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
Falling In Between
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Find a way, back home to you girl
Life's been Hell to pay
I can't disobey,
Gotta live in my world
I hear voices calling
Darkness all around me
I am falling in between
You've been lookin' down
Down to the ground
On everything I say girl
Hope just can't be found
I'm so gagged and bound
Because of you girl
I hear voices calling
From the places I have been
Love and understanding
Only flows from deep within
Darkness that surrounds me
I am falling in between
The lyrics to Toto's song Falling In Between explore the struggle of trying to find one's way back home to a loved one while dealing with the challenging realities of life. The opening lines "I've just got to find, find a way back home to you girl" express the yearning to reunite with someone important. However, the lyrics go on to reveal the difficulties of life that can make this a challenging journey. The line "life's been hell to pay, I can't disobey, gotta live in my world" speaks to the obstacles that can keep us from reaching our goals. It's a reminder that no matter how difficult the journey may be, we have to keep pushing forward in our own world.
The lyrics also touch on the internal conflict that can arise from trying to find one's way back. The lines "I hear voices calling, from the faces never seen, darkness all around me, I am falling in between" suggest a state of confusion and being lost, with voices and darkness surrounding the singer. This internal struggle is further explored with the lines "hope just can't be found, I'm so gagged and bound, because of you girl" which suggest an inability to move forward due to external factors like a relationship.
The final lines of the song "love and understanding, only flows from deep within, darkness that surrounds me, I am falling in between" hint at the idea that the journey to return home isn't just about the person waiting for them, but also about finding a sense of love and understanding within oneself. Overall, Falling In Between is a reflection on the obstacles and internal struggles that can arise in life, but also on the importance of perseverance and finding hope within oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
I've just got to find
The singer is determined to locate something.
Find a way, back home to you girl
The singer wants to return to someone they care about.
Life's been Hell to pay
The singer has experienced a great deal of difficulty.
I can't disobey,
The artist is committed to a certain course of action.
Gotta live in my world
The artist must cope with their own problems.
I hear voices calling
The singer is sensing something unusual.
From the faces never seen
The singer cannot identify the source of the voices.
Darkness all around me
The artist feels lost and fearful.
I am falling in between
The artist is struggling to make sense of their surroundings.
You've been lookin' down
The artist feels neglected by someone they care about.
Down to the ground
The person they care about has not been responsive.
On everything I say girl
The artist feels their words are not being heard.
Hope just can't be found
The singer is feeling hopeless about their situation.
I'm so gagged and bound
The singer feels limited or restrained in some way.
Because of you girl
The person they care about is responsible for their emotional state.
From the places I have been
The artist is hearing something familiar.
Love and understanding
The artist is searching for emotional connection.
Only flows from deep within
The singer believes emotional connection comes from within themselves.
Darkness that surrounds me
The singer feels lost and unsupported.
I am falling in between
The artist is struggling to find a path forward.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Royalty Network
Written by: DAVID F FRANK PAICH, GREGORY ARTHUR PHILLINGANES, MICHAEL J PORCARO, ROBERT T KIMBALL, SIMON PETER PHILLIPS, STEVEN LEE LUKATHER
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.