"Hold the Line" was released as the band's debut single and lead single from the Toto album on October 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. It became a huge hit for the band, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.
Jeff Porcaro, the band's drummer, gave a definition for the song:
"'Hold the Line' was a perfect example of what people will describe as your heavy metal chord guitar licks, your great triplet A-notes on the piano, your 'Sly'-hot-fun-in-the-summertime groove, all mishmashed together with a boy from New Orleans singing... and it really crossed over a lot of lines."
Keyboardist David Paich noted that the song was relatively easy to develop. He began with the piano riff, which would become the song's intro and chorus. After toying with the piano riff one night, he started singing "Hold the line, love isn't always on time", and found the lyric to be a suitable fit. The verses were subsequently finished two hours later.
Jeff Porcaro on "Hold the Line", in a 1988 interview with Modern Drummer:
"That was me trying to play like Sly Stone's original drummer, Greg Errico, who played drums on "Hot Fun In The Summertime." The hi-hat is doing triplets, the snare drum is playing 2 and 4 backbeats, and the bass drum is on 1 and the & of 2. That 8th note on the second beat is an 8th-note triplet feel, pushed. When we did the tune, I said, "Gee, this is going to be a heavy four-on-the-floor rocker, but we want a Sly groove." The triplet groove of the tune was David's writing. It was taking the Sly groove and meshing it with a harder rock caveman approach."
Several of the band members recall hearing "Hold the Line" for the first time on the radio:
"I flipped the first time I heard myself on the radio. My mom called me up and said, "Turn on KLOS." It was the song "Hold the Line," and I started running around the house in my underwear, screaming, "I'm on the radio!" My wife was cracking up. It was just a thrill." (Steve Lukather, Guitar Player magazine, April 1984)
Bobby Kimball had a similar experience when he heard Toto for the very first time on the radio: "I was asleep, I had my alarm clock set for noon because we were gonna do something in the studio, some promo and when the alarm came on there was the radio and "Hold The Line" was playing. And my room was totally black and I was looking for the telephone and I called Paich and I heard him scream, he was living over there with his girlfriend and he was screaming around and falling over trying to get to the radio."
"Hold the Line" has been a live staple at Toto shows. Steve Lukather played the song live with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band during the summer of 2012. Bobby Kimball has performed the song on all of his solo tours since 2009.
Hold The Line
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not in the way you say you care
It's not in the way you've been treating my friends
It's not in the way that you stayed 'til the end
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, whoa whoa whoa
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, whoa whoa whoa
It's not in the words that you told me, girl
It's not in the way you say you're mine, ooh
It's not in the way that you came back to me
It's not in the way that your love set me free
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, whoa whoa whoa
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, whoa whoa whoa
It's not in the words that you told me
It's not in the way you say you're mine, ooh
It's not in the way that you came back to me
It's not in the way that your love set me free
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, whoa whoa whoa
Hold the line, love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time
Hold the line, love isn't always on time
Love isn't always, love isn't always on time
Hold the line, love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time
Whoa whoa whoa
The lyrics of Toto’s song “Hold the Line” speak about the inconsistencies of love. The song tells a story of a failing relationship that is not working out as planned despite the best efforts of both individuals. The singer expresses that it's not in the gestures or words shared that can hold a relationship together. Instead, love is unpredictable and may not always be on time in terms of providing solutions to relationship problems.
The lyrics suggest that sometimes one has to fight to keep the love alive and not to let go easily. The singer implores the other person to hold the line, meaning they should not give up so easily, they must keep fighting to keep their love alive. The repetition of the phrase “love isn't always on time” throughout the song emphasizes this point.
The song’s upbeat tempo contrasts with the somewhat melancholic lyrics, drawing attention to the fact that the prevalent themes of love and relationships have always been captivating and often the subject of songwriters. “Hold the Line” speaks to a universal reality that even though love is not always on time, holding on to it and fighting for it is always worthwhile.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not in the way that you hold me
The way you physically hold me does not show your love
It's not in the way you say you care
Mere words of affection do not suffice to prove your love
It's not in the way you've been treating my friends
Your behavior with my friends does not demonstrate your love for me
It's not in the way that you stayed 'till the end
Just being there for me till the end does not prove your love
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do
Your appearance or what you say you'll do doesn't prove your love
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, woah woah woah
Be patient and stay strong, love isn't always within our control
It's not in the words that you told me, girl
Just saying the right words doesn't prove your love
It's not in the way you say you're mine, ooh
Claiming someone as yours doesn't mean you love them
It's not in the way that you came back to me
Act of returning to me alone won't prove your love
It's not in the way that your love set me free
Liberation provided by your love in itself does not prove it
Love isn't always on time
Love doesn't always happen according to our expectations and timeline
Love isn't always, love isn't always on time
Love isn't predictable and does not follow a strict timetable
Love isn't always on time
Love doesn't always happen when we want it to
Love isn't always on time
Love might not come at the right moment or right time
Love isn't always on time
We can't always control the timing of love
Woah woah woah
Expressing the emotional intensity and frustration of the situation
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: David Frank Paich
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gabrieleporru4443
-- EMERGENCY LYRICS --
It's not in the way that you hold me
It's not in the way you say you care
It's not in the way you've been treating my friends
It's not in the way that you stayed till the end
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh
It's not in the words that you told me, girl
It's not in the way you say you're mine, ooh
It's not in the way that you came back to me
It's not in the way that your love set me free
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh
It's not in the words that you told me
It's not in the way you say you're mine, ooh
It's not in the way that you came back to me
It's not in the way that your love set me free
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh
Hold the line, love isn't always on time (Love isn't always on time)
Hold the line, love isn't always on time (love isn't always, love isn't always on time)
Hold the line, love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time, oh oh oh
@simp-johnson
This song reminds me that I have to follow the damn train
@bigsmoke2298
This is all you have to do, fool!
@SuperRazor47
That was real bad what you did to cj's mom smoke..
@cromix3585
Epic
@andromedav4186
radio k dst
@Z3Neeto
Epic
@misaelmuniz7418
Gta san andreas on a plane flying and listening to this in the radio.
@nickobellic9713
and crash with a invisible tree 😐
@rasyadramadhan2461
@@nickobellic9713 hahahaha😭 it's true
@ArmagedonCS
NOSTALGIA TRIP RIGHT NOW FOR ME san andreas was the best game