The album was awarded with six Grammy Awards, including "Record of the Year" for "Rosanna", "Album of the Year" for "Toto IV", and "Producer of the Year" for the band. It reached number four on the Billboard Pop Albums chart shortly after its release in 1982. The single, "Rosanna", reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album's third single, "Africa", became the group's only Hot 100 number-one hit. "I Won't Hold You Back" came next and hit the top 10. With the success of "Africa", the album climbed back into the top 10 in early 1983. The other singles were "Make Believe" and "Waiting for Your Love".
Rosanna
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rosanna, Rosanna
Never thought that a girl like you could ever care for me, Rosanna
All I wanna do in the middle of the evening is hold you tight
Rosanna, Rosanna
I didn't know you were looking for more than I could ever be
Not quite a year since she went away, Rosanna, yeah
Now she's gone and I have to say
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
I can see your face still shining through the window on the other side
Rosanna, Rosanna
I didn't know that a girl like you could make me feel so sad, Rosanna
All I wanna tell you is now you'll never ever have to compromise
Rosanna, Rosanna
I never thought that losing you could ever hurt so bad
Not quite a year since she went away, Rosanna, yeah
Now she's gone and I have to say
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
Not quite a year since she went away, Rosanna, yeah
Now she's gone and I have to say
Meet you all the way (yeah-yeah), meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
Meet you all the way (ooh-ooh, yeah), meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
The lyrics to Toto's song "Rosanna" tell the story of a man who's in love with a woman named Rosanna. He wakes up in the morning and all he wants to do is see her eyes, because he finds comfort and affection in her gaze. He goes on to admit that he never thought a girl like her could ever care for him. This suggests that he probably feels like he's not worthy of her love or that she's out of his league.
Later in the evening, all he wants to do is hold her tight, but he didn't know that Rosanna was looking for more than he could ever be. This implies that Rosanna probably had higher expectations or that there were issues in their relationship that he was not aware of. The song also talks about how Rosanna has been gone for almost a year, and that he still feels sad and misses her. He recognizes that losing her has hurt him more than he had thought it would.
Overall, "Rosanna" is a song about unrequited love and the pain of losing someone you care about. The singer realizes too late that he couldn't live up to Rosanna's expectations, and he's left with regret and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
All I wanna do when I wake up in the morning is see your eyes
My love for you is so strong that my morning is incomplete without seeing your beautiful eyes, Rosanna.
Rosanna, Rosanna
Addressing my love for you, dear Rosanna.
Never thought that a girl like you could ever care for me, Rosanna
I always underestimated myself and never imagined that a wonderful girl like you would ever be interested in me, Rosanna.
All I wanna do in the middle of the evening is hold you tight
The affection I have for you makes me crave the feeling of holding you close, even in the evening, Rosanna.
I didn't know you were looking for more than I could ever be
I realize now that you wanted more from me than I could ever provide, Rosanna.
Not quite a year since she went away, Rosanna, yeah
It has been less than a year since you left, Rosanna.
Now she's gone and I have to say
Now that you're no longer with me, I must express how I feel about you, Rosanna.
Meet you all the way, meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
I am willing to go to any length to be with you, Rosanna.
I can see your face still shining through the window on the other side
I still remember your face, and it's like I can see it shining through the window on the other side, Rosanna.
I didn't know that a girl like you could make me feel so sad, Rosanna
I never expected to be so heartbroken over losing such an amazing girl like you, Rosanna.
All I wanna tell you is now you'll never ever have to compromise
I want you to know that with me, you'll never have to settle for less than you deserve, Rosanna.
I never thought that losing you could ever hurt so bad
The pain of losing you was something I never thought I could bear, Rosanna.
Lyrics © editionPlus Verlags GmbH, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Paich
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Denis S. Pratt
on Take My Hand
Beautiful rendition of a reconciling moment that my mother and I will lay to rest.