
Photo: By Maltesen (Eget værk) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The band Toto was formed by a group of players who were well-known studio musicians and had performed on many of the 1970’s biggest hits. These were the players that made so many seventies songs come to life. On lead and backing vocals was singer Bobby Kimball. Before Bobby Kimball joined Toto as the lead singer, he had worked with noted artists such as Diana Ross, Grover Washington Jr., Steve Harley, and Leo Sayer.
Toto’s guitarist and founding member, Steve Lukather, is one of the most well-respected guitar players in the music business. Steve Lukather has played on thousands of recordings including working with artists such as Alice Cooper, Asia, Bob Seger, Chicago, Elton John, Gary Wright and so many more.
The rest of the original members of Toto included Steve Porcaro and David Paich on keyboards and vocals, David Hungate on bass, and the late Jeff Porcaro on drums.
Toto released their first album in 1978. Since their debut album, Toto has continued to release records throughout the past forty years.
Our Top 10 Toto songs are based on our own subjective opinions on what we believe are some of the best Toto songs ever released. Many of these have been massive hits, but there are a few gems in here that never achieved that much commercial success.
# 10 – Pamela
We start out our Top 10 Toto Songs list with the opening track from the band’s The Seventh One album. The excellent CD was released in March of 1988. That opening drum fill and lick settled into a groove that has always been one of Toto’s best. The song “Pamela” was released as the first single from the album and reached the number twenty-two spot on the Billboard Hot 100. In the 1980s record companies loved releasing singles from CDs. There were six singles released from The Seventh One album.
# 9 – Orphan
It always burns our britches when we hear people say that no great songs are being written anymore. What they should say is that radio ignores so much great new music while focusing on garbage rap and hip-hop. This fabulous Toto song, “Orphan,” proves our point. This song is outrageously fantastic. The depth of the song’s lyrical content juxtaposed with the brilliant musicianship of the band resulted in one of the most magnificent pop songs of the 21st century. The song “Orphan” was released on the band’s fourteenth album, simply entitled Toto XIV. The album was released in 2015. It is the band’s most recent studio album.
# 8 – I Will Remember
“I Will Remember” is not one of those Toto songs that grabs you right away with a killer hook and groove. It’s a song that builds slowly, growing deeper with meaning and emotion with each measure. It’s a beautiful and profound piece of music. The song “I Will Remember” was released on the Tambu album in 1995.
# 7 – Georgy Porgy
“Georgy Porgy” has always been one of our favorite songs on Toto’s debut album. The song’s incredible swing feel, which was so captivating the first time we heard it, remains an additive pleasure to listen to over forty years later.
# 6 – I’ll Supply The Love
We could fill this top 10 Toto songs list with most tracks from their incredible debut album. The knockout song “I’ll Supply the Love” was the second single released from the band’s debut album. The song reached the Billboard Top 50, peaking at the number forty-five spot.
# 5 – Africa
The song “Africa” was released on the band’s fourth album entitled Toto IV. The album was released in 1982. “Africa” was the third single released from the album. However, it was the most commercially successful single on the LP as it reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 in 1982. Furthermore, it has remained the band’s only number-one song of their career. The song’s ability to reach number one in a year, in which bands like Asia, Chicago, Elton John, Steve Miller, and so many others had massive hit albums, said a great deal about the brilliance of the song “Africa.”
# 4 – Till The End
So many Toto songs grab the listener right from the opening bell. Toto’s “Till The End” is a perfect example of that writing and production style. The horn section on this one is the icing on the donut. Perfection in groove, melody, and performance. These guys were and still are unbelievable. “Till The End” was released on the Fahrenheit album in 1986.
# 3 – Girl Goodbye
Toto’s debut album blew away everyone in 1978. It was a record that featured incredible slick production, virtuous performances, and, above all, great-written songs. No song on the album defined all that more than the kicking track “Girl Goodbye.”
# 2 – Hold The Line
“Hold The Line,’ was the song that put Toto on the map. It was the band’s first single from their debut album. The song’s mesmerizing opening lick became one of the most eagerly learned piano runs that all pianists had to learn instantly. I remember hearing this song on the radio in 1978 and almost crashing my car because it blew me away.
# 1 – Rosanna
Some songs cannot be described in the printed word as to how great they are. “Rosanna” is one of them. The song was released on the band’s fourth album entitled Toto IV. It was the first single released from the album and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The only Toto song to reach higher on the charts than “Rosanna” was the album’s third single, “Africa.” However, we suspect that “Africa’s” number one status was fueled by the band’s popularity due to the success of “Rosanna.” Easily one of the 1980’s best singles.
So refreshing to read something about Toto written by someone who actually appears to have listened to them! I’d have ‘Alone’ from XIV and ‘Last Love’ from Mindfields in my top 10 and the brilliant ‘Afraid of Love’ from IV as my #1