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
Straight From The Heart
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falls in love for the very first time
Late at night he sees her alone
But she's the type that can never be owned
He can't get her off his mind
But she knows he'll get over her in time
And the world goes round and round
She goes straight for the heart
She serves it sweet and cold
But she goes straight for the heart
It's just the only thing that she's ever known
Boy sees girl on the poor side of town
A city princess with her very own crown
He's too young to be taking such a chance
'Cause she walks the streets in the name of romance
Everywhere she goes he's there and she knows
He's just another fool who cares
And the world goes round and round
She goes straight for the heart
She serves it sweet and cold
But she goes straight for the heart
It's just the only thing that she's ever known
Everywhere she goes he's there and she knows
He's just another fool who cares
And the world goes round and round
She goes straight for the heart
She serves it sweet and cold
But she goes straight for the heart
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
The lyrics to Toto's song "Straight From the Heart" tell the story of a boy who falls in love with a girl that he meets on the playground of life. He is enamored with her but soon realizes that she is the type of girl who can never be owned. Despite this, he can't seem to get her off his mind. The song goes on to describe how the girl goes straight for the heart, serving it sweet and cold, and how this is the only thing she has ever known. The chorus repeats several times, emphasizing the girl's unrelenting pursuit of emotional satisfaction, even if it means leaving a trail of heartbroken boys behind.
The lyrics in this song paint a picture of love and heartbreak, with a sense of youthful innocence and naivety. The boy's infatuation with the girl and his lack of experience in dealing with her type is highlighted through the storytelling. The girl is portrayed as somebody who knows what she wants and is not afraid to go after it, with little regard for the consequences. The song shows how love can be both sweet and bitter, with the ever-turning world going round and round, and the characters caught up in its whirlwind.
Line by Line Meaning
Boy meets girl on the playground of life
The boy and girl first cross paths in life
Falls in love for the very first time
They fall in love for the first time in their lives
Late at night he sees her alone
One night, he sees her alone
But she's the type that can never be owned
However, she is not the type of person to be controlled or claimed by anyone
He can't get her off his mind
Despite this, he can't stop thinking about her
But she knows he'll get over her in time
She knows he will eventually move on
And the world goes round and round
Life goes on, despite their situation
She goes straight for the heart
She aims to win his affection and trust
She serves it sweet and cold
She uses both kindness and indifference to achieve this
It's just the only thing that she's ever known
It is the only tactic she is familiar with and knows how to use well
Boy sees girl on the poor side of town
The boy sees her living in a less privileged area of town
A city princess with her very own crown
Despite this, she still maintains her dignity and grace
He's too young to be taking such a chance
The boy may be too inexperienced and immature to handle the risk of pursuing her
'Cause she walks the streets in the name of romance
As they continue to cross paths, he realizes she is a hopeless romantic
Everywhere she goes he's there and she knows
He starts to follow her everywhere, but she is aware of his presence
He's just another fool who cares
She sees him as another lovesick fool
She goes straight for the heart
Once again, she targets his emotions
She serves it sweet and cold
She employs both kindness and detachment
But she goes straight for the heart
She keeps trying to win him over
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
Because it is her only method of pursuing love and affection
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HILL, WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@manueldcl
Boy meets girl on the playground of life
Falls in love for the very first time
Late at night he sees her alone
But she's the type that can never be owned
He can't get her off his mind
But she knows he'll get over her in time
And the world goes round and round
She goes straight for the heart
She serves it sweet and cold
But she goes straight for the heart
It's just the only thing that she's ever known
Boy sees girl on the poor side of town
A city princess with her very own crown
He's too young to be taking such a chance
'Cause she walks the streets in the name of romance
Everywhere she goes he's there and she knows
He's just another fool who cares
And the world goes round and round
She goes straight for the heart
She serves it sweet and cold
But she goes straight for the heart
It's just the only thing that she's ever known
Everywhere she goes he's there and she knows
He's just another fool who cares
And the world goes round and round
She goes straight for the heart
She serves it sweet and cold
But she goes straight for the heart
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
'Cause that's the only thing that she's ever known
@davidnissim9203
Everyone talks about how amazing Jeff Porcaro and Joe Williams are. Can we talk about David Paich and Steve Lukather for a second? Both wrote the majority of the band’s catalogue, and have been in the band from the beginning.
@Cthemacman
A lot of people about Paich and Luke. The one nobody is talking about is Steve Porcaro. Most underrated Toto member
@grnln
@@Cthemacman Yup. Even though everything he's composed for the band is pure gold.
@ollieejay
Its a real shame that no one is talking about Luke. He’s so talented.
@waltersimmons946
@@ollieejay Luke is always talked about. You missed the boat on that one.
@msoileau83
Mike and Jeff are a solid bass/drum foundation on this tune.
@Whyistomatoafruit
My FAVORITE Toto song of all time. I love this video; I love the every of all of them, how they’re clapping their hands and really moving to the beat. You can tell that they all love the melody. The enthusiasm in their faces is contagious. Excellent song.
@simonlightning13
Superb, incredibly musical band, crossing over so many different genres. Huge thanks to Joe Porcaro, legendary jazz drummer for bringing such a wonderful musicians to my generation, big thanks to John Williams for not pushing Joseph into composing soundtracks too hard, blessing for Steve Lukather and David Paich gifts of rhythm, sound and improvisation. Amazing througout decades, still amazing to hear now
@gtzciaoyt5430
simonlightning13 bahia nelson.. bahia nelson
@roytbone5791
What a superb group of musicians. Toto forever brilliant in everything they did. Especially Jeff, superb drummer RIP