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
Slipped Away
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's ice in your embrace
In your dance of indecision
I see the anger in yor face
A little drink to help my vision
A little something for the pain
There's no drug for my condition
There's no sweetness in the taste.
Tell me where the ride's gonna lead you
Do I have to pay to be your friend?
There's nothing left to say
When you slipped away.
I can see you fading fast
I won't let you take me
When you slipped away
I can see your burning stare
Nothing's gonna shake me
As you slip away
You're a world of blind ambition
Staring through the looking glass
You will meet your own collision
When your conscience comes to ask.
Steal the love from those around you
Help yourself to everything
Take the shelter that surrounds you
It leaves you standing in the rain.
Tell me if the money can heal you
Do I have to pray to make it end?
There's nothing left to say when you slipped away.
I can see you fading fast
I won't let you take me
When you slipped away
I can see your burning stare
Nothing's gonna shake me
As you slip away
As you slip away
In Toto's song Slipped Away, the lyrics explore the idea of a person who is lost in life, without direction or purpose. The first verse paints a picture of this person as someone who is cold and distant, unable to make decisions. The singer of the song feels the need for something to help him cope with the pain of watching this person fade away. The second verse speaks directly to the different choices people make in life, highlighting the idea that sometimes people don't know where their roads will lead them. The singer is left with nothing to say when this person slips away, and must accept the reality of the situation.
The chorus is where things get interesting. Here, the singer seems to declare his commitment to remaining strong and not being dragged down by this person's struggles. He sees the pain in their eyes, but he won't let it take him down. He's determined to stand strong and not be shaken, even as this person fades away. The chorus serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of resilience and the need to persevere in the face of adversity.
Overall, Toto's Slipped Away is a poignant commentary on the human condition. It's a song that wrestles with life's complexities and the struggles that people face on a daily basis. It's a reminder that sometimes things slip away, and that we need to be strong to weather life's storms.
Line by Line Meaning
You're a soul with no religion
You don't believe in anything
There's ice in your embrace
You're cold and distant
In your dance of indecision
You can't make up your mind
I see the anger in your face
You're angry at something or someone
A little drink to help my vision
I need alcohol to help me see things clearly
A little something for the pain
I need something to numb my emotional pain
There's no drug for my condition
There's nothing that can fix how I feel
There's no sweetness in the taste.
There's no joy in life
Tell me where the ride's gonna lead you
Where do you think you're headed?
Do I have to pay to be your friend?
Are you only friendly to those who benefit you?
There's nothing left to say
We have nothing to talk about
When you slipped away.
When you left without warning
I can see you fading fast
I can see you losing yourself quickly
I won't let you take me
I won't let you drag me down with you
I can see your burning stare
I can see your anger
Nothing's gonna shake me
Nothing you do or say will affect me
As you slip away
As you leave me behind
You're a world of blind ambition
You're only focused on yourself and your own success
Staring through the looking glass
You're only concerned with outward appearances
You will meet your own collision
Eventually your actions will catch up to you
When your conscience comes to ask.
When you're faced with the consequences of your actions
Steal the love from those around you
You take advantage of those who care about you
Help yourself to everything
You're greedy and selfish
Take the shelter that surrounds you
You take what you can get without regard for others
It leaves you standing in the rain.
It leaves you alone and vulnerable
Tell me if the money can heal you
Do you think money can solve your problems?
Do I have to pray to make it end?
Do I need a higher power to help me move on?
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O CAPASSO, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: David Paich, Mike Porcaro, Simon Peter Phillips, Stanley Lynch, Steven Lee Lukather
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.