Today’s song of the day is “Africa” by the American rock band Toto. “Africa” was released in October of 1982, on the band’s fourth studio album, Toto IV.

Fun Facts

• The band Toto was formed in 1977 and is known for its musical style that combines pop, rock, soul, and funk.
• “Africa” was written by band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro. It was mixed by the Grammy-winning music engineer Elliot Scheiner.
• The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States—the band’s only song to reach the number one slot.
• In addition to its success in the United States, “Africa” also reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
• The music video for “Africa” was directed by Steve Barron and released in 1983.
• Toto has released 14 studio albums and sold more than 40,000,000 records across the globe.
• “Africa” has been used in television shows like Stranger Things, Family Guy, Chuck, and South Park.
• In 2009, Toto was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
• The song saw a resurgence in popularity in the late 2010s, thanks to its frequent use in many internet memes.
• In 2018, the band Weezer released a cover of “Africa” that reached number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was Weezer’s first Hot 100 hit since 2009.
• Toto has been nominated for eleven Grammy awards and has won six.
• “Africa” was certified gold in 1991 by the RIAA.

Lyrics

(LyricFind)

I hear the drums echoing tonight

But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

She’s coming in, 12:30 flight

The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

I stopped an old man along the way

Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies

He turned to me as if to say, “Hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you”

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in Africa

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had (ooh, ooh)

The wild dogs cry out in the night

As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company

I know that I must do what’s right

As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in Africa

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had (ooh, ooh)

Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in Africa

I bless the rains down in Africa

(I bless the rain)

I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rain)

I bless the rains down in Africa

I bless the rains down in Africa (ah, gonna take the time)

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had (ooh, ooh)