Released: October 18, 1984

Songwriter: Jeff Porcaro David Paich

Producer: Toto

[Verse 1]
I remember it was late one night
In the middle of a dream
Woke up in a pool of sweat
Thought I heard a scream
Ran over to the window sill
Stuck my head out for a peek
Dressed in black was a man I didn't recognize
Running down my back street
My heart skipped a beat

[Chorus]
You better watch out
There's a stranger in town
You better watch out
There's a stranger in town
You better watch out
When he comes around
Don't make a sound

[Verse 2]
Got the morning paper and the headlines read:
Danger to the queen
Buckingham Palace better tighten things up
The son of a bitch is mean
Vendors on the corner just doin' their job
Acting like nothing's new
Scotland Yard's still looking for him
But he doesn't leave a single clue
What can they do?

[Chorus]
You better watch out
There's a stranger in town
You better watch out
There's a stranger in town
You better watch out
When he comes around
Don't make a sound

[Verse 3]
Who's this man who fell out of the sky?
What's he done and where's he live?
How can a man who's a criminal
Be a hero to the kids?
The old couple swear that the Ripper's back
They say it's him all right
The young girl says it's Jesus
And he won't be back again tonight
I wonder who's right

[Chorus]
You better watch out
There's a stranger in town
You better watch out
There's a stranger in town
You better watch out
When he comes around
You better watch out
There's a stranger in town
You better watch out
There's a stranger in town
You better watch out
When he comes around
Don't make a sound

Toto

Toto is an American rock band formed in 1977 in Van Nuys in Los Angeles, California. The band’s current lineup consists of Joseph Williams (lead vocals), David Paich (keyboards, vocals), Steve Porcaro (keyboards), Steve Lukather (guitars, vocals), Shem von Schroeck (bass), and Shannon Forrest (drums). Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, blues, and jazz.

David Paich and Jeff Porcaro had played together as session musicians on several albums and decided to form a band. David Hungate, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, and Bobby Kimball were recruited before their first album release. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the late 1970s and 1980s, beginning with the band’s eponymous debut released in 1978. With the release of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Toto IV from 1982, Toto became one of the best-selling music groups of their era. They are best known for the Top 5 hits “Hold the Line”, “Rosanna”, and “Africa”. Several changes to the lineup have been made over the years. Hungate left in 1982 followed by Kimball in 1984 but rejoined the band in 1998 until 2008. Jeff Porcaro died in 1992 of a heart attack. Hungate rejoined Toto as a touring musician and later a band member. In 2008, Lukather announced his departure from the band, and the remaining band members later went their separate ways. In the summer of 2010, Toto reformed and went on a short European tour, with a new lineup, to benefit Mike Porcaro, who had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and was no longer an active member of the band.

The band has released a total of 17 albums, and have sold over 40 million albums to date. The group was honored with several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.