Too Late (The Weeknd song)

"Too Late" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd from his fourth studio album After Hours (2020). It was released on March 20, 2020, alongside the rest of its parent album. A music video for the song was released on October 22, 2020. The Weeknd co-wrote the song with its producers, Illangelo, DaHeala, and Ricky Reed, with additional production credits going to Nate Mercereau.

Background and release
The song was first teased in the Weeknd's After Hours short film, which was released on March 4, 2020, during a scene in which Tesfaye adjusts his nose bandage after leaving the Jimmy Kimmel Live! studio. The studio version of the song was then released on March 20, 2020, alongside the rest of the album.

Lyrics
The lyrics of the song depict a dysfunctional and hedonistic relationship the Weeknd had with a former lover, with him apologizing for the mistakes he's made throughout their romance.

Critical reception
"Too Late" received praise upon release, with Billboard ranking the song as the second best track from After Hours, calling its chords "halloween-esque" and saying that its electro-R&B beats "bring the Weeknd' apologetic musings to another level, as he sings the lines "I let you down/I led you on," and further referred to its abrupt end as a "literal unplugging," calling it an "electric" combination.

Music video
The official music video for "Too Late" was first teased by the Weeknd as being on its way (alongside those for "Escape from LA" and "Faith") through his Rolling Stone interview with Brittany Spanos on September 18, 2020. This was then later followed up on October 13, 2020, where he further hinted on its music video being on its way through several posts on his social media platforms. Tesfaye then officially announced its release date through social media, a day prior to its release, on October 21, 2020. The visual was released on October 22, 2020, and was directed by Cliqua. It serves as the sequel to the music video of "In Your Eyes" and features heavily bandaged models Ashley Smith and Kenzie Harr finding the severed head of the Weeknd and transplanting onto the body of singer Ken XY in a gory and murderous manner.

The video begins with an NSFW warning due to its "explicit content" and its depiction of "graphic violence" as well as being age-restricted on YouTube based on the apps' community guidelines. It was named one of the best music videos of 2020 by Pitchfork.

Commercial performance
Following the releasing of its parent album, "Too Late" debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 dated April 4, 2020. It was the eighth-highest charting track from After Hours.

Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.
 * The Weeknd – vocals, songwriting, production, keyboards, programming
 * Illangelo – songwriting, production, keyboards, programming
 * DaHeala – songwriting, production, keyboards, programming
 * Ricky Reed – songwriting, production, keyboards, programming