“Hold the Line” by Toto

by Jessica Shelton·March 12, 2020

The title of this song is derived from its chorus. This is the part of the song in which the singer tells the addressee, a romantic interest, to “hold the line”. And he is telling her this because “love is not always on time”. But as for the verses themselves, they do not explain what these statements actually mean.

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Based on David Paich’s telling, this expression has two origins, if you will. He said that the aforementioned phrases ‘just came into his head’ and even likened the experience to “a blessing”. But he also expounded that “hold the line” is a phrase which was popular back when conventional telephones were the primary source of telecommunications. During that time if you were already talking to one person and someone else called, you would tell the person you are speaking to “hold the line” while you answered the other call to see who it was.

And the way David tells it, back in his high school days he would sometimes have three different girls on the line simultaneously, thus necessitating him switching between calls regularly. In other words, he was dropping a lot of “hold the line”.

Verses

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. 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.

“Love isn’t always on time”

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.

But 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.

Conclusion

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.

Facts about “Hold the Line”

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”.

In addition to being their first single, it also proved to be their breakout song. For instance, it made it to number five on the coveted Hot 100. It also scored a number 1 in South African. In Britain, it peaked at the impressive position of number 14. And in all, it managed to chart in over a dozen countries.

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.

“Hold the Line” was written by Paich.

What the members of Toto have said about “Hold the Line”

Porcaro, one of Toto’s founding keyboardists, described “Hold the Line” as being somewhat of a revolutionary blend of different genres of music.

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”.

Meanwhile another band member, Steve Lukather, namedropped this track when he decided to quit Toto in 2008. At the time he was the last of the core three members really active in the group, as Paich pretty much retired in 2005, and Porcaro had long since passed away in 1992. And when he rationalized his decision to never ever come back again, he is quoted as saying he is quoted as saying “I really can’t go out and play Hold the Line with a straight face anymore. I was 19 when we cut the record. I am 50 now”. However, he did rejoin Toto when they reformed in 2010.