“It's Too Late” by Carole King

"It's Too Late" is the breakup song at the heart of Tapestry, Carole King's second album, from 1971, and what sets it apart is how little blame it throws around: two people who loved each other, simply admitting it's done. King wrote the music and Toni Stern the words, and Dave Marsh heard a quiet feminism in the fact that the woman is the one who leaves. Robert Christgau reckoned nobody had written a truer song about splitting up.

The melody has an old Tin Pan Alley grace, but the playing leans toward light jazz: King on piano, Ralph Schuckett on electric piano, Danny Kortchmar on electric guitar and congas, Charles Larkey and Joel O'Brien in the pocket, and Curtis Amy's soprano sax curling through. Lou Adler produced, and the single went all the way to number one on the Hot 100.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.