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
Melanie
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Empty endless road, a thousand miles to go
Midnight five million thoughts are passing in a row
Will you still be waiting there God only knows
I can still see your face in my mind, with every turn I take
The wind through my heart feels so cold, as it calls out your name
Oh, Melanie, reach inside this emptiness and you can set me free
Morning, sun's in my eyes, I'm tied to your soul
One chance, one solitary life, how could I let you go
Got a phone call, or was it a dream, a voice spoke to me
I could swear it was you that I heard crying desperately
Melanie, nothing but the touch of your hand can rescue me
Oh, Melanie, reach inside this emptiness and you will set me free
I can still see your face in my mind, with every turn I take
The wind through my heart feels so cold, as it calls out your name
Melanie, nothing but the touch of your hand can rescue me
Oh, Melanie, reach inside this emptiness and you will set me free
Melanie, nothing but the touch of your hand can rescue me
Oh, Melanie, reach inside this emptiness and you will set me free
The song "Melanie" by Toto is a heartfelt ballad that expresses the sorrow and longing of a man who is driving alone through the night, with nothing but his own thoughts and memories to keep him company. He is on a lonely journey, with a thousand miles to go and only his memories of a woman named Melanie to keep him going. The lyrics of the song express his longing for her touch, and the feeling that only she can rescue him from the emptiness that he feels inside.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more intense, and the sense of longing and desperation becomes stronger. The man hears a voice that he believes to be Melanie's, crying out to him desperately. He is torn by his desire to be with her, and the sense that he cannot let her go. The lyrics suggest that he is tied to her soul, and that he cannot escape the pull that she has on him.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the human need for connection, and the way that memories of lost love can haunt us as we go through life. The lyrics are full of emotion, and the melody of the song is haunting and beautiful. It is a testament to Toto's skill as songwriters that they were able to capture this emotion so powerfully in their music.
Line by Line Meaning
Watching, driving through the night, I'm all alone
The singer is driving alone at night, feeling lonely.
Empty endless road, a thousand miles to go
He has a long journey ahead of him on a deserted road.
Midnight five million thoughts are passing in a row
The singer's mind is racing with endless thoughts.
Will you still be waiting there God only knows
He is unsure if his loved one is still waiting for him.
I can still see your face in my mind, with every turn I take
He is reminded of his loved one's face every step of the way.
The wind through my heart feels so cold, as it calls out your name
He feels a deep sense of longing for his loved one.
Morning, sun's in my eyes, I'm tied to your soul
The singer feels emotionally attached to his loved one.
One chance, one solitary life, how could I let you go
He realizes he only has one life to live and cannot let go of his loved one.
Got a phone call, or was it a dream, a voice spoke to me
The singer is unsure if the phone call he received was real or just a dream.
I could swear it was you that I heard crying desperately
He believes he heard his loved one crying on the phone.
Melanie, nothing but the touch of your hand can rescue me
The singer believes that his loved one's touch can heal his pain.
Oh, Melanie, reach inside this emptiness and you can set me free
He believes that his loved one can fill the void in his life.
Melanie, nothing but the touch of your hand can rescue me
The singer again emphasizes his belief that his loved one's touch can save him.
Oh, Melanie, reach inside this emptiness and you will set me free
The singer believes his loved one can change his life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID F PAICH, RANDY GOODRUM, STEVEN LEE LUKATHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GT--BTS
Watching
Driving through the night
I'm all alone
Empty
Endless road
A thousand miles to go
(Midnight
Five million thoughts
Passing in a row
Will you
Still be waiting there?
God only knows)
I can still see your face in my mind
With every turn I take
And the wind through my heart feels so cold
As it calls out your name
[Chorus:]
Melanie
Nothing but the touch of your hand can rescue me
Melanie
Reach inside this emptiness and you will set me free
Morning
Sun's in my eyes
I'm tied to your soul
One chance
One solitary life
How could I let you go?
Got a phonecall or was it a dream
A voice spoke to me
I could swear it was you that I heard
Crying desperately
[Chorus]
[Instrumental break]
I can still see your face in my mind
With every turn I take
And the wind through my heart feels so cold
As it calls out your name
@NinaPaganaMiller
I'm a Melanie too. All Melanies gather right here right now. Bless Toto for the great music!
@feliciajohnson155
Toto is one of the best groups of all time!!!
@Benjamin-tc4yn
Felicia Johnson All the reason. Totally agree
@robertoobregonvea5381
No hay lugar a dudas
@chicobellini6297
Felicia Johnson Absolutely! The band had/have the best musicians in the world in 1 band. So underated band.
You only hear Pamela, Hold the Line, Africa and can’t stop loving you/ and Rosanna on the radio. But they have a lot of more good songs that you never hear on the radio now that’s a shame!
@cywoods60
IT TRULY IS
@syrustaveras7101
man i love toto
@davidadamsmusic
I’ve been a Toto fan since the 80s but still find songs like this that are new to me after all these years. Luke has such an easy voice to listen to.
@gentlecamel6745
Lukather is singing really good in this track... His voice fits perfect with this song.
These guys are one of the top rock musicians of all time!
@amelee9031
toto-ly agree!!!