| Hold the Line | |
| Cover: | Hold the Line.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Toto |
| Album: | Toto |
| B-Side: | Takin' It Back |
| Recorded: | 1978 |
| Studio: | Studio 55 (Los Angeles, California) |
| Length: | (Single Version) (Album Version) |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Producer: | Toto |
| Next Title: | I'll Supply the Love |
| Next Year: | 1979 |
"Hold the Line" is a song by American rock band Toto from their 1978 eponymous debut studio album. Written by the band's keyboardist David Paich, the lead vocals on the song were performed by Bobby Kimball.
"Hold the Line" was released as the band's debut single and lead single from the Toto album in September 1978, by Columbia Records. It became an international hit for the band, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100[1] and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.
Jeff Porcaro, the band's drummer, gave a definition for the song:
Keyboardist David Paich noted that the song was relatively easy to develop. He began with the piano riff, which would become the song's intro and chorus. After toying with the piano riff one night, he started singing "Hold the line, love isn't always on time", and found the lyric to be a suitable fit. The verses were subsequently finished two hours later.
Jeff Porcaro on "Hold the Line", in a 1988 interview with Modern Drummer:
"That was me trying to play like Sly Stone's original drummer, Greg Errico, who played drums on "Hot Fun In The Summertime." The hi-hat is doing triplets, the snare drum is playing 2 and 4 backbeats, and the bass drum is on 1 and the & of 2. That 8th note on the second beat is an 8th-note triplet feel, pushed. When we did the tune, I said, "Gee, this is going to be a heavy four-on-the-floor rocker, but we want a Sly groove." The triplet groove of the tune was David's writing. It was taking the Sly groove and meshing it with a harder rock caveman approach."
The song is in the key of F# minor [2] and features a guitar solo after the second chorus which is played by guitarist Steve Lukather featuring several techniques like bendings, alternate picking, vibrato and harmonies.[3]
Several of the band members recall hearing "Hold the Line" for the first time on the radio. Steve Lukather remembered:
Bobby Kimball had a similar experience when he heard Toto for the very first time on the radio.
Cash Box said it has a "simple emphatic piano part, heavy surging guitars, pleasant turns, fine singing and strong chorus."[4] Billboard said that "Kimball's exciting vocals and the scorching instrumentals highlight this tune that also boasts a scorching mix and a solid hook."[5]
Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as Toto's second greatest song, saying that "The song’s mesmerizing opening lick became one of the most eagerly learned piano runs that all pianists had to learn instantly."[6]
"Hold the Line" has been a live staple at Toto shows. Steve Lukather played the song live with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band during tours from 2012 to the present. Bobby Kimball has performed the song on all of his solo tours since 2009.
| Region | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| United States | September 1978 | [7] |
| United Kingdom | 10 November 1978 | [8] |
| Australia | 18 December 1978 | [9] |
| United Kingdom | 26 January 1979 (re-release) | [10] |
| Chart (1978–1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian VRT Top 30 | 22 |
| Euro Hit 50 | 21 |
| French Singles Chart | 84 |
| South African Singles Chart | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[11] | 5 |
| Chart (1979) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] | 66 | |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] | 62 | |
| South African Singles Chart | 7 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 44 | |
| US Cash Box Top 100[15] | 41 |
In 1979, Millie Jackson included a version of the song on her Live & Uncensored album, recorded live at the Roxy in Los Angeles.
In 1979, Frank Zappa's Joe's garage has an instrumental called "Toad-O Line". It's based on this song's chorus melody (there's a wordplay in the title "Hold the line / Toad-O Line").
In 1981, Bosnian-born Serbian singer Zdravko Čolić released a cover version of this song in the Serbian language, with lyrics "Oktobar je, počinje sezona kiša" ("This is October, the rain season begins"). Belgian blues band Blue Blot covered the song on their album Where Do We Go.[16]
In 2018, German metal band Bonfire covered the song on the album Legends.[17]
British heavy metal band Saxon covered the song on their 2021 covers album Inspirations.
