Background:
Alexander began writing the song on his own before being joined by Steinberg, a veteran songwriter, and Cunningham, a new singer-songwriter at the time who had just recently moved to the United States from Ireland, to complete it. Although Cunningham always envisioned the song being recorded by JoJo, the songwriters had considered offering "Too Little Too Late" to American girl group The Pussycat Dolls before it was forwarded to Blackground Records upon learning that the record label was recruiting new material for JoJo's then-upcoming sophomore album, two years after it had been written. JoJo decided to record "Too Little Too Late" to express how much she had matured since the release of her self-titled debut album in 2004, having experienced both her relationship and first broken heart since that time, and personally selected the track to be the album's first single.
Critical Reception:
The song has earned very positive reviews from music critics, who praised its composition, mature themes and JoJo's vocal performance; some critics and media publications have included it on their rankings of the best breakup songs. Commercially, the song proved to be an international success, reaching the top-six in six countries in addition to the United States. When "Too Little Too Late" rose from number 66 to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it broke singer Mariah Carey's record for the largest jump to a top-three spot in the chart's history, which Carey had previously achieved with her 2001 single "Loverboy". However, the record was ultimately broken by Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You", which jumped from number 97 to number one on the issue dated February 7, 2009.
Commercially, "Too Little Too Late" remains her most successful single to-date. By becoming a global hit, the song also benefited Cunningham's career as a songwriter. Directed by Chris Robinson, the song's music video features a soccer theme, inspired by both JoJo's appreciation for the sport and her relationship with then-boyfriend Freddy Adu, a professional soccer player. Soccer player Mike Zaher, junior defender for the UCLA Bruins at the time, portrays JoJo's boyfriend in the music video, which also features appearances by the rest of the soccer team.
Too Little Too Late
JoJo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come with me, stay the night
You say the words but boy it don't feel right
What do you expect me to say'
You know it's just too little too late
You take my hand and you say you've changed
Because to you it's just a game
You know it's just too little too late
So let me on down
'Cause time has made me strong
I'm starting to move on
I'm gonna say this now
Your chance has come and gone
And you know
It's just too little too late
A little too wrong
And I can't wait
But you know all the right things to say
You know it's just too little too late
You say you dream of my face
But you don't like me
You just like the chase
To be real, it doesn't matter anyway
You know it's just too little too late
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah, it's just too little too late, mm
I was young and in love
I gave you everything but that wasn't enough
And now you wanna communicate
(You know it's just too little too late)
Go find someone else
In lettin' you go, I'm lovin' myself
You gotta problem
But don't come askin' me for help
'Cause ya know
It's just too little too late
A little too wrong
And I can't wait
But you know all the right things to say
You know it's just too little too late
You say you dream of my face
But you don't like me
You just like the chase
To be real, it doesn't matter anyway
And you know it's just too little too late
I can love with all of my heart baby
I know I have so much to give
(I have so much to give)
With a player like you, I don't have a prayer
And that's no way to live, no, no
It's just too little too late
Yeah
It's just too little too late
A little too wrong
And I can't wait
But you know all the right things to say
You know it's just too little too late
You say you dream of my face
But you don't like me
You just like the chase
To be real, it doesn't matter anyway
You know it's just too little too late
Yeah, yeah yeah
You know it's just too little too late
Oh no
I can't wait
No, no, no
It's just too little too late
A little too wrong
And I can't wait
But you know all the right things to say (yeah, yeah)
You know it's just too little too late
You say you dream of my face
But you don't like me
You just like the chase
To be real, it doesn't matter anyway
You know it's just too little too late
The song "Too Little Too Late" by JoJo is about a past relationship that has reached its end. The singer confronts her former partner about their attempts to come back into her life after they caused so much pain in the past. The chorus, "it's just too little too late," is a way of saying that the partner's attempts to make amends are too little, too late, and that the singer has moved on.
In the first verse, the singer tells her former partner that they can't just say the right words and expect everything to be okay. She knows that their intentions are not genuine and that they are just playing a game. The chorus repeats that they are too late and that she can't wait for them to try to make up for what they did wrong.
In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that she loved her partner, but they weren't satisfied with what she could give them. She's moved on and is no longer willing to help them with their problems. The song ends with the chorus once again driving the message home that her partner's attempts to win her back are too little, too late.
Overall, "Too Little Too Late" is a powerful message about standing up for oneself and moving on from toxic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, it's just too little too late, mm
The relationship is over and there's nothing you can do to fix it
Come with me, stay the night
You're trying to make up for all the times you treated me poorly
You say the words but boy it don't feel right
I can tell you're just saying what you think I want to hear
What do you expect me to say'
I'm tired of the games and I'm not falling for them anymore
You know it's just too little too late
You had your chance and you blew it
You take my hand and you say you've changed
You're trying to convince me that you're a different person now
But boy you know you're beggin' don't fool me
I can see right through your lies
Because to you it's just a game
You don't actually care about me, you just like the thrill of the chase
So let me on down
I'm done playing your game
'Cause time has made me strong
I've learned from my mistakes and I'm moving on
I'm starting to move on
I'm letting go of the past and looking towards the future
I'm gonna say this now
I'm not holding back anymore
Your chance has come and gone
You missed your opportunity with me
And you know
There's no going back now
It's just too little too late
You can't make up for what you did
A little too wrong
You did some pretty unforgivable things
And I can't wait
I'm not interested in giving you another chance
But you know all the right things to say
You're good at pretending to care
You say you dream of my face
You want me back in your life
But you don't like me
You're more interested in the chase than the actual relationship
You just like the chase
You're not in love with me, you just like the thrill of the chase
To be real, it doesn't matter anyway
At this point, it's too late to fix things
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Billy Steinberg, Joshua Berman, Ruth Anne Cunningham
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@judessadidato4232
Come with me
Stay the night
Just say the words but, boy, it don't feel right
What do ya expect me to say?
(You know it's just too little, too late)
You take my hand
And you say you've changed
But, boy, you know your begging don't fool me
Because to you it's just a game
(You know it's just too little, too late)
So let me go now
'Cause time has made me strong
I'm starting to move on
I'm gonna say this now
Your chance has come and gone
And you know
It's just too little, too late
A little too long
And I can't wait
But you know all the right things to say
(You know it's just too little, too late)
You say you dream of my face
But you don't like me
You just like the chase to be real
It doesn't matter anyway
(You know it's just too little, too late)
Yeah, yeah, it's just too little, too late, mhm
I was young
And in love
I gave you everything
But it wasn't good enough
And now you wanna communicate
(You know it's just too little, too late)
Go find someone else
In letting you go
I'm loving myself
You got a problem
But don't come asking me for help
'Cause you know
It's just too little, too late
A little too long
And I can't wait
But you know all the right things to say
(You know it's just too little, too late)
You say you dream of my face
But you don't like me
You just like the chase to be real
It doesn't matter anyway
(You know it's just too little, too late)
I can love with all of my heart, baby
I know I have so much to give
(I have so much to give)
With a player like you, I don't have a prayer
That's no way to live
Oh, mmm, no
It's just too little, too late
Yeah!
It's just too little, too late
A little too long
And I can't wait
But you know all the right things to say
(You know it's just too little, too late)
You say you dream of my face
But you don't like me
You just like the chase to be real
It doesn't matter anyway
(You know it's just too little, too late)
You know it's just too little, too late
(I can't wait, no)
It's just too little, too late
A little too long
And I can't wait
But you know all the right things to say
(You know it's just too little, too late)
You say you dream of my face
But you don't like me
You just like the chase to be real
It doesn't matter anyway
(You know it's just too little, too late)
@iamjojo
Sabotage feat. CHIKA out now: https://JoJo.lnk.to/Sabotage
@gudryansamuel9685
BRAZIL LOVES JOJO💙
@rafaellisboa8340
Love you
@gabrielfernandes1410
fada
@MrPantera123456
JoJo it’s baffling this doesn’t have 100 mil plays. Like wtf lol. This world is fucked. You have the voice of an angel. It has touched my soul. Thank you Jojo. Thank you
@ElaineAndradeElainecsAndrade
🌹🇧🇷I love you.
@pav_von
Can we just take a moment to appreciate that Jojo not only took back her rights as an artist, she also found the original people who produced the songs, ensured they got paid the fair share the record company also screwed them out of, and re-recorded her old material with an even greater sense of wisdom and passion that add a whole new meaning to the lyrics? What an absolute QUEEN!! 👑🔥♥
@sarahg1178
This song has aged so well. Can't say the same for a lot of current pop hits
@mattpacione8446
Because her voice is amazing and the hook is great
@r0bz1985
If they are current pop hits they would not have aged much at all. Bimbo 😂