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
Miss Sun
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guess you got me in a spell
But I think that I'l be all right
Even if I don't get well
Chorus:
Hey Miss Sun
What could I say
But the moon got in the way
It won't be long before the morning has you back in my arms
I can still remember
What you told me with your eyes
One kiss, now it's down to this
Guess it's time you realized
Chorus:
Hey Miss Sun
What could I say
I tried to hold you
But the moon got in the way
It won't be long before the morning has you back in my arms
Hey Miss Sun
What could I say
I tried to hold you
But the moon got in the way
It won't be long before the morning has you back in my arms
Hey Miss Sun
What could I say
I tried to hold you
But the moon got in the way
It won't be long before the morning has you back in my arms
The song "Miss Sun" by Toto is a classic love ballad that talks about a man who has fallen under the spell of a woman he met only briefly, and now he cannot stop thinking about her. Despite his feelings, he knows that his time with her was short-lived, and he may never see her again. The lyrics of the song suggest that the man is trying to move on, even though he knows that it might be difficult. He tries to hold on to his memories of Miss Sun, but the moon gets in the way, reminding him that it's time to face reality and let her go.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the man's feelings of longing for Miss Sun. He tries to hold on to her memory, but the moon keeps getting in the way. He realizes that it won't be long before Miss Sun is back in his arms, but he also knows that it may never happen again. The lyrics hint at a bittersweet romance - one that may have been doomed from the start.
The song's meaning is open to interpretation, as it could be about a lost love or a missed opportunity. Overall, Toto's "Miss Sun" is a soulful and heartfelt ballad that captures the emotions of a man who has lost his heart to a woman he may never see again.
Line by Line Meaning
Been thinking 'bout you all night
I couldn't stop thinking about you all night long
Guess you got me in a spell
You have captivated me and I can't seem to shake it
But I think that I'll be alright
I think I'll be okay, even if things don't go my way
Even if I don't get well
Even if I don't end up with you, I'll still manage to survive
Hey Miss Sun
Hello Miss Sun
What could I say
What can I possibly say
I tried to hold you
I tried to keep you close
But the moon got in the way
But something came between us that I couldn't control
It won't be long before the morning has you back in my arms
Soon enough, the morning will come and we'll be reunited
I can still remember
I can still recall
What you told me with your eyes
What you conveyed to me through your eyes
One kiss, now it's down to this
Everything has changed after that one kiss
Guess it's time you realized
I think it's about time you understand
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID PAICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Price
How can you not appreciate the greatness of TOTO. Boz and the Average White Band did fabulous covers of this TOTO gift. David Paich is one hell of a songwriter, musician, performing artist, director and producer of music. He and TOTO transcends the generations.
Isaiah Bryant
As much as I like the demo, I think they made the right decision to give the song to Boz.
Nitram
I totally agree after listening to all 3 versions, AWB, Toto and Boz... Boz wins and it's not even close, in my humble ignorant opinion. Peace
Jimmy Johnston
This is currently my favorite Toto song! And I enjoy this version more than the Boz Scaggs version? MRS JOHNSON is my other favorite
fanmaxis3004
THis sounds like it could have been a Bozz Scaggs song!
Paul Pierce
I couldn't agree more. It has Steely Dan and Boz all over it.
Karl Bismarck
fanmaxis3004 it was one! Released in 1980 but recorded in 1977. The Toto guys wrote it but it never featured on one of their original albums. The demo of it was featured on Toto XX in 1998
Paul Pierce
Not familiar with this tune, but it sure has the Dan vibe with regard to the progression anyway. Very cool piece of music.
nickavenoso78
This song was written by David Paich, but was recorded as a demo and was never released until XX in 1998. Boz Scaggs and David Paich then worked on the song and added some stuff and changed some lyrics, and released it.
dave everhart
You have apparently never heard of Box Scaggs, then