"99" is a song by the Americanrock band Toto. The song appeared on the Hydra album in 1979.[1] As a single, it reached number 26 on the Billboard charts.[2] In Canada, the song peaked at number 17 on the RPM singles chart. The full album version of the song includes a gentle piano-driven ride out, while the single edit fades the song out before that part.
In the video, as in the movie scene where the main character (named "THX 1138" and nicknamed "Thex") is imprisoned, the room is completely white and all wear white jumpsuits.[5]Toto Legend, the former official International Toto Fan Club newsletter, reviewed the video:
'99' was predominantly a performance video, though the set design was rather conceptual. Following David Paich's intention regarding the lyrics, about a sterile society in which names are forgotten and love forbidden, the set was sterile white, with various sized sculptured 99's hanging and standing about, and the band was clad in futuristic white jumpsuits. There were some notable shots in this one – keyboard close-ups and an artistic view of Jeff through a transparent drum head, a technique that several popular videos have copied since.[5]
Reception
Record World praised Lukather's vocal and said that "Slick production wraps the keyboard-laden love song in a perfect AOR-pop package."[6]
