"Africa" is a song recorded by the American rock band Toto in 1981. The song was for their fourth studio album Toto IV, and released as the album's third single on September 30, 1982, through Columbia Records.
| "Africa" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Toto | ||||
| from the album Toto IV | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released |
| |||
| Recorded | June 1981 | |||
| Studio | Sunset Sound (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Toto | |||
| Toto singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Africa" on YouTube | ||||
The song was written by band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro. The soft rock song lyrically talks about the themes of love and location. The initial idea and lyrics for the song came from David Paich. Paich was playing around with a new keyboard,[4] and accidentally created brassy sound that became the opening riff.[4] He finished the melody and lyrics for the chorus in about ten minutes, much to his surprise.[5] Paich fixed the lyrics for six months before showing the song to the rest of the band.[5]
In 2015, Paich said that the song is about a man's love of a continent, Africa, instead of a personal romance.[6] He based the lyrics on a late night documentary that showed people in Africa suffering.[7] 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."[8]
Critics gave the song good reviews for its composition and gentle production. The song continues to receive critical acclaim, and was listed at 492 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest songs of all time.[9]
The song became an Internet meme in the mid-2010s.[10] A fan-requested cover of the song by American rock band Weezer peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.[11][12][13][14] It has since been certified eight times platinum and is one of the Best Selling Songs of all time.[15]
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