How Rosanna Arquette Inspired the Title of Toto's Grammy-Winning 1982 Hit: 'Everyone Fell in Love with Her'

Remember Toto? Unloved dog from The Wizard of Oz — another Toto.

As hitmakers, they may not have had the staying power of the 1939 film classic, but their music did. For a brief period in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Toto members seemed to be practically everywhere — on albums by Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, Alice Cooper and even Michael Jackson. Thriller.

But they are perhaps best known as the covers of their own albums Toto IV. The 1982 album won five Grammys (including Album of the Year) and spawned four hit singles, including “Rosanna” and “Africa.”

Toto’s musical contribution to that period is explored in detail in a new HBO film Yacht Rock: Documentarywhich is devoted to the retroactively named genre of music that blended soft-rock, jazz and R&B and used to be a major player on the charts. The label “yacht rock” was coined by the creators of the 2005–2010 comedy web series called — what else? — Yacht Rock.

Members of Toto in the recording studio.

Warner Bros.

The series celebrated the same music it mocked; Yacht Rock: Documentary is 100% respectful. In addition to yacht rockers like Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross, the three surviving members of Toto from the classic era appear in the documentary.

After the success of their self-titled debut in 1978, the band’s next two albums were not spectacular. In many ways, Toto IV represented a make-it-or-break-it issue for the group. Then came Rosanna – and “Rosanna”.

“I wrote a poem, and the day I finished it, [Toto bandmate] Steve Porcaro walked into the house and was with Rosanna Arquette,” recalls David Paich (70) in the documentary. “And of course, she charmed everyone. Everyone fell in love with her, including me.”

Steve Lukather of Toto in ‘Yacht Rock: Documentary’.

Warner Bros

“And I just said, ‘Rosanna, huh.’ I think the name was a perfect fit for her,” Paich continues.

Adds Porcaro, 67: “And I’m sure he had a little crush on her. Everyone else did at some point, probably.”

Steve Lukather, 67, chimes in: “It’s Rosanna the Toto track. We knew we had something there, and when it came out and became a hit, it was like, phew.”

Single, first from Toto IVit set the stage for the album’s massive multi-platinum success. “Rosanna” went to number 2 Billboard‘s Hot 100 and won four Grammys, including Record of the Year. This helped establish Toto as one of the most successful acts in the genre that would become known more than 20 years later as yacht rock.

“Rocking on a yacht is a very relaxing feeling for me,” comedian Fred Armisen says in the documentary. “It’s like all the singers are saying, ‘Hey, it’s going to be all right.’

Yacht Rock: Documentary now streaming on Max.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education