Too Much, Too Little, Too Late – Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1) & R&B (#1 for 4 weeks); 1978
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
In 1978, 41 year old Johnny Mathis had 58 chart albums to his credit, including a greatest hits album whose 490 week run was the longest ever, and an equally impressive singles resume. Of those, Chances Are, his only #1, so far, had peaked in October of 1957.
The younger Deniece Williams had landed only four singles on the R&B list, including the #2 Free which also showed up on the pop chart at #25. Both were signed to Columbia Records. So in late 1977, with Mathis looking to pump up a career currently in the doldrums, his people approached Deniece about recording a duet.
The following day she found herself in the studio alongside the legendary Mathis laying down Too Much, Too Little, Too Late, co-penned by one-time manager of the Bee Gees, Nat Kipner.
Too Much entered the Top 10 five weeks after its debut, moved up countdown-style on consecutive weeks from four to three to two, and reached #1 on June 3, 1978; Deniece’s 27th birthday.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Jack Gold
Lyrics Written by:
- John Vallins
- Nat Kipner
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).