About The Song
Released on July 17, 1978, as the second track on Dolly Parton’s twentieth solo studio album Heartbreaker, “It’s Too Late to Love Me Now” appeared during a period when Parton was deliberately expanding her sound toward pop audiences. The album, issued by RCA Victor, was recorded over four days in March 1978 at Sound Lab Studios in Los Angeles. Produced by Gary Klein with Parton herself sharing production duties and Charles Koppelman serving as executive producer, the three-minute-two-second ballad stood out as one of the project’s more traditional-leaning cuts amid several tracks that incorporated disco and contemporary pop elements.
By mid-1978 Parton had already achieved major crossover success with her previous album Here You Come Again and was balancing her country roots with broader commercial ambitions. Heartbreaker continued that trajectory, reaching number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for nine weeks and peaking at number 27 on the Billboard 200. It earned gold certification in both the United States and Canada, driven largely by the title track and “I Really Got the Feeling,” both of which topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
The song was written by Gene Dobbins, Rory Bourke, and Johnny Wilson. It had first appeared as a single by Charly McClain in 1977 before Parton recorded her version on March 9, 1978. While the album leaned into polished arrangements with strings, horns, and synthesizers, this track retained faint pedal steel guitar and a more restrained country feel that aligned closely with Parton’s earlier material. A promotional single was issued exclusively in South Africa in late 1978, where it received modest airplay but did not chart in the United States or other major markets.
In South Africa the single spent six weeks on the charts and reached a peak position of number 14 in April 1979. Although it lacked the widespread radio impact of the album’s lead singles, its inclusion helped round out Heartbreaker as a diverse collection that showcased Parton’s versatility as both a vocalist and interpreter of outside material.
The lyrics deliver a straightforward message of finality in a failed relationship. The narrator addresses a former partner who returns seeking reconciliation, acknowledging that her love for him once ran deep but stating plainly that the time for affection has passed. Lines such as “Once my love for you was so great / But it’s too late to love me now” convey quiet regret without bitterness, allowing Parton’s warm, emotive delivery to carry the emotional weight of missed opportunity and irreversible change.
The track’s understated arrangement, featuring lush strings alongside subtle country instrumentation, provided a gentle counterpoint to the album’s more upbeat and dance-oriented songs. Critics later noted it as one of the few moments on Heartbreaker that felt closest to traditional country, offering listeners a reminder of Parton’s storytelling strengths even as she pursued pop crossover. The song has since appeared on various compilations and remains a lesser-known but heartfelt entry in her extensive catalog from the late 1970s.
Over the years “It’s Too Late to Love Me Now” has been covered by several other artists, including Cher on her 1979 album Take Me Home and later recordings by Lorrie Morgan and Dottie West. For Parton the inclusion marked another example of her ability to transform established songs into personal statements, fitting neatly into a phase when she was redefining her commercial identity while staying connected to the honest emotional core that had defined her music from the beginning.
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Lyric
… It’s too late
You say you want me, and it’s too late
Once my love for you was so great
But it’s too late to love me now
It’s too bad
You say you need me, and it’s too bad
I know the feelin’ and it’s so sad
But it’s too late to love me now
It’s too late to love me now
… Don’t you know how hard I tried to hold out just for you?
Lovin’ you from mem’ry day by day
Then someone came into my life, turned my dreams around
He’s takin’ all the love you threw away
… It’s too late
You say you want me, and it’s too late
Once my love for you was so great
But it’s too late to love me now
It’s too late to love me now
… Don’t you know how hard I tried to hold out just for you?
Lovin’ you from mem’ry day by day
Then someone came into my life, turned my world around
He’s takin’ all the love you threw away
… It’s too late
You say you need me, and it’s too late
Once my love for you was so great
But it’s too late to love me now
It’s too late to love me now