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
Lover In The Night
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know she's gonna make you cry, you know she's gonna make you cry
She'll have you walk beneath the ladder you were meant to climb
You know she's gonna make you try, you know she's gonna make you try
[Chorus:]
Ooh, you know we're lovers in the night
It's just the soul that matters, and keeps her satisfied
You know she's gonna make you cry, you know she's gonna make you cry
She'll have you wishing that you had her come your way to shine
You know she's gonna make you try, ooh, you know she's gonna make you high
It's just the soul that matters, and keeps her satisfied
You know she's gonna make you cry, you know she's gonna make you cry
She'll have you wishing that you had her come your way to shine
You know she's
Ooh, you know we're lovers in the night
The lyrics to Toto's song “Lovers in the Night” speak to the power and pull of a toxic relationship. It’s a warning about the seductive nature of a lover who may bring you pain while simultaneously causing you to feel alive. The first verse sets up the theme of the song, “It’s just the soul that matters, and I don’t know why,” suggests that it's not just physical attraction but something deeper that connects two individuals. However, the singer is fully aware of the destructive consequences that come with this kind of connection, “You know she’s gonna make you cry, you know she’s gonna make you try.”
The chorus of the song, “Ooh, you know we’re lovers in the night,” is a repetition of the title and represents the all-encompassing nature of the relationship. It's as if the relationship exists and thrives only under the cover of darkness, away from the light of day, secret and dangerous.
The second verse repeats much of the first, emphasizing that it's still the soul that matters, but adds the line, “You know she’s gonna make you high,” which further draws attention to the fact that this is a highly addictive, dangerous, and illicit relationship.
In conclusion, Toto through this song is warning its listeners about enticing relationships. Such relationships may give an impression of the soul connection but can have disastrous consequences, pushing one to extreme happiness and heartbreak that could turn out to be dangerous.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just the soul that matters, and I don't know why
The true essence of ourselves is what really counts, and it's unclear why.
You know she's gonna make you cry, you know she's gonna make you cry
You're aware that this woman will bring you pain and tears.
She'll have you walk beneath the ladder you were meant to climb
She will make you settle for less than what you're capable of achieving.
You know she's gonna make you try, you know she's gonna make you try
You're aware that this woman will challenge you and push you to your limits.
Ooh, you know we're lovers in the night
We're only lovers when it's dark and hidden from the world.
It's just the soul that matters, and keeps her satisfied
It's only the true essence of ourselves that satisfies her.
She'll have you wishing that you had her come your way to shine
She will make you crave her attention and validation.
You know she's gonna make you try, ooh, you know she's gonna make you high
You're aware that this woman will make you feel excited, alive, and maybe even intoxicated.
She'll have you wishing that you had her come your way to shine
She will make you crave her attention and validation.
You know we're lovers in the night
Our love only exists in the darkness and secrecy of the night.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID PAICH
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.