Carole King had already written hits for The Shirelles and Aretha Franklin before she recorded “It’s Too Late,” giving the hitmaker a chance to sing one of her own stories.
The track landed on her 1971 album Tapestry, alongside staples like “You’ve Got a Friend,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” The record went on to define an entire era of singer-songwriters.
King had recently left New York for Los Angeles, hoping for a fresh start. She settled in Laurel Canyon, where she became part of a music scene that included James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. It was also there that she met Toni Stern, who would become an important songwriting collaborator.
The story behind the song hit close to home for King. She had divorced her husband and longtime songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin, in 1968. The pair had spent years writing some of pop’s biggest hits together.
This time, King wasn’t handing the song off to someone else to perform. She put her own voice behind it, accompanied by her piano and a restrained arrangement. King recorded the song at A&M Studios in Los Angeles with Lou Adler producing. Adler had also founded Ode Records, the label that released Tapestry.
King’s understated vocal sits at the center of the track, while the piano, drums and guitar help carry the song’s story of a relationship coming to an end. Even the Tapestry cover reflected King’s new chapter.
The songstress is pictured sitting at her Laurel Canyon home with her cat beside her, holding a handmade tapestry. After years of writing hits for other performers, she was now the one behind the microphone.
Tapestry took home four Grammys, including Album of the Year, while “It’s Too Late” won Record of the Year. The single hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts and went Gold.
More than three decades later, the song picked up one more honor, induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. It also found new life in the early ’90s, when British electronic duo Quartz took a cover of “It’s Too Late,” featuring vocalist Dina Carroll, into the U.K. Top 10.
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