Composed entirely of seasoned studio musicians, Toto seemed to come out of nowhere. They did not get known first on the club circuit as nearly all bands do prior to being signed by a label. Their reputations in the studio were enough. For example, Paich, Hungate and Jeff Porcaro wrote songs for and performed on Boz Scaggs' album Silk Degrees.
Toto released their debut album Toto in October 1978, selling two million copies based on their top ten hit Hold the Line. The next two albums Hydra and Turn Back had little success, but Toto IV (released in 1982) featured the number one hit Africa as well as the top ten single Rosanna. Toto IV went multi-platinum and earned several Grammy Awards including 1983 Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Rosanna").
Their only film work to date was for the 1984 David Lynch science fiction film Dune. In addition to their own score, they also recorded the Prophecy Theme, composed by Brian Eno.
After the release of Toto IV, Mike Porcaro (brother to Jeff and Steve), joined the group on bass, replacing Hungate. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the group after being arrested for selling cocaine and was replaced by Dennis Frederiksen aka Fergie Frederiksen, who was replaced not long after by Joseph Williams.
Steve Porcaro left the band in 1988, however, he still contributes as a sideman.
In 1990, Jean-Michel Byron replaced Williams for the new recordings on Past to Present 1977-1990, then left with Lukather becoming the group's lead singer.
On August 5, 1992, Jeff Porcaro died of a heart attack, days after completing work on Kingdom of Desire. The group considered disbanding, before adding British drummer Simon Phillips for the subsequent tour. In the years since Porcaro's death, Lukather has seemingly succeeded Paich as the band's de facto leader.
In 1999, Bobby Kimball returned to the lineup after a 15-year absence.
Greg Phillinganes joined the lineup in 2004 to fill in for David Paich during a tour, then officially joined Toto in 2005.
After a period of rumours and some allusions, on June 5th, 2008 Steve Lukather made an official announcement on his website stevelukather.net, stating: "The fact is yes I have left Toto. There is no more Toto." Lukather further stated that after 31 years of recording, producing and playing with Toto without even missing one single gig, he couldn't do it anymore: "I just can't do it anymore and at 50 years old I wanted to start over and give it one last try on my own." With Lukather being the only original member left in the band (Bobby Kimball was also an original member, but was out of the band from 1984-1998) there was no other option than to call it quits. As the main motivation for his decision, Lukather said: "When Dave retired that was REAL hard for me 'cause we started the band together. Hell, it's 35 years if you count High School where the core all met. When Mike fell ill and had to leave that was it for me. If there isn't Paich or at least one Porcaro how can we even call it Toto?" Luke also stated: "Honestly, I have just had enough. This is NOT a break. It is over. I really can't go out and play Hold The Line with a straight face anymore." The break-up of Toto after 31 years received mixed reactions from the fans, but in general the decision was understood and many agreed with Lukather's reasons to quit the band.
On April 5th, 2008, Toto played what would be their last show ever, in Seoul, Korea, as a part of their Falling In Between Live tour. This left lots of fans without a real farewell tour.
On February 26th, 2010, Steve Lukather announced on his Twitter-account that Toto are reforming for a brief tour in Europe in the summer of 2010 to honor bass player Mike Porcaro, who's suffering from ALS syndrome. Line-up will include David Paich, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, Simon Phillips, Joseph Williams and Nathan East.
Toto released their fourteenth studio album and their first in nine years titled Toto XIV on March 20 (Europe), March 23 (UK and Oceania), and March 24, 2015 (North America). To promote the newly finished project, the band started a world tour running with an extensive European headline arena tour including appearances at key festivals, along with a North American tour to follow in the summer of 2015 and Asia later that year.[43][44]
On March 15, 2015, former bassist Mike Porcaro died, due to complications from his battle with ALS, in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles.[45]
On 6 April 2015, Toto announced that they would embark on 7 August 2015 in Mashantucket, Connecticut with veteran progressive band Yes on a joint summer tour of North America due to end on 12 September 2015 in Coquitlam, British Columbia.[46][47][48] Shannon Forrest has continued to perform as the band's drummer.
On 29 September 2015, Toto announced the first leg of their 2016 Tour in support of Toto XIV consisting of European and Japanese dates. Leland Sklar, who joined them on their 2007 and 2008 tours, replaced founding member Hungate.[49] Sklar left Toto in early 2017 and was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Toto will release their anniversary album "40 Trips Around The Sun" on February 9, 2018. Then, they'll embark on their world tour promoting their album and celebrating 40 years of music.
The original lineup (1978)
* David Paich - vocals and keyboards
* Steve Lukather - guitar and vocals
* Bobby Kimball - vocals
* Steve Porcaro - keyboards
* David Hungate - bass
* Jeff Porcaro - drums
The last lineup (2017)
* David Paich - vocals and keyboards
* Steve Lukather - guitar and vocals
* Joseph Williams - vocals
* Steve Porcaro - vocals and keyboards
Change of Heart
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you forgetting all the damage that I've done
Are you waiting, contemplating why you changed your mind
Can't push my luck, good ones are getting hard to find
I'm wond'ring now if everything will be the same
I feel so empty knowing I'm the one to blame
And all along I never thought I stood a chance
Deep in the night when I need you so
You are the light; I can't let you go
You've been the one from the very start
You've got the power, girl, to change a heart
You've got the power, girl, to change a heart
The timing's right for all our diff'rences to end
We've come so far from all the places that we've been
My heart is telling me that you're my closest friend
It's alright, hold on tight, and do it all again
Deep in the night when I need you so
You are the light; I can't let you go
You've been the one from the very start
You've got the power, girl, to change a heart
You've got the power, girl, to change a heart
Deep in the night when I need you so
You are the light; I can't let you go
You've been the one from the very start
You've got the power, girl, to change a heart
You've got the power, girl, to change a heart
The lyrics to Toto's song "Change of Heart" describe a man reflecting on his past mistakes and the potential for a renewed relationship with an old flame who he thought he had lost forever. The song begins with a letter from the woman informing him that he is the only one for her, despite the damage he has done in the past. Despite her newfound love, the man cannot help but feel regretful for his past actions and worries whether things will ever be the same between them. He is haunted by memories of her and the possibility of what they could have had if he had not messed things up.
As the song progresses, the man acknowledges that the timing is now right for their differences to be put aside and for them to start anew. He realizes that she has the power to change his heart and bring back the love that they once shared. The repetition of the phrase "You've got the power, girl, to change a heart" emphasizes the man's belief in the transformative power of love and his hope for a second chance with his former flame.
Overall, Toto's "Change of Heart" is a heartfelt reflection on the power of love to change and transform us, even in the face of past mistakes and regrets.
Line by Line Meaning
I got your letter stating I'm the only one
You wrote me, saying I'm the only love in your life
Are you forgetting all the damage that I've done
Have you forgotten about all the pain I've caused?
Are you waiting, contemplating why you changed your mind
Are you still figuring out why you chose to love me?
Can't push my luck, good ones are getting hard to find
I can't be careless; finding a great love is becoming difficult
I'm wond'ring now if everything will be the same
I'm starting to doubt if our relationship would remain unchanged
I feel so empty knowing I'm the one to blame
I feel hollow, and I hold myself accountable for our issues
And all along I never thought I stood a chance
I never thought I had a shot with you in the first place
Those lonely hours, mem'ries of you did enhance
My memories of you made my lonely moments worth it
Deep in the night when I need you so
In the late night hours when I crave you the most
You are the light; I can't let you go
You illuminate my life; I can't imagine living without you
You've been the one from the very start
You've had my heart since the beginning
You've got the power, girl, to change a heart
You hold the power to transform someone's heart, including mine
The timing's right for all our diff'rences to end
It's the right time to let go of our differences
We've come so far from all the places that we've been
We've endured all our trials and have overcome several obstacles
My heart is telling me that you're my closest friend
My heart confirms that you are my closest friend
It's alright, hold on tight, and do it all again
It's okay to continue riding together; hold on tightly, and let's do it again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID PAICH, FERGIE FREDERIKSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Miron Miron
I got your letter stating I'm the only one
Are you forgetting all the damage that I've done
Are you waiting, contemplating why you changed your mind
Can't push my luck, good ones are getting hard to find
I'm wond'ring now if everything will be the same
I feel so empty knowing I'm the one to blame
And all along I never thought I stood a chance
Those lonely hours, mem'ries of you did enhance
Deep in the night when I need you so
You are the light, I can't let you go
You've been the one from the very start
You've got the power girl, to change a heart
You've got the power girl, to change a heart
The timing's right for all our diff'rences to end
We've come so far from all the places that we've been
My heart is telling me that you're my closest friend
It's alright, hold on tight, and do it all again
axebox
IMO Toto's best album.
Benoit Vanhees
Same quality level as those before, "6" was so-so with some very fine moments but also lesser ones, 7 was great again, then several so-so albums until XIV came along, and quality equalled the first albums again. But Fergie was such a sui generis singer. It's also fun to see excellent drum covers of Isolation, it allows non drummers to better appreciate what Jeff Porcaro was doing throughout Isolation, giving tons of cymbals a treat.
Broon's Bane
Those were the days...real music.
Miron Miron
I got your letter stating I'm the only one
Are you forgetting all the damage that I've done
Are you waiting, contemplating why you changed your mind
Can't push my luck, good ones are getting hard to find
I'm wond'ring now if everything will be the same
I feel so empty knowing I'm the one to blame
And all along I never thought I stood a chance
Those lonely hours, mem'ries of you did enhance
Deep in the night when I need you so
You are the light, I can't let you go
You've been the one from the very start
You've got the power girl, to change a heart
You've got the power girl, to change a heart
The timing's right for all our diff'rences to end
We've come so far from all the places that we've been
My heart is telling me that you're my closest friend
It's alright, hold on tight, and do it all again
Amy Fleming
merci
Francesco dibiase
no words to explains so much genius
Randi Bryant
If you're here, you got good taste
drumsport
I can recall the nightly sports newscast playing the break with Jeff's hi-hat licks (2:37 - 3:08) while they were rolling the MLB scores up the screen. Great!
Adulteducation8
This was the B-side of the Stranger In Town single. Stranger is ok, but this is way, way better. THIS should've been the single. Stranger peaked at a so-so #30. I think this could've done much better while showcasing Fergie, an incredible singer RIP
Benoit Vanhees
Does Toto sometimes play songs from this album "live" ?