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
Selfish
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's how it ends
(You go from) heartache to heartache
As you make amends
(Just) bigger and bigger
But two steps back
You want something from nothing
And you're so exact
You think you're a rich man
Now you misbehave
You're not a free man running
Just a comfortable slave
So selfish
You got more than you can use
But you still don't see
You're so selfish
And you're running out of room
Deeper and deeper
As you forge ahead
Higher and higher
But you've been mislead
Harder and harder
You grind the stone
Faster faster faster
Till you're skin and bones
Too much ambition
Without relief
That ain't heaven
But it's what you teach
So selfish
You got more than you can use
But you still don't see
You're so selfish
And you're running out of room
The world was made in seven days
Your heads are bowed to Gods in praise
Civilized man can only be saved
When courage and wisdom are finally raised
Who's got the answer
Give me the cure
Don't rush to judgment
Until you're sure
So selfish
You got more than you can use
But you still don't see
You're so selfish
And you're running out of room
In "Selfish," Toto narrates the story of a man who is so consumed by his greed and ambition that he becomes blind to the fact that he already has everything he needs. The song starts by depicting the cyclical nature of the character's life. He goes from one heartache to another, always trying to make amends, yet always taking steps back. Despite achieving success and financial stability, he is never satisfied and always wants more. The second verse describes the toll this relentless pursuit has taken on his life. He is not a free man, but a slave to his comfort and possessions. He is running out of room to store them all but is still unable to see that his desires are self-destructive.
Ultimately, the song's underlying message is that excessive greed and ambition are at odds with living a fulfilling life. This idea is emphasized in the final verse, where Toto challenges listeners to seek courage and wisdom instead of material possessions because those are the qualities that can truly save us. The song's repetition of "so selfish" serves as an admonition to the man in the story, as well as a broader comment on a culture that values hoarding wealth and possessions over meaningful connections with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Ashes to ashes
Life ends in death
That's how it ends
Death is inevitable
(You go from) heartache to heartache
Life is filled with ups and downs
As you make amends
Trying to fix mistakes that were made in the past
(Just) bigger and bigger
Seemingly making progress in life
But two steps back
Going backwards despite progress made
You want something from nothing
Expecting results without putting in effort
And you're so exact
Having unrealistic expectations
You think you're a rich man
Feeling wealthy despite not having much
Now you misbehave
Acting inappropriately
You're not a free man running
Feeling trapped in current situation
Just a comfortable slave
Stuck in a comfortable yet unfulfilling lifestyle
So selfish
Only thinking about oneself
You got more than you can use
Having excess possessions
But you still don't see
Not realizing how much one has
And you're running out of room
Running out of physical space to store possessions
Deeper and deeper
Getting more involved in something
As you forge ahead
Continuing to move forward despite obstacles
Higher and higher
Reaching new heights
But you've been mislead
Being led astray
Harder and harder
Working harder and harder
You grind the stone
Continuing to work tirelessly
Faster faster faster
Working at a faster pace
Till you're skin and bones
Working yourself to exhaustion
Too much ambition
Having too many goals
Without relief
Not being able to rest
That ain't heaven
The current situation is not ideal
But it's what you teach
The current situation is a result of personal choices/actions
The world was made in seven days
The world was created quickly
Your heads are bowed to Gods in praise
People worshiping their beliefs
Civilized man can only be saved
Humanity can only progress so much
When courage and wisdom are finally raised
Humanity needs to value bravery and intelligence to truly succeed
Who's got the answer
Asking for a solution
Give me the cure
Looking for a remedy
Don't rush to judgment
Avoid making quick decisions
Until you're sure
Make informed decisions after careful consideration
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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.