Paich has stated that the song originated from a piano riff he created which he “couldn’t stop playing”. And as aforementioned, he likened the conception of the chorus to a lyrical epiphany. Then after that, the verses themselves came to him within the time span of two hours. And it was a very-memorable experience to this established songwriter, as in contrast he has also noted that sometimes it can take an entire “two years trying to finish (a) song”. Porcaro, one of Toto’s founding keyboardists, described “Hold the Line” as being somewhat of a revolutionary blend of different genres of music. What the members of Toto have said about “Hold the Line” Part of the reason the band’s very-first single was such a hit was likely because its two founding members, David Paich and Jeff Porcaro (1954-1992), were already well-tenured session musicians who were also used to working together before Toto’s inception. Indeed they are on record as having previously held down the likes of Aretha Franklin, Michael McDonald, Barbra Streisand, etc. And at the end of the day, “Hold the Line” has proven to be something like Toto’s signature song. And in all, it managed to chart in over a dozen countries. In Britain, it peaked at the impressive position of number 14. For instance, it made it to number five on the coveted Hot 100. It also scored a number 1 in South African.

In addition to being their first single, it also proved to be their breakout song. This is the first song that Toto ever released. It came out, via Columbia Records, on 15 October 1978. And it is featured on their first album, which is also entitled “Toto”.

So let’s just say that at the end of the day, despite “Hold the Line” being a hit, to some degree appreciating the lyrics require the listener to apply his or her own understanding to them. For if there’s one definitive sentiment being relayed throughout, it’s that the singer appreciates his lover. However, the chorus itself is quite vague and can even make a listener to conclude that somewhat of an opposite sentiment is also being relayed.

So then the issue that arises is trying to ascertain the exact meaning of the phrase “love isn’t always on time”, as featured in the chorus. This statement would read as if perhaps the singer wants to take a break from the relationship. But again, there is no indication in the verses that he wants to break up with his lady – indeed quite the opposite. Or if you really want to search for some type of logical connection, it would be him saying that despite how good she treats him, he still wants to break up or put their romance on “hold” while he figures things out.īut it would be pretty difficult for someone who acknowledges that their significant other’s love ‘set them free’ to then turn around and dump the person unless, as David Paich implied, such an individual is akin to a womanizer. That having been said, he is basically complimenting his girlfriend throughout. For instance, he states that she is cool with his homeys. And the second verse even reads like they broke up at one point, yet she ‘came back to him’. He later goes as far as stating that ‘her love set him free’, which is perhaps the ultimate compliment one can give to a romantic partner. So now we know where that part the chorus came from. As for the verses themselves, they center on the narrator apparently trying to understand love.

Hold the line toto