"Too Little, Too Late" by JoJo
Reviewed by: Krystal Burns
Note: We focus on reviewing songs, and therefore cannot comment on the appropriateness of the album in its entirety. Please use your best judgment whenever purchasing or listening to music.
The Artist
Joanna Levesque, better know as JoJo, began her singing career as just a toddler. By the time she was 13, the Boston native was already preparing to release her self-titled debut, “JoJo” (2004). Her surprisingly mature voice made her the youngest solo artist to hit number one on the billboard charts, as well as the youngest to be nominated for an MTV video music award. Most recently she was a presenter at the Teen Choice Awards 2006. At only 15, JoJo is gearing up for the release of her sophomore album, “The High Road” (date to be announced).
The Album
“Too Little, Too Late” is the newly released single from JoJo’s upcoming album. Already holding steady as the number one iTunes download, it’s definitely building hype for “The High Road.” While JoJo says she knew when she recorded the song it would be her single, she says her favorite tracks from the unreleased album are “Note to God” and “How to Touch a Girl” (as in, how to touch a girl’s heart, despite the sensual title). No lyrics are available for these songs as of this writing.
The Song
Any song that opens with a sexual invitation needs to be examined more carefully. “Too Little, Too Late” is basically a song about getting over your first love. The boy’s invitation is denied because “it don’t feel right…because to you it’s just a game.” She goes on in verse two, “I was young/ And in love/ I gave you everything/ But it wasn’t enough… Go find someone else/ I’m letting you go.” All in all, the guy has messed up too many times to make up for it (hence the title).
The song is easy to relate to in that breaking up is hard, especially when you feel like you’ve put a lot of seemingly wasted effort into a relationship. Yet, as bad as break ups are, if you honor God with your relationships from the start you can still come out feeling good about yourself, the person you were dating, and most importantly your walk with Christ.
The Bible doesn’t specifically mention dating, but God gives us a lot of principles to live by that often go out the window when we jump into a relationship. The first and most important command God gives us is to love God with all our minds, souls, and strength (Mark 12:30). That means staying focused on God, even though you want to send all your time thinking about your crush. It also means that you don’t love anyone else with all your heart or give someone else everything you have as JoJo said she did in the song.
Once you learn how to put God first and keep Him there even when you’re dating someone, sexual purity, honesty, and everything else will be much easier to get a handle on. Committing the relationship to God and trusting Him with how it works out will save a lot of heartache and hurt feelings. JoJo ends the song by singing, “with a player like you, I don’t have a chance.” But the truth is none of us have a chance unless we do it God’s way.
“The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.” (Proverbs 10:29)
So What Do You Think?
• Why do you think JoJo is such a big hit as an artist?
• Do you have a favorite song from her last album?
• What do you think of JoJo as a role model?
• How would you counsel someone going through a bad break up?
• What can you do now to prevent your current (or next) relationship from becoming unhealthy and ending in a heartbreaking mess?