March 17, 2020 by

Toto, “House of the Rising Sun” from ‘Through the Looking Glass’ (2002): Toto Tuesdays

The b-side to the only single from Toto’s Through the Looking Glass seems like an odd choice.

This new version of “House of the Rising Sun,” popularized by the Animals, isn’t bad. With Toto’s players, how could it be? The song is just unremarkable. Especially when compared to the track which proceeded it, “Sunshine of Your Love.”



Bobby Kimball handles his vocals with the passion you would expect from a Louisiana native. He’s impassioned in his delivery, and weaves his voice in and out of the solid pocket created by Mike Porcaro and Simon Phillips. Phillips also provides a few loops to spice up the basic track, but there still seems the be something missing.

Through the Looking Glass works as concept, but there are two songs which Toto should have been left on the cutting-room floor: “House of a Rising Sun” would have been a solid choice on any Bobby Kimball solo album. The other song which should have been excluded? Well, we’ll get to that next time.


Toto Tuesdays is a multi-writer song-by-song feature that explores the band’s rich musical history. Click here for an archive of earlier entries.

Preston Frazier
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