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
Lea
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only for you, I cared, my love
I've given it hope, and I know it's only you
Encased in silence
Here's to the you, who saved, my love
Only to you, I gave, my love
I've given it thought, and it's not all that appears
[Chorus]
Lea, how long will you still want me to want you
In and around you
Lea, my concertina
Will you still want me to want you
Here's to the you, who dared, my love
Only with you, I shared, my love
I've given it though, and it's not all that appears
[Chorus]
Who cares, what the cynics say
I care, if only you're on your way
Lea, don't let the same be true
Lea, do you still want me to want you
The lyrics to Toto's song "Lea" are directed towards someone the singer deeply cares for, who they have given hope to and have shared their thoughts with. The song is filled with gratitude towards this person who has saved them and shared experiences with them. The chorus repeats the name "Lea," which could be interpreted as the name of this person, or a metaphorical symbol of someone who represents a safe haven.
The singer questions how long this person will want them to want them, showing a slight hint of uncertainty about their relationship. They hope that Lea, represented as a concertina, will continue to create music with them, implying that they hope to continue their relationship. The lyrics suggest a strong emotional and spiritual connection between the singer and Lea, but there is an underlying fear that this connection may not continue.
Overall, the song conveys a message of intense gratitude and connection, but also acknowledges the uncertainty that can come with any relationship. It highlights the importance of appreciating those who are important to us and cherishing them while they are still present in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's to the few. Who fared, my love
I'm acknowledging those people who have made it through, my love
Only for you, I cared, my love
I cared only for you, my love
I've given it hope, and I know it's only you
I've put my hopes in you, and I know you're the only one who can fulfill them
Encased in silence
Despite all of this, there's still an eerie silence that surrounds us
Here's to the you, who saved, my love
I want to give recognition to you, my love, for saving me
Only to you, I gave, my love
You're the only one I gave my love to
I've given it thought, and it's not all that appears
I've put thought into this, and it's not as simple as it seems
Lea, how long will you still want me to want you
Lea, how long do you want me to keep wanting you?
In and around you
Because you're always on my mind and always around me
Lea, my concertina
Lea, you're like my concertina (a type of accordion)
Will you still want me to want you
Do you still want me to keep wanting you?
Here's to the you, who dared, my love
I want to acknowledge you, my love, for being daring
Only with you, I shared, my love
You're the only one I shared my love with
I've given it though, and it's not all that appears
I've put a lot of thought into this, and it's not as straightforward as it seems
Who cares, what the cynics say
Why should we care about the opinions of pessimistic people?
I care, if only you're on your way
I care about the fact that you're coming my way
Lea, don't let the same be true
Lea, don't let the same thing happen again
Lea, do you still want me to want you
Lea, do you still want me to keep wanting you?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVE PORCARO
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.