Toto

Released: September 7, 1992

Songwriter: Danny Kortchmar

Producer: Toto

You used to be on fire, now you chill me to the bone
We used to fly like angels, now we're sinking like a stone
You say you're trying to help me but that ain't the way it feels
I think you're trying to kill me with those stiletto heels

Paint the town black babe and let that pendulum swing
I been stabbed in the back babe
And if you don't love me, I'll never feel a thing

And oh, one thing I know, there's only one place left for me to go

Going back to the kingdom of desire
Going down to the valley of the gun
I'm gonna stand too close to the fire
I'm gonna fly too close to the sun

They say the king of love sleeps on a velvet bed
My sheets feel like sandpaper, and my pillow feels like lead
But as sure as Atlantis sank into the sea
I'm sinking like a stone babe, that's how it's got to be

Paint the town black babe and let that pendulum swing
I been stabbed in the back babe
And if you don't love me, I'll never feel a thing

And oh, if I don't have you, there's only one thing left for me to do

Going back to the kingdom of desire
Going down to the valley of the gun
I'm gonna stand too close to the fire
I'm gonna fly too close to the sun

When you dig up God's little acre, you lose all peace of mind
You stare into the distance, looking for a sign
But that sign it never comes babe, your wishes won't come true
You keep praying for the rain while the sun beats down on you

And oh, one thing I know, there's only one place left for me to go

Going back to the kingdom of desire
Going down to the valley of the gun
I'm gonna stand too close to the fire
I'm gonna fly too close to the sun

Going back to the kingdom of desire
Going down to the valley of the gun
I'm gonna stand too close to the fire
I'm gonna fly too close to the sun

I'm gonna fly too close to the sun, yeah
I'm gonna fly too close to the sun

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.

more tracks from the album

Kingdom of Desire

From the album

Kingdom of Desire (1992)

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Kingdom of Desire