Carole King’s First No. 1 Hit Was a Complete Accident

In 1971, Carole King released “It’s Too Late”. The song, written by King and Toni Stern, is on King’s sophomore Tapestry album. By the time “It’s Too Late” came out, King had already released several singles, including “It Might As Well Rain Until September”, “A Road To Nowhere”, and more.

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But it’s “It’s Too Late” that became King’s first No. 1 single. It’s a surprising success story, since “It’s Too Late” was never meant to be a single. “It’s Too Late” is the B-side to “I Feel The Earth Move”, the song that was intended to be the single. But radio disc jockeys gravitated towards “It’s Too Late” instead, initially playing both songs.

Still, it didn’t take long for “It’s Too Late” to become the standout song. Not only did “It’s Too Late” become King’s first No. 1 single, but it stayed at the top of the charts for an impressive five weeks.

The Meaning Behind “It’s Too Late” by Carole King

“It’s Too Late” says, “Stayed in bed all morning just to pass the time / There’s something wrong here, there can be no denying / One of us is changing, or maybe we’ve just stopped trying / And it’s too late, baby, now it’s too late / Though we really did try to make it / Something inside has died and I can’t hide / And I just can’t fake it, Oh no no.”

A heartbreaking song, the person who inspired “It’s Too Late” remains somewhat of a mystery, even decades later.

Stern dated King’s good friend, James Taylor, whom King also toured with as his opening act. Although it seems likely that “It’s Too Late” was inspired by the short-lived romance between Stern and Taylor, neither King nor Stern ever revealed the real inspiration of the song.

 “I won’t say who ‘It’s Too Late’ is about,” Stern says. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

Aside from the mystery in the person who inspired “It’s Too Late”, the song stands out for another reason. Danny Kortchmar plays a stunning and revolutionary guitar solo in the song.

 “I played the solo right off the floor—it wasn’t an overdub,” Kortchmar recalls. “Carole just said, ‘Play a solo here, Danny,’ not realizing that I was going to be listening to it for the rest of my life, in every drugstore, grocery shop, on the radio.” 

“That solo was absolutely right for the mood of the song,” he adds. “It served its purpose beautifully.”

In 1995, Gloria Estefan had a Top 40 hit with “It’s Too Late”.

Photo by David Warner Ellis/Redferns