Tear Take To Dry?" was originally to be called "She Bangs the Buns" due to its chord structure reminiscent of Manchester's The Stone Roses.

Single release

"How Long's A Tear Take To Dry?" reached number 12 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1999. Although not released on vinyl, it was given a dual-CD release in the UK. B-sides included a remix of "How Long's A Tear Take To Dry?" as well as acoustic versions of three other songs: "Perfect 10", "Big Coin", and "Rotterdam". On March 18th, 1999, the band performed "How Long's A Tear Take To Dry?" live on the BBC's music programme, Top of the Pops.

Video

The video, available on The Beautiful South's compilation DVD Munch, is a humorous account of The Beautiful South on a world tour. The band is portrayed by cartoon versions of themselves, in a style reminiscent of 1960s-era Hanna-Barbera cartoons, and Scooby-Doo in particular. In the commentary track on the Munch DVD, Paul Heaton explains that the video was actually produced by Hanna-Barbera.

References

• Pattenden, Mike - Last Orders at the Liars Bar: the Official Story of the Beautiful South (ISBN 0-575-06739-X)