Bootleg Betty
Audio: Bette Midler – It’s Too Late – SKDJ vs Alex H Remix Edit
By Mister D
Jan 25, 2026
“It’s Too Late” is a heartfelt ballad performed by Bette Midler, featured on her 1995 studio album Bette of Roses (released July 18, 1995, by Atlantic Records). This was Midler’s eighth studio album, marking a return to more introspective, adult contemporary material after her earlier pop and soundtrack work.
The song explores the painful realization that a romantic relationship has irreparably ended. The narrator reflects on lingering memories and fleeting moments of closeness—almost feeling a lover’s touch or seeing shared smiles in dreams—but ultimately accepts that the love has faded beyond repair. Themes include regret, drifting apart, the mystery of where love disappears to, and the need to move on despite the ache. It’s a poignant acknowledgment of finality: no more fighting, no more tears, just watching love die from a distance.
Key lyrics capture this emotional resignation:
- “If I close my eyes / Take my time / I can almost feel your lips against mine… But it’s too late, it’s too late / Baby, I can’t reach you”
- “I don’t know where love goes / Or how we might have saved it / I only know it’s gone / It’s time that we moved on”
- In dreams, there’s hope of turning it around, but “I know I’m only dreamin’ / It’s too late”
Midler’s version is an original composition (not a cover of Carole King’s famous 1971 hit of the same name), written specifically for the album. It’s arranged with a soft, emotional production that highlights her expressive vocals—warm, vulnerable, and powerful in conveying heartbreak and acceptance. The track is available on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, and it’s included in compilations such as her 2015 romantic collection, A Gift of Love. Fans often praise it as one of the standout emotional cuts from Bette of Roses, an album filled with lush, reflective songs about love, loss, and resilience.
