A 1982 Billion Song! - "Africa" by Toto

Details

Description

"I bless the rains down in Africa"

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The Song

"Africa" is a song by American rock band Toto, appearing as the tenth and final track on their fourth studio album Toto IV (1982).

The song was written by band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro, produced by the band, and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Elliot Scheiner.

Critics praised its composition and gentle production; the song continues to receive critical acclaim, and has been noted as one of the greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone.

In 2015, Paich explained that the song is about a man's love of a continent, Africa, rather than just a personal romance.

He based the lyrics on a late night documentary with depictions of African plight and suffering. The viewing experience made a lasting impact on Paich: "It both moved and appalled me, and the pictures just wouldn't leave my head. I tried to imagine how I'd feel about it if I was there and what I'd do."
Jeff Porcaro elaborates further, explaining: "A white boy is trying to write a song on Africa, but since he's never been there, he can only tell what he's seen on TV or remembers in the past."

During an appearance on the radio station KROQ-FM, Steve Porcaro and Lukather described the song as "dumb" and "an experiment" and some of the lyrics as "goofy" that were just placeholders, particularly the line about the Serengeti.

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The Artist

Toto (stylized as TOTO) is an American rock band formed in 1977 in Los Angeles, California. Toto combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, blues, and jazz.
Having released 14 studio albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide, the group has received several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.