Junior’s “Too Late” – Thirty Years Later I Understand It – WTF?

I played this song while a afternoon fill-in DJ for the late Jerry Bledsoe on WWRL AM 1600 radio, New York City, the original Black American music station in the nation, circa 1983 after doing the 2AM – 6 AM shift on North Haven, Connecticut’s WKCI/KC101FM. I really never knew what this song was about until now – domestic violence, which they did not have a name for back then. Songs come and go sometimes when you are a radio personality. I guess I did not have time to analyze every lyric and message. Sometimes you just like the “sound” of the hook of a hit record, it seems to topically fit your personal experiences and it sticks.

“Too Late” by Junior is on par with and, in my mind, the follow-up to the SMASH hit, “Mama Used to Say”, IMO.
I am humbled and shocked by my naivete` not originally knowing what this song was about. Until a few minutes ago, I thought it was about unrequited love and the breaking up of two lovers! When I heard it in my musical jukebox mind and found it finally on YouTube, it was always about her being “too late” because I have moved-on to another relationship. Yeah, Right! As-if I always had that control, lol.
That was what I was all about in the early 1980s. If I’d really listened to the vamp, “I don’t have to stay with you, I can take the kids and go” I might have gleaned a more clean analysis. Such is life.
I am blown away that this song was so far ahead of its time, preceding the “OJ Simpson trial” and all of the ancillary offshoots that precipitated the lame and unecessary reality television of today that has contributed to the dumbing-down of America that now permeates every aspect of society, from how people drive their cars to our manners and morality. I wonder now, was this Junior’s experience, growing up?

I could/can never tolerate when a nice-looking lady told me her man “beat her up”. How cowardly! And I always say, “Just leave him!” Yet, curiously, in most cases they made excuses not to do so! WTF? If someone I was living with was violent, it would not take me a second heartbeat thought to get the f*** out! Yet, many women seem to think differently regarding this, despite the physical abuse and stay upon a bullshit excuse.

**PICKHITT: This can become an anthem for the “MeToo” movement.

“When he comes home intoxicated from the club
All the kids they go and snuggle up to mom
He starts shoutin’ again, and they start runnin’ again
This ain’t no life for them to lead

In her mind she knows she has to let him go
In the children’s eyes she sees the fear inside
How does she tell him, he won’t take nothin’
This ain’t no life for them to lead

Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye
Now’s my time to go
Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye
Now’s my time to go

In the morning when he wakes up from the couch
Not recallin’ what had happened the night before
He starts askin’ questions, he don’t get no answers
What the hell’s goin’ on in here

Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye
Now’s my time to go
Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye
Now’s my time to go

Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye
Now’s my time to go
Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye
Now’s my time to

She starts saying she can’t take it no more
When he comes home he always beats her to the floor
This old line she’s givin’, hey, about them leavin’
He can’t take it at all

But it’s too late, too late, baby, bye-bye
Now’s my time to go
Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye (I just got to let you know)
Now’s my time to go (Yeah, yeah)

Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye
Now’s my time to go
Too late, too late, baby, bye-bye (Bye-bye)
Now’s my time to

Too late (Too late), too late, baby, bye-bye (Too late, yeah)
Now’s my time to go (I don’t want to be around you)
Too late, too late (I just got to take the kids and go), baby, bye-bye (Oh, no)
Now’s my time to go…”

Comment please and Take GOOD care.

My Vintage Music Reviews: “Roxy Remodeled” – Various Artists

From The Pajama Bar’s vintage vino cellar of classic hit music, I offer this review of a not-so-oldie-but-goodie of the dance floor that I wrote-up in the late 2000s for about.com and my friend, DJ Ron. Major Props to James and DeAnna Cool.

As soon as my editor put this CD in my hot little hands, somehow I knew I had a smash. I couldn’t wait to get to the studio and press “play”. On a recent road trip, I listened as the miles flew by. Sure enough, from the first beat of track one, “Roxy Re-Modeled” [basiclux 9205-2] did not disappoint me. This is a wonderful collection of re-done Roxy tunes that you will love to play over and over.

The personalities that have created this revival are as interesting as the music is. Simply put, I must gush because I love the weave-through journey of this album! “Roxy Re-Modeled” is not just a face-lift, it is careful to maintain the class of the original as a renovation of a classic museum would.

The Roxy concept is the musical brainchild of visionary Bryan Ferry who busted it upon our ears for it to be known as much for the lavish theatrical stage presentation as for the music, and became the stuff of legends thirty years ago. I taste a touch of salsa behind the wisdom on the opening lyric “nothing lasts forever” on track one, “Same Old Scene,” and Cool’s vocals are Lisa Lisa-like. This first came out back in ’80, on the album “Flesh and Blood.”

 

The re-deux of Ferry’s classic “Love Is The Drug,” this time by J.A.C.E. featuring Chris Hays, has the feel of the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancin’.” I also must bigg-upp (la) Grace Jones’s classic 1980 treatment of it. This version maintains the frenzy; the energy that keeps on building and the pounding, driving beat.

I mixed the Manhattans’ old classic “Shining Star” seamlessly into “Angel Eyes” (track 3), which registers as a better-than-the-early nineties-group-Soul II Soul-groove by Perfect Project. It is jazzily hypnotic; a great listen on a hazy Sunday afternoon. Sunday People’s “Avalon” (track four) features the euro-whispery vocals of Hassan Nasser (not the boxer is it?) It is mysterious and the musical interludes aid the international flair of the disc as a whole.

 

Now with “Don’t Stop the Dance” (cut five), BiTeR mc and Elena DeLucca’s tempo keeps it rocking steadily. Now I know what happened to good electronic pop-style music. It is on this album! I would add “More Than This” (track five) from Madison Park in heavy rotation on my fantasy dance music radio station (whose ratings, of course, would, be number one)! ’nuff respect to Lenny B on the remix which has the big Webster Hall ballsy bass house feel. Don’t waste time, cut to the musical chase when you re-compose a piece and give it the opportunity to cross to the CHR/Rhythmic Top 40 formats for those programmers left who are bold enough to go out on a gut-level limb. This one is my personal favorite.

“Kiss and Tell” (track eight) by J.A.C.E featuring Chris Hays on vocals is bold and brawny dance (of the cloth of Theo Vaness’ 1979 “No Romance/Keep on Dancin'”). I just can’t get enough of this kind of sound, and I love when stuff makes me get down on my knees and dig into the crates! “An Angel’s Eyes” (lots of angels guard this effort) by Stormchild is an insty with a familiar funky hard beat and a nice airy, progressive change mid-song. A little “traveling music, please”- that’s what it iz.

 

The next two tracks, “Beauty Queen” from Goldlust featuring Sarah J., and the downtempo “Slave To Love” by Abstract Foundation offer a timely change-of-pace like jerk chicken and a Caribbean rum beverage.

For a nice Adult Contemporary format feel, choose “You Do Something To Me”, another Madison Park tune, this time with The GrooveOholics (track twelve). DeAnna shines once again in her starring role with dreamy vocals that began before she even uttered a word. As her Mom tells it, one day when bathing and singing to the few months old DeAnna, she was surprised when her daughter looked up and matched her pitch, holding the same note! Mother DeAnna was so shocked, she almost fumbled the little darling.

Track thirteen, “Ten Cents A Dance,” by Wilson is Yar Wilson’s upbeat and positive curtain call with the same feel of “Kiss and Tell.” Personally, there is so much compelling stuff yet to tell about this, dear reader. In any event, this compilation makes you feel a strobe light rainbow of danceable sound.

Five stars – hands-down!