Toto - Africa

"Africa" is a song by rock band Toto. Its story is told from the perspective of a man in Africa awaiting his female partner's inbound flight. The protagonist looks forward to their time together during the rainy season as it grants a reprieve from his normal responsibilities. The song's catchy chorus incorporates metaphor for his determination to guard his time with her: "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". The song was included on their 1982 album Toto IV, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1983 and number three on the UK Singles Chart a few months later. The song was written by the band's keyboardist David Paich, who also sings both verses of the song, and drummer Jeff Porcaro. Bobby Kimball sings the chorus.


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 long forgotten words or ancinet melodies
He turned to me as if to say, Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you


CHORUS:
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


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


CHORUS


(Instrumental break)


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 passed some rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa, I passed some rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Category:

Music

Tags:

• toto
• africa
• rock
• 1982

[philtessier]

What are you saying. This version is so much better than Karl Wolf.

[christophercarey505]

this song just popped into my head today. its brilliant!

[afvelovic]

I love this song ....so unlikely to whatever crap we are listening today to

[meanieboyx3]

this reminds me so much of when i was younger, my parents used to listen to it in the car all the time :)

[SuperSPOCK1701]

Exceptional deduction.... 

[22centman36]

@whylovenick why at the time music videos wer ein their infancy and so it was a new format. the director was proably like," Whats a music video?" and his assitant was like, " We're supposed to be doing a mini musical but to sell only the band and the song." and so the director was like, " Okay, so this song is about how a couple of blokes fell in love with africa. Right, get a black girl, we'll make her a librarian, and so the band is singing about her because she symbolizes africa."

[22centman36]

@beanandpopcorn yep

[mrfrogbutt1]

@22centman36 Its such a great memory as a kid back in 1982...i was in the second grade and this song I will never forget

[22centman36]

this song jsut makes you want to dance belly to belly with a beauitful woman.

[22centman36]

@mrfrogbutt1 I was in chicago about two years ago and it was after a long night, waiting on a trian platform, this stoner drunk started singing this song. I couldnt believe I could remember this song and that a stoner, of all the things they would say, could remember this song either.

[83petro]

allan from the hangover :D

[mrfrogbutt1]

@Jeepacreepah01 Its DAMN good song!