Africa (Toto song)

"Africa"
US 7-inch (180 mm) shaped picture disc edition
Single by Toto
from the album Toto IV
B-side "Good for You" (The Americas)[1]
"We Made It" (international)[1]
Released
  • May 10, 1982 (1982-05-10) (Europe)
  • October 30, 1982 (1982-10-30) (US)
Format
Recorded October 18, 1981 (1981-10-18)
Genre Soft rock[2][3]
Length
  • 4:55 (album version)
  • 4:21 (radio edit)
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Toto
Toto singles chronology
"Make Believe"
(1982)		 "Africa"
(1982)		 "I Won't Hold You Back"
(1982)

"Make Believe"
(1982)		 "Africa"
(1982)		 "I Won't Hold You Back"
(1982)
Music video
Toto – "Africa" on YouTube
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

"Africa" is a song by the American rock band Toto. It was included on their fourth studio album Toto IV, and released as a single on September 30, 1982. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 5, 1983 (the band's only Billboard number one), and number three on the UK Singles Chart the same month. The song was written and composed by the band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro.

In the 2010s, "Africa" became popular as an Internet meme.[4][5] In response to this resurgence and the repeated requests of a fan, the band Weezer recorded a cover version in 2018 that peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[6]

Background

The initial idea and lyrics for the song came from David Paich. Jeff Porcaro explains the idea behind the song: "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."[7]

Paich said:

At the beginning of the '80s I watched a late night documentary on TV about all the terrible death and suffering of the people in Africa. It both moved and appalled me, and the pictures just wouldn't leave my head. I tried to imagine how I'd feel about if I was there and what I'd do.[8]

In 2015, Paich explained that the song is about a man's love of a continent, Africa, rather than just a personal romance.[9] In 2018, Paich explained the song is about a person flying in to meet a lonely missionary.[10] As a child, Paich attended a Catholic school. Several of the teachers had done missionary work in Africa, and this became the inspiration behind the line "I bless the rains down in Africa."[10]

Paich was playing around with a new keyboard and found the brassy sound that became the opening riff. He started humming a melody and by the chorus, the words just came to him.[10]

Musically, the song took quite some time to assemble, as Paich and Porcaro explain:

On "Africa" you hear a combination of marimba with GS 1. The kalimba is all done with the GS 1; it's six tracks of GS 1 playing different rhythms. I wrote the song on CS-80, so that plays the main part of the entire tune.[11]

So when we were doing "Africa" I set up a bass drum, snare drum and a hi-hat, and Lenny Castro set up right in front of me with a conga. We looked at each other and just started playing the basic groove. [...] The backbeat is on 3, so it's a half-time feel, and it's 16th notes on the hi-hat. Lenny started playing a conga pattern. We played for five minutes on tape, no click, no nothing. We just played. And I was singing the bass line for 'Africa' in my mind, so we had a relative tempo. Lenny and I went into the booth and listened back to the five minutes of that same boring pattern. We picked out the best two bars that we thought were grooving, and we marked those two bars on tape. [...] Maybe it would have taken two minutes to program that in the Linn, and it took about half an hour to do this. But a Linn machine doesn't feel like that!

Porcaro also acknowledged that he was influenced by the sounds created by fellow Los Angeles session musicians Milt Holland and Emil Richards. He also described the influence of the drummers at the Africa pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair and a National Geographic Special.[12][13]

I was about 11 when the New York World's Fair took place, and I went to the African pavilion with my family. I saw the real thing ... It was the first time I witnessed somebody playing one beat and not straying from it, like a religious experience, where it gets loud, and everyone goes into a trance.

During an appearance on the radio station KROQ-FM, Porcaro and Steve Lukather described the song as "dumb" and "an experiment" and some of the lyrics as "goofy" that were just placeholders.[14] The band was more focused on the album's lead single "Rosanna" instead.

Music video

The music video was directed by Steve Barron.[15] In the video, a researcher in a library (portrayed by band member David Paich) tries to match a scrap of a picture of a shield to the book from which it was torn out. As he continues his search, a librarian (Jenny Douglas-McRae) working at a nearby desk takes occasional notice of him, while natives in the surrounding jungle begin to close in on the library. When the researcher finds a book titled Africa, the native throws a spear (the shield the native carries is the same as the one in the picture), toppling stacks of books. Africa falls open to the page from which the scrap was torn, but a lantern lands on it and sets it on fire, after which the librarian's eyeglasses are shown falling to the floor. The scenes are intercut with shots of a spinning globe and the band performing atop a stack of giant hardcover books, in which Africa is the topmost.

This video also features Mike Porcaro on bass, replacing David Hungate, who had already left the band before the video was made. Lenny Castro is also featured in the video on percussion.

Reception

In 2012, "Africa" was listed by music magazine NME in 32nd place on its list of "50 Most Explosive Choruses."[16]

Personnel

Guest musicians

Charts and certifications

Weezer version

"Africa"
Single by Weezer
B-side "Rosanna"
Released May 29, 2018
Recorded 2018
Genre Soft rock
Length 3:58
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Patrick Wilson[38]
Weezer singles chronology
"Happy Hour"
(2017)		 "Africa"
(2018)

"Happy Hour"
(2017)		 "Africa"
(2018)

Weezer covered the song, following a fan-initiated social media campaign; it was released on May 29, 2018.[39]

In December 2017, Twitter user "@WeezerAfrica," run by a 14-year-old Cleveland, Ohio resident Mary Klym,[40] tweeted, "@RiversCuomo it's about time you bless the rains down in Africa." After much back-and-forth between Mary and Weezer's drummer, Patrick Wilson, the band released a cover of "Rosanna" in response to the popularity of the Toto – "Africa" meme.[41] Weezer released "Africa" on May 29, 2018. It was the band's first Hot 100 hit since 2009.[42] "Africa" peaked at number-one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in August 2018, becoming the band's first number-one single since "Pork and Beans" in 2008.[43]

A limited edition 7-inch vinyl pressing was released by Weezer in July 2018 and sold exclusively through Urban Outfitters. The pressing was limited to 1500 copies, with "Africa" as the A-side and "Rosanna" as the B-side. The cover artwork features a background of palm fronds with the tweet that inspired the song in the center of the cover.[44][45]

Shortly after the song's release, Weezer appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! along with keyboardist Steve Porcaro of Toto to promote the single.[45] On August 9, 2018, Toto responded by releasing a cover of Weezer's 2001 single "Hash Pipe", after debuting it in concert a week prior.[46][47]

Weezer released a music video of their "Africa" cover in September 2018; the video parodies Weezer's "Undone – The Sweater Song", using stand-ins for the band members including "Weird Al" Yankovic as Cuomo; Yankovic had previously joined Weezer during this live tour to perform "Africa" on stage with them.[48]

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Canada Rock (Billboard)[49] 33
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[50] 42
US Billboard Hot 100[51] 51
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[52] 19
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[53] 3
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[54] 5
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[55] 26

Samples

  • 2002: Ja Rule sampled the song on his song "Murder Reigns" taken from his fourth studio album The Last Temptation.[56]
  • 2006: American pop singer JoJo sampled "Africa" in her song "Anything", which served as the third single from her 2006 second studio album, The High Road.[57]
  • 2007: Lebanese-Canadian pop and R&B singer Karl Wolf sampled "Africa" in his own remake, also called "Africa", with added lyrics and musical composition and arrangement. The Karl Wolf song featured a rap section by the Canadian-Bahamian rapper Culture. The track served as the first single from his 2007 second studio album, Bite the Bullet, and reached number two on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.[58]
  • 2011: R&B singer Jason Derulo incorporated re-sung lyrics from "Africa" in his song "Fight for You", the fourth single from his 2011 album Future History.
  • 2016: Swedish production duo Bacall & Malo sampled "Africa" in their remake, also called "Africa", with added lyrics and musical composition and arrangement. The Bacall & Malo music video also featured vocals by UK-based Nigerian singer Prince Osito. The track was the debut charting single of the Swedish duo peaking at number 18 on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish Singles Chart.[59]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Toto - Africa at Discogs. [ONLINE]". Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  2. ↑ Deggans, Eric (August 20, 2014). "Review: Toto, Michael McDonald showcase stellar '70s chops at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  3. ↑ Monger, James Christopher. "Toto – Hold the Line: The Best of Toto". AllMusic. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  4. ↑ "How 'Africa' by Toto Became the Internet's Favorite Song". Motherboard. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  5. ↑ ""Africa" by Toto". Know Your Meme. Literally Media Ltd. 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  6. ↑ Zellner, Xander (June 13, 2018). "Weezer Returns to Hot 100 With Fan-Inspired Cover of Toto's 'Africa'". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Official TOTO Website - Encyclopedia". www.toto99.com. April 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Official TOTO Website - Releases". www.toto99.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  9. ↑ Melissa Locker (May 5, 2015). "Q&'80s: Toto's Dave Paich on Writing and Recording 'Africa'". Grantland.com. (end paragraph 2 and 8). Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 Simpson, Dave (January 30, 2018). "Toto: how we made Africa". the Guardian.
  11. ↑ Keyboard, 09/1995
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  13. ↑ Flans, Robyn (November 1988). "Jeff Porcaro: the feel of the music". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on 2018.
  14. ↑ "Stryker Chats with Toto About Weezer 'Hash Pipe' Cover" (Podcast). KROQFM: On-Demand. July 28, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Toto - "Africa"". mvdbase.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  16. ↑ "50 Most Explosive Choruses - #32 Toto - Africa - NME.COM". NME. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  17. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Toto – Africa" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Toto – Africa" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Toto – Africa". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  21. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Africa". Irish Singles Chart.
  22. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Toto – Africa" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  23. ↑ "Charts.nz – Toto – Africa". Top 40 Singles.
  24. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Toto – Africa". Swiss Singles Chart.
  25. ↑ "Toto: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  26. ↑ "Toto Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  27. ↑ "Toto Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  28. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. May 20, 2013. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  29. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Talent Almanac 1984" (PDF). Billboard. 95 (52). Billboard Publications, Inc. December 24, 1983. p. TA-18. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Toto – Africa". Music Canada.
  33. ↑ "Toto "Africa"". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Toto – Africa" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  35. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Toto – Africa". Recorded Music NZ.
  36. ↑ "British single certifications – Toto – Africa". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Enter Africa in the search field and then press Enter.
  37. ↑ "American single certifications – Toto – Africa". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  38. ↑ https://twitter.com/Weezer/status/1017221806837641216
  39. ↑ Petrusich, Amanda (May 30, 2018). "Hurry, Boy, It's Waiting There for You: Weezer Covers "Africa"". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  40. ↑ McKinstry, Lee. "Teen Tweets Weezer Into Covering "Africa"". Cleveland Magazine. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  41. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (May 24, 2018). "Weezer Cover Toto's "Rosanna," Trolling Viral Campaign for "Africa" Cover". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  42. ↑ Goldberg, Benjamin. "Weezer's Toto cover is the band's biggest hit in a decade". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Alternative Songs: Top Alternative Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  44. ↑ Trapp, Phillip. "Weezer Announce Limited Africa Vinyl, But Good Luck Getting One". Altpress. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  45. 1 2 "Weezer's "Africa" Cover Gets Vinyl Release". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  46. ↑ Roffman, Michael (July 31, 2018). "Toto have never sounded younger covering Weezer's "Hash Pipe": Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  47. ↑ Roffman, Michael (August 9, 2018). "Toto finally share studio version of Weezer's "Hash Pipe": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  48. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (September 24, 2018). "Weezer Recruit 'Weird Al' Yankovic for Video of Toto Cover 'Africa'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Weezer Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Weezer Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Mexico Ingles Airplay for Interpol. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Weezer Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  52. ↑ "Weezer Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  53. ↑ "Weezer Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  54. ↑ "Weezer Chart History (Hot Rock Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  55. ↑ "Weezer Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  56. ↑ Joel Whitburn's music yearbook 2003. Whitburn, Joel. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. 2004. p. 91. ISBN 9780898201598. OCLC 57662663.
  57. ↑ "Singles". Billboard. March 31, 2007. p. 52.
  58. ↑ "Karl Wolf". billboard.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Bacall & Malo - Africa". swedishcharts.com.

Further reading

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