Too Late - Shoes

What this video is

Shoes' 'Too Late' occupies a singular position in music video history as one of the first clips ever broadcast on MTV at its August 1, 1981 launch. Originating from Zion, Illinois — far outside major label recording centers — the band exemplified the Midwest DIY ethos, having founded their own Black Vinyl Records in 1977 and operated their own recording studio. The song reached #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 from the…

Why it matters

As a flagship artifact of late-1970s American power pop, 'Too Late' bridges the melodic sensibility of British Invasion-influenced songwriting with the lo-fi independence that would define college rock through the 1980s. Shoes' presence on MTV's first broadcast day gave the power pop subgenre…