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
I Won
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd try to tell you that the things we had were right
Time can erase the love we shared
But it gives me time to realize just how much you cared
Now you're gone, I'm really not the same,
I guess I held myself to blame
Time can erase the things we said
You know I won't hold you back now,
The love we had just can't be found
You know I can't hold you back now
Now that I'm alone it gives me time
To think about the years that you were mine
Time can erase the love we shared
But it gives me time to realize just how much you cared
You know I won't hold you back now,
The love we had just can't be found
You know I can't hold you back now
You know I won't hold you back now,
The love we had just can't be found
You know I can't hold you back now,
The love we had just can't be found
You know I can't hold you back now,
The love we had just can't be found
You know I can't hold you back now,
The love we had just can't be found
The lyrics of Toto's song I Won are about regret and the realization of losing someone you loved. In the first verse, the singer expresses remorse for not appreciating their past relationship and how they wish they could go back in time to tell their lover that the things they had were right. The next lines talk about the effect of time on the love shared, how it can erase it, but also how it gives the singer time to realize how much their lover genuinely cared.
The pre-chorus refers to the aftermath of their separation, the singer being changed, and blaming themselves for losing their lover. The second verse shows the singer's loneliness after the separation, with recollections of the years shared and the realization that time can only erase the love, but the memories stay on. The final chorus speaks of acceptance and letting go, acknowledging that the love shared cannot be found again.
Overall, the lyrics in I Won show the journey of heartbreak, regret, and acceptance of losing love, with a hint of longing for the past. The song is a poignant reminder that some things, such as lost love, cannot be regained, and we must learn to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had another chance tonight
If I could have one more opportunity, one more evening with you,
I'd try to tell you that the things we had were right
I would express that the things we shared between us were genuine and valuable.
Time can erase the love we shared
With the passage of time, where nothing is permanent, it may make what we had fade.
But it gives me time to realize just how much you cared
However, it also grants me enough time to come to the realization of how much your love meant to me.
Now you're gone, I'm really not the same, I guess I held myself to blame
Ever since you left, I am not the same person, and I think it was all due to my fault.
Time can erase the things we said
The words and memories we shared may fade away and become long gone.
But it gives me time to realize that you're the one who's sad
However, it also gives me enough time to understand that the person who is bearing the most emotional pain is you.
You know I won't hold you back now, the love we had just can't be found
You should know that I will not try to hinder you from moving forward since the love we previously shared is something that we cannot regain.
Now that I'm alone it gives me time to think about the years that you were mine
Now that I am by myself, I can contemplate about the years when we were together.
You know I won't hold you back now, the love we had just can't be found
You should know that I will not try to hinder you from moving forward since the love we previously shared is something that we cannot regain.
You know I can't hold you back now, the love we had just can't be found
You should understand that it would be impractical for us to revive the affection that we once shared.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: 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.