The 1995 Ballad Steve Lukather Wrote With a Tom Petty ‘Heartbreaker’ for Late Toto Drummer Jeff Porcaro

Shortly after the death of Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro in 1992, the band believed they had reached their end. “Jeff was our figurehead,” said vocalist Steve Lukather. “We were torn apart.”

Porcaro’s metrical and inventive rhythms helped lead Toto to stardom with the band’s 1982 breakout album, Toto IV, and hits “Africa” and “Rosanna,” all while he worked with everyone from Michael Jackson (on the Thriller and Dangerous albums) and his former Steely Dan bandmate, Michael McDonald, along with Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, John Fogerty, and more.

“He wasn’t just a drummer; he was an all-around musician,” said keyboardist David Paich shortly after Porcaro’s death. “I’ve played with a whole lot of drummers, and he’s the best I’ve ever played with,” Paich added. “We never had to talk much. Everything was just understood. Our communication was non-verbal. It was mainly just eye contact between him and me. He was the brother I never had.”

Paich added, “Just about every time we were together was magical and fun. There were a lot of one-takers. ‘Rosanna’ was done in one take. It was all spontaneous jamming on the end. Jeff had this ability to do things in one take. A lot of time, we would redo our parts, but Jeff’s part was usually right on the first take.”

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Porcaro died on August 5, 1992, from a heart attack at age 38, while the band was in rehearsals for their eighth album, Kingdom of Desire, and weeks before its release. The album was also the last to feature all three Porcaro brothers, with Steve as a session musician and bassist Mike, who died in 2015 after being diagnosed with ALS.

Several years after losing Porcaro, Toto regrouped and started working on a ninth album, Tambu. On it is a poignant ballad for their drummer, friend, and “brother.”

“I Will Remember”

Written by Lukather and original Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers drummer, Stan Lynch, “I Will Remember” is a tender tribute to Porcaro. Sung by Lukather, “I Will Remember” revolves around the grief of losing someone close, and Porcaro was more than a friend to Lukather and bandmates. “He was like the brother I never had,” shared Lukather.

When love breaks the promise
The heart has to keep
It leaves only truth here to find
When the spirit is crushed
And the hurt is so deep
Between you and I

Even when love has come and gone
And our hearts have moved along
I will remember
There was a time we had the trust

And that always was enough
I will remember
I will remember you

As I open my eyes to one more day
The wind burns my face
As it whispers your name
As it’s pulling me forward

“If Jeff were still alive, a lot of things would be different in everybody’s lives,” said Lukather in 2015, following Mike Porcaro’s death. “It’s a butterfly effect. You lose somebody like that, and then a lot of lives change. There are big holes in our lives where Jeff used to be, and now Mike.”

Lukather continued, “It’s almost twenty-two years later, and I miss Jeff every day. I have pictures of him all over my house. He was like the big brother I never had. Now we’re dealing with Mike. I don’t know what it is, man. Something keeps drawing us back together. The band should’ve been toast a long time ago, but something keeps bringing us back, bringing the core of us back together again. And somehow we’re getting another look now, and the success is growing, not fading away.”

Photo: Rob Verhorst/Redferns