steve lukather described the writing of "the seventh one" as a period of prolific "one-upmanship" with the band trying to impress one another with their compositions. one of the first compositions completed was the ballad "anna," written by lukather and randy goodrum. lukather considers the song to be one of his best compositions. "anna" was followed by "pamela," written by david paich, described as the "heir apparent" to "rosanna." paich and lukather then composed "stop loving you," which both believed was sure to become a hit. joseph williams' influence on the album extended well beyond his strong vocals, with co-writing credit on six of the eleven tracks. the producer of "the seventh one", george massenburg felt the album was missing a "rocker," which led to the composition and recording of the seven-minute closing track, "home of the brave." to assist in writing the lyrics, toto called on the legendary jimmy webb.