"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 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]
The phrase "hold the line" refers to placing a telephone on hold: when Paich was in high school, he was juggling three girlfriends, and they all called at the same time, so he had to place them on hold to talk to the next one:
On "Hold the Line," my parents were the first ones on my block to get a rotary phone. You guys can't remember that, because this is a digital age now, but a rotary phone, when you have more than one line, there are buttons on the phone so more people can call and it rolls over - that's why they call them "rotary phones." Well, when I was in high school, all of a sudden the phone started ringing off the hook, and I had a situation where I was at the dinner table and I had three girls all call at the same time, so all the lights were flashing. I was kind of juggling girlfriends, and that's how that came about.
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."
The song is in the key of F# minor 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.
Lukather recalled his reaction to hearing "Hold the Line" on the radio.
I flipped the first time I heard myself on the radio. My mom called me up and said, "Turn on KLOS." It was the song "Hold the Line," and I started running around the house in my underwear, screaming, "I'm on the radio!" My wife was cracking up. It was just a thrill.
Critical reception
Cashbox said it has a "simple emphatic piano part, heavy surging guitars, pleasant turns, fine singing and strong chorus." Billboard said that "Kimball's exciting vocals and the scorching instrumentals highlight this tune that also boasts a scorching mix and a solid hook."
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."
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.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
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).
In 2018, German hard rock band Bonfire covered the song on their album Legends.
↑Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p.311. ISBN0-646-11917-6. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
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