Carole King in 1971. (Photo from AOL.ca)
DECADE’S back, Carole King had made a name for herself writing hits for other artists but then she became the voice behind one herself.
She had already written hits for The Shirelles and Aretha Franklin before she recorded ‘It’s Too Late’, giving Carole 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.
During those times, King had 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 in L.A. 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 longtime songwriting partner and hubby Gerry Goffin in 1968 despite having spent years writing some of pop’s biggest hits together.
And this time, Carole wasn’t going to hand her song off to someone else to perform. She decided to 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 Ode Records founder Lou Adler producing.
With her understated vocal sitting at the center of the track, while the piano, drums and guitar, her rendition helped carry the song’s story of a relationship coming to an end.
King’s album ‘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.
