Sunday Music: Too Late for Goodbyes

I have a soft spot for 80s artists that had ska songs but nobody talks about them that way. One of my favorites, outside of the Men at Work oeuvre, is Julian Lennon’s “Too Late for Goodbyes.” 

It came on in the grocery store the other day. Absolutely killer dance song. And those offbeats, they’re just undeniable. 

It was Lennon’s biggest hit. It featured an incredible backing band. It lives on, apparently in the frozen food section, of deep-suburban grocery stores. 

Oh, and it’s totally a ska song. 

There’s been some covers that leaned away from it (Wallflowers, I see you). If anybody knows of one that leaned into it, I’d love to hear it.  

Julian doesn’t have any other songs that got this big. But what he did with this one is magic. It’s been stuck in my head for days. 

Maybe The Beatles changed “Hey Jules” to “Hey Jude” and this is his revenge. Maybe. 

Here’s a fun live version too:

Honorary mention, since I brought them up: