Song#: 1135
Date: 08/07/1982
Debut: 78
Peak: 30
Weeks: 13
Genre: Soft Rock
Pop Bits: Toto's first single from their "Toto IV" album became their biggest hit to-date. "Rosanna" spent five weeks at #2 and was certified gold. That should have set up their next single to be another success, but that didn't happen. Many of the folks who got hooked on "Rosanna" just didn't connect with this single. The result was a lowly Top 30 showing (barely) that basically killed the momentum of the album. But in a rare twist, Toto gained back their audience (and more) with the album's third single.
ReduxReview: Thud! Oh man. This one landed like a lead fart. I'm sure there were high hopes for more hits after "Rosanna" became a smash, but why oh why would they choose this tune as the follow-up? Especially when there are better hit-potential songs on the album? I remember very well that I was on the verge of buying "Toto IV" and then this song came out. I changed my mind right away. I didn't like this song at all and found it to be such a disappointment after the thrill of "Rosanna." It sounded like a Supertramp knock-off to me. Their next single prompted me to finally buy the album, but when I played the LP I usually skipped over this song. Why don't we make believe this song didn't happen.
ReduxRating: 3/10
Trivia: Toto's self-titled debut album in 1978 featured artwork done by Philip Garris. A sword and single iron ring is shown on the cover. The same artist updated the image for "Toto IV" to include three more iron rings, which represented Toto's four albums.
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You know, it's funny, at that time I had the exact opposite reaction to this song. Back then, I was turned off by "Rosanna", thinking it was just too flashy and trying too hard to be "funky" after the mild success of "Georgie Porgie". But the piano riff that goes through "Make Believe" made be buy Toto IV and prepared me for the next two singles to come. (I do think "Waiting On Your Love" deserved that derision.)
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