Hold the Line

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"Hold the Line"
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Template:Infobox song/link by Toto
from the album Toto
B-side"Takin' It Back"
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Recorded1978
StudioStudio 55 (Los Angeles)
Genre
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LabelColumbia
[[Songwriter|SongwriterTemplate:Pluralize from text]]David Paich
[[Record producer|ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Toto
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"Hold the Line"
(589) 		"I'll Supply the Love"
(1979)
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Alternative cover
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German version

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"Hold the Line" is a song recorded by American rock band Toto for their 1978 eponymous debut studio album. It was written by the band's keyboardist David Paich, and lead vocals were performed by Bobby Kimball.

"Hold the Line" was released by Columbia Records as the lead single from the Toto album in September 1978, also being Toto's debut single. It became an international hit for the band, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] and number 14 on the UK singles chart.

Background and writing

Keyboardist David Paich said 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.[citation needed]

Jeff Porcaro discussed "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."[3]

The song is in the key of F# minor[4] and features a guitar solo after the second chorus played by guitarist Steve Lukather. The guitar solo was played in one take with the exception of the ending. Lukather had expressed dissatisfaction with the last part of the solo and thus worked with Paich to develop ideas for the final guitar lick. Paich wanted the final section of the solo to feature extensive harmonies, so Lukather multitracked his part to achieve this.[5]

Lukather recalled his reaction to hearing "Hold the Line" on the radio. Template:Quote

Critical reception

Cashbox said it has a "simple emphatic piano part, heavy surging guitars, pleasant turns, fine singing and strong chorus."[6] Billboard said that "Kimball's exciting vocals and the scorching instrumentals highlight this tune that also boasts a scorching mix and a solid hook."[7]

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."[8]

Live performances

"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.

Personnel

Adapted from Toto album liner notes.[9]

Toto

Production

  • David Paich – production
  • Dana Latham, Gabe Veltri – recording/tracking
  • Tom Knox – mixing
  • Mike Reese, Ron Hitchcock – mastering

Release history

Region Date Ref.
United States September 1978 [10]
United Kingdom November 10, 1978 [11]
Australia December 18, 1978 [12]
United Kingdom January 26, 1979 (re-release) [13]

Charts

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Certifications

Template:Certification Table Separator
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21] Platinum 70,000 
Canada (Music Canada)[22] Gold 75,000 
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[23] Platinum 0 
Italy (FIMI)[24] Platinum 0 
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] 4× Platinum 0 
Spain (Promusicae)[26] Platinum 0 
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Platinum 600,000 
United States (RIAA)[28] 3× Platinum 3,000,000 
Greece (IFPI Greece)[29] Platinum 2,000,000 

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

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In 1979, Millie Jackson included a version of the song on her Live & Uncensored album, recorded live at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

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 third studio album Where Do We Go (1992).[30]

In 2018, German hard rock band Bonfire covered the song on their album Legends.[31]

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lecaro, Lina (November 19, 2016). "This Monthly Club Is a Non-Ironic Celebration of Rock's Softer Side". LA Weekly. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Album Search for "toto"". AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Flans, Robyn (November 1988). "Modern Drummer: Jeff Porcaro" (PDF). Modern Drummer: 23.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hold the Line by Toto Chords, Melody, and Music Theory Analysis". Hooktheory.com.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Polcaro, Rafael (March 9, 2021). "Steve Lukather recalls how he recorded the solo for Toto's "Hold the Line"". Rock and Roll Garage. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. September 23, 1978. p. 22. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. September 30, 1978. p. 90. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kachejian, Brian (September 21, 2018). "Top 10 Toto songs". ClassicRockHistory.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Toto (Album liner notes). Toto. Columbia. 1978.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Toto chart history". Billboard.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hold the Line UK promo disc". Discogs. November 10, 1978.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Toto singles".
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hold the Line UK promo disc". Discogs. January 26, 1979.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cashbox Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Cashbox Magazine. p. 4. Retrieved April 25, 2026 – via World Radio History.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 37/2024" (in Ελληνικά). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 08.02.2025–14.02.2025.) (in polski). OLiS. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979". Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top 100 Year End Charts: 1979". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
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  25. ^ Script error: No such module "cite". Type Hold the Line in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
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  27. ^ Script error: No such module "cite". Select singles in the Formats field. Type Hold the Line Toto in the "Search:" field.
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  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hold the Line – Blue Blot". AllMusic. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hold the Line – Bonfire". The Rockpit. November 14, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2019.

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