Zu spät


Zu spät is a punk song by the German band Die Ärzte. It was written by singer Farin Urlaub and produced by the band. It was the eleventh track and the second single from their 1984 debut album Debil. The song was released as a single in 1985 in both 7" 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" by the German band Rainbirds, 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
  1. "Zu spät" – 3:20
2. Seite
  1. "Mädchen" – 2:55

12" Maxi single

Rote Seite
  1. "Zu spät" – 7:05
Weiße Seite
  1. "Ärzte-Theme " – 2:00
  2. "Mädchen" – 2:55

The live medley

"Live – Zu spät..." is a single for the medley "Zu spät " from their 1988 album Live – Nach uns die Sintflut. The medley is composed of many covers, but most of it is the song "Zu spät", which actually ends the medley too.

Track listing

  1. "Zu spät "
  2. * "When Will I Be Famous" – 0:39
  3. * "Tell It to My Heart" – 0:17
  4. * "Whenever You Need..." – 0:09
  5. * "I Should Be So Lucky" – 0:07
  6. * "My Bed Is Too Big" – 0:10
  7. * "Born to Love" – 0:06
  8. * "Kiss" – 0:15
  9. * "Zu spät" – 3:55
  10. * "Blueprint" – 0:23
  11. "Zu spät " – 3:20
  12. "Sie tun es" – 3:08

Maxi

  1. "Zu spät "
  2. "Zu spät " – 3:12
  3. "Zu spät " – 6:43
  4. "Sie tun es" – 3:05

B-sides

Personnel

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.
YearCountryPosition
1989Germany25