Zu Spät
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Zu spät'' (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
for ) is a
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
song by the German band
Die Ärzte (; ) is a German rock band from Berlin. It consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B and bass player Rodrigo González (musician), Rodrigo González. All three write and perform their songs. The band has released 14 studio albums. ...
. It was written by singer
Farin Urlaub Jan Vetter (born 27 October 1963), better known as Farin Urlaub. (from the German ''Fahr in Urlaub!'', "Go on holiday!"), is a German singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist/vocalist for punk rock band . He has also ...
and produced by the band. It was the eleventh track and the second single from their 1984 debut album ''
Debil ''Debil'' (meaning "Moronic") is the first full-length studio album by German rock band Die Ärzte, released in 1984, following the EPs '' Zu schön, um wahr zu sein!'' and '' Uns geht's prima...''. Release The songs "Paul" and "Zu spät" ...
''. The song was released as a
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
in 1985 in both 7"
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
and 12" vinyl maxi formats. In 1988, a live version was re-released, appearing on the live album '' Nach uns die Sintflut''.


Content

''Zu spät'' is a humorous song about jealousy, frustration, and dreams of revenge. The narrator laments that his girlfriend has left him for a wealthier man. In his disappointment and jealousy, he compares what he could have offered her to what she now receives from her new partner. Out of frustration, he contemplates beating up the new boyfriend but realizes that he is physically inferior, as the rival knows karate. In the chorus, the protagonist vows to become rich and famous himself — and when the girl wants him back because of his success, it will be "too late". At later live performances, the lyrics were often changed — sometimes humorously reversing the situation so that the protagonist is abandoned for a poorer man. This alternate version appears on the live album '' Satanische Pferde''. The live version on '' Nach uns die Sintflut'' also incorporates English lyrics from the song "Blueprint" (1987) by the German band
Rainbirds The Rainbirds are a German pop rock band established in 1986 around singer Katharina Franck. Their greatest hit is the song "Blueprint". History The band formed in 1986 and named themselves after an instrumental track by Tom Waits. When they won ...
, quoting lines like "sneak around the corner, with a blueprint of my lover, with a blueprint of my life."


Single and Cover Art

The cover art of the 1985 single shows the three Die Ärzte members at the time — Farin Urlaub, Bela B, and Sahnie — looking directly at the camera. On the right side of the image, the band’s name Die+Ärzte appears written vertically in red, while the song title Zu spät is positioned at the top right, also in red. The cover for the maxi single uses the same photograph but places both the band name and title together at the top. The 1988 live single features three photos of Farin Urlaub and Bela B performing live, each shown kneeling on stage. The song title ''Zu spät…'' appears in white text on the left, while Die Ärzte Live is placed at the top right.


Tracks


7" Single

1. Seite (1st side) # "Zu spät" – 3:20 2. Seite (2nd side) # "Mädchen" – 2:55


12" Maxi single

Rote Seite (red side) # "Zu spät" (Urlaub) – 7:05 Weiße Seite (white side) # "Ärzte-Theme (Instrumental)" – 2:00 # "Mädchen" – 2:55


The live medley

"Live – Zu spät..." (1988) is a single for the
medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...
"Zu spät (Hit Summer Mix '88)" (on the album just "Medley") from their 1988 album ''
Live – Nach uns die Sintflut Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...
''. The medley is composed of many covers, but most of it is the song "Zu spät", which actually ends the medley too (after "Blueprint").


Track listing

# "Zu spät (Hit Summer Mix '88)" #* "
When Will I Be Famous "When Will I Be Famous?" is a song by British boy band Bros. Written by Nicky Graham and Tom Watkins, "When Will I Be Famous?" was released as a single in November 1987. The following year, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, t ...
" ( Bros cover) – 0:39 #* " Tell It to My Heart" (
Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer who rose to fame after her first two albums ('' Tell It to My Heart'' and '' Can't Fight Fate'') were both certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of ...
cover) – 0:17 #* " Whenever You Need..." ( O'Chi Brown cover) – 0:09 #* "
I Should Be So Lucky "I Should Be So Lucky" is a 1987 song performed by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue from her debut studio album, ''Kylie (album), Kylie'' (1988). Released on 29 December 1987 by Mushroom Records and Pete Waterman Entertainment, P ...
" (
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
cover) – 0:07 #* " My Bed Is Too Big" (
Blue System Blue System was a German pop group that was founded by Dieter Bohlen in 1987 after the break-up of Modern Talking. Career The group consisted of Dieter Bohlen (mastermind creator, composer, writer, producer, mixer, arranger and verse main vo ...
cover) – 0:10 #* "Born to Love" ( Den Harrow cover) – 0:06 #* "
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
" (
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
cover) – 0:15 #* "Zu spät" – 3:55 #* "Blueprint" (
Rainbirds The Rainbirds are a German pop rock band established in 1986 around singer Katharina Franck. Their greatest hit is the song "Blueprint". History The band formed in 1986 and named themselves after an instrumental track by Tom Waits. When they won ...
cover) – 0:23 # "Zu spät (Single-Remix '85)" – 3:20 # "Sie tun es" – 3:08


Maxi

# "Zu spät (Hit Summer Mix '88)" # "Zu spät (Single-Version '85)" – 3:12 # "Zu spät (Maxi-Version '85)" – 6:43 # "Sie tun es" – 3:05


B-sides

* "Zu spät (Single-Version '85)" was initially released on "Zu spät" (1985). * "Zu spät (Maxi-Version '85)" was first released on "Zu spät (Special Maxi)" and later on " Ist das alles? (13 Höhepunkte mit den Ärzten)". * "Sie tun es" hey're doing itis one of many songs from the Gabi & Uwe series.


Personnel

*
Farin Urlaub Jan Vetter (born 27 October 1963), better known as Farin Urlaub. (from the German ''Fahr in Urlaub!'', "Go on holiday!"), is a German singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist/vocalist for punk rock band . He has also ...
– lead vocals, guitar *Sahnie – bass * Bela B. – drums


Charts

While the original 1985 release did not chart, the live single version entered the German Singles Chart on February 6, 1989, reaching a peak position of number 25 three weeks later. It remained on the chart for ten weeks in total and was the most successful German-language song for five weeks. However, it did not chart in Austria or Switzerland.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zu Spat 1985 singles Die Ärzte songs Songs written by Farin Urlaub 1985 songs CBS Records singles