The 5 Best Toto Songs That Aren't Africa

Toto's "Africa" may be their most famous hit, but it certainly isn't the only standout song in their catalog. In the '70s and '80s, Toto emerged as one of the most proficient and prolific rock 'n' roll bands, not only hitmakers in their own right but also in-demand session musicians with credits on, by their own estimation, albums that sold a total of over half a billion copies. Descended from musical royalty, singer/keyboardist David Paich, keyboardist Steve Porcaro, and drummer Jeff Porcaro were all children of prolific session musicians and arrangers.

While the ever-changing group released more than a dozen albums and issued 10 songs that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, they're known to younger generations as the band behind "Africa," universally agreed upon as a classic of the '80s. But if that's the only Toto song you know, you should check out what they're capable of, and we've selected five of Toto's finest hits from the entire span of their career. From 1978's barnstorming "Hold the Line" to 2018's exquisite "Devil's Tower," whether they stormed the charts or not, our entries showcase the extraordinary range of Toto's talent. If you're looking to explore Toto's discography, these will all get you started down this particular yellow brick road.

Many rock bands have found success right out of the gate, and Toto were no exception. "Hold the Line," the first single from their 1978 self-titled debut album, was a smash hit, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100; as of late 2026, it's only second in popularity to "Africa," with well over a billion streams to its credit. But beyond commercial appeal, the track set the template for Toto's sound. 

David Paich's instantly recognizable piano riff, Steve Porcaro's soft keyboard beds, Steve Lukather's muscular guitar, the crisp rhythm section of bassist David Hungate and drummer Jeff Porcaro, and the vocal power of original lead singer Bobby Kimball (with back-up from Lukather and Paich) were honed from years of performing on records all across the pop/rock spectrum. It was simply too cool to miss.

Paich told Songfacts that "Hold the Line" was inspired by his experiences trying to balance dates during his teenage years. "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," he explained. That period of "kind of juggling girlfriends" inspired the title, which Paich later paired with his piano idea.

Toto rocked harder than they were often given credit for — Steve Lukather played guitar through most of Michael Jackson's "Beat It," with Eddie Van Halen providing only the solo — but who would've expected they'd fit in with the disco crowd? One of the group's next big hits after "Hold the Line" was "Georgy Porgy," a dance number anchored by a hypnotic groove and a chorus from R&B singer Cheryl Lynn of "Got to Be Real" fame. It's one of the few Toto hits targeted for club play, and a stepping stone in Toto's contributions to the occasionally bizarre genre known as yacht rock.

While "Georgy Porgy" may have been based on a simple children's rhyme, one member wasn't thinking about kid's stuff when he played on it. "['Georgy Porgy'] is imitating all the Maurice and Freddie White stuff," Jeff Porcaro told Modern Drummer in 1988, comparing its groove to the Earth, Wind & Fire percussionists. "When it comes to that groove, my biggest influences were Paul Humphrey, Ed Greene, Earl Palmer, and the godfather of that 16th-note groove, James Gadson. That 'Georgie Porgie' groove I owe to them."

"Africa" wasn't the only hit off its parent album, 1982's "Toto IV." The first, in fact, was almost as big: "Rosanna," a head-bopping love song that once again gave all its members (and a killer horn section) space to shine. The track soared to No. 2 on the Hot 100, scored a Grammy for record of the year, and helped its parent album win a trophy for album of the year.

Of course, the song earned just as much attention for its subject matter: Fans wanted to know who "Rosanna" was actually about. While the obvious answer was actress Rosanna Arquette, who was dating Steve Porcaro while the album was being recorded, songwriter David Paich has said she was only part of the inspiration. Discussing the tune with Songfacts, Paich said, "'Rosanna' was about a high school love, one of my first loves," and later told Classic Rock it was "about three girls I knew, all rolled into one," with Arquette only inspiring the name. Whatever the truth is, there's no denying that "Rosanna" deserves to be played as loud and as often as "Africa."

After 1982's "Toto IV," the band went through some significant changes, with David Hungate and Bobby Kimball parting ways. Mike Porcaro, brother of Jeff and Steve, became the group's new bassist, and lead vocal duties eventually went to Joseph Williams. Like the rest of the band, and plenty of other famous children of musicians, Williams is a second-generation talent, the son of legendary film composer John Williams; he's also known to millions of kids as the singing voice of the grown-up Simba in the Disney blockbuster "The Lion King." Eventually, Toto had another hit song to steer them into a new phase after the lineup changes. This time, Steve Lukather sang lead on "I'll Be Over You," a smooth ballad about getting over a breakup. 

Though the track just barely missed the Top 10 of the pop charts, there's a lot to love about "I'll Be Over You," from Lukather's scorching solo on the song's bridge to the unmistakable backing vocals of Michael McDonald, who also appears in the song's music video.

After the success of "I'll Be Over You," Toto endured a lot of challenges in the '90s and '00s. However, the group enjoyed a late-career triumph with 2018's "Old is New," which features the outstanding song "Devil's Tower." True to its name, the album was built on long-discarded song ideas that were updated for the present — complete with performances by former bassists David Hungate and Mike Porcaro and even five unused drum tracks by Jeff Porcaro. "Devil's Tower" is one of the album's many highlights, showcasing vocals by both Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams on a track that would've fit right in with any one of the band's classic albums. 

"Songs were just pouring out of everybody," Lukather told ListenIowa about the album and "Devil's Tower." "There was always material. And we didn't do a lot of looking back." Such is the power of Toto — and further proof that "Africa" should only be your first stop in their discography.