" Paich refined the lyrics for six months before showing the song to the rest of the band. 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.
I swear I remember Paich saying this was inspired by the stories of missionary priests who would come and speak at his school and he added the love story later.
As you've seen, the "Africa" video is very stylized, conceptual, and has a very abstract storyline. So, the question of what the heck is going on is obviously open to interpretation. Believe it or not, the true meaning of this song has been studied and debated by scholars for years. "Africa" was written by David Paich; co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist, and secondary vocalist of Toto. He has basically said that this song tells the story of a man who comes to Africa and must make a decision about the girl who comes to see him. He is enamored with the continent, but must leave if he is going to be with her. Whether or not the man is actually in Africa has been subject to debate. He could simply be drawing on the imagery and locations of the continent, because it provides him with the perfect metaphor for the conflicting emotions he is feeling, and the huge weight of emotion he is experiencing. It has been noted that Paich had never been to Africa when he wrote the song, which led to controversy regarding "songwriter blindness" to the troubles actually being experienced in Africa at the time, and may also explain the inaccurate line about Kilimanjaro rising above the Serengeti. David has been quoted as saying “As a kid, I'd always been fascinated by Africa. I loved movies about Dr. Livingstone and missionaries. I went to an all-boys Catholic school and a lot of the teachers had done missionary work in Africa. They told me how they would bless the villagers, their Bibles, their books, their crops and when it rained, they'd bless the rain. That's where the hook line - 'I bless the rains down in Africa' - came from.” This song also contains some quite introspective lyrics like, "I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become,". According to David, "There was a little bit of autobiographical information (metaphors) in there: being consumed by my work, not having time to go out and pursue getting married and raising a family and doing all the things that other people do that were my age at the time." It's all so complicated.... 🤔 But fun to try and figure out. 😀
The harmonies of this super group are astounding. They are considered a supergroup because all of the members were session players at some level for some of the biggest records of the 70's.The original lineup included guitarist and vocalist Steve Lukather, keyboardist and vocalist David Paich, bassist David Hungate, keyboardist Steve Porcaro, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and lead vocalist Bobby Kimball. Lukather David Paich (synths), Jeff Porcaro (drums) and Steve Porcaro (synths), played on and co-wrote some songs for Michael Jackson's THRILLER album, including the song "Human Nature". The talent in this band is beyond impressive.
The writer David 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.
I LOVE this song. I grew up in Africa and this song is part of the soundtrack of my youth. Thank you for doing this reaction. I haven't even watched it yet, I already had to comment!!
Loving the 80's nostalgia!!! "Africa" was a hit single in 1982 from Triple Platinum-certified, Toto IV album. Not to mention that the absolute classic lead single from this album was "Rosanna". Another great Toto tune is "Hold The Line" from their 1978 debut album. Love this stuff!!! 🤩
@@thewalruswasjason101 I didn't say Williams wrote it, I said he was a bandmember. I was nonspecific to when. So while I appreciate the clarification of his status as not being in the band at the time. I am hardly false.
My husband grew up in West Africa, so before we got married, I felt it would be smart to go to Africa myself so that I could understand him better. After six months in Nairobi, Kenya, as a short-term missionary, I knew it was the right thing to do. Africa is not just a continent, a place: it is a mindset, a way of living. Life outside of the larger cities, a.k.a. "The bush" is much slower. For example: You have to put aside your Western clock-watching because "This Is Africa" and people will arrive when it suits them.
The irony is that a lot of the strife and famine Africa suffered from in the 80s and still today, is not because of the inability to raise crops but because of civil wars. In the 80s many governments actually destroyed their own crops to keep them from being seized by rebel troops. This left the rural farmers and villagers starving and led to the famines that swept across the region. Charity efforts to get food to the starving people were often far from successful with food often being seized by rebel troops or the government and never reaching the people who needed it and in some cases contributed to the strife. One of the most famous was the 1985 "Live Aid" Concert that raised $140 million for Africa ($407 million today) but whose organizers had no way to buy food and distribute it in Africa. Instead they gave the money to the governments where the famine was occuring so they could buy food and distribute it themselves. These were the same governments that were destroying their own crops to keep it from the rebel troops. No confirmation was ever made that a single bit of the money ever went to food and it is more likely it went to fund the wars and buy arms. This same thing is happening today in war torn regions where food donation either never get to the places that really need it, taken and resold by the governments to fund the war efforts, or are stolen by rebels. Famine in Africa is seldom the result of natural conditions.
@@jss27560 Very true, the tribal issues and borders that never took them into consideration, are the root cause behind many of the rebellions and wars. But my comment was intended to draw attention to the fact that many of us at the time in the 80s were ignorant of the fact that the reason for the famine in Africa was not because of drought or crop failures but war. Even the organizers of the largest charity event the world had ever seen up to that date had no idea that the governments were just as guilty as the rebels and ended up wasting all the money they raised.
The most astonishing fact about the song is that it almost did not make it on the album Toto IV and the band never thought it would be a hit ... that is why it was the last song on the album ... that is the place you used to bury the more obscure tracks.
A few things about this song: 1. It's from the monster Grammy winning record "Toto IV". "Rosanna" also comes from that album. 2. The band HATED this video concept. 3. When Toto toured Africa back in the day many people there asked David "How did you know? How did you know we bless the rains here? Because it is a dry place and we bless the rains for the crops to grow". 4. While Mike Porcaro (RIP) was the bass player in the video David Hungate is the actual bass player on this track and everything else on the first 4 Toto albums. 5. Steve Lukather does not consider this song to be a Toto song. The funny thing about that is it ended up being their biggest song. 6. Last I heard "Africa" is the most streamed song of all times and the first one to hit 1 Billion plays.
Best fan fic I heard about this was that it was someone who was a werewolf trying to figure out how to cure himself and happy it was raining and keeping the full moon from rising. Yes, this is NOT what it's about, but I loved this interpretation.
@@bkm2797Half the band performed on Silk Degrees. The rest except the singer joined for the tour. They were offered a recording contract while on tour with Boz for that album. Boz is like the birthplace of Toto.
Well call me amazed,lol, it's always fun to find out important details you missed. I love Boz, although I believe he is originally from Texas, he lived here in San Francisco. Met him once on the dance floor at a big club called Bimbos, (he just started dancing with me,lol), and a few years later met his wife Carmela as a client at Sax, small world. Thanks for the info.
well that's a little misleading. steely dan brought in multiple musicians to play the same songs and then pieced together the song for the album picking the parts they liked best. and sometimes they would bring in aces to play a song and never use what they played, but they did bring in a few of the guys from toto, mostly jeff porcaro on drums.
There are places that are not home but you feel the are HOME. I'm from NYC born and raised but once I set foot in Wyoming,it was home in my heart. Circumstances have me living in Texas but many nights I have actually cried for Wyoming. Wyoming is my Africa.
'They' say that once you've been to Africa, it is in your blood. You will always have a love of the continent even if you've been only once! I think it is about the love of Africa and also the struggles that Africans have borne. It is a powerful song. Loved your take on it as a brand new listener of the song.... and the appreciation of it. Much Love x
My Mom went to Africa for a missions trip in Kenya. She had to go again a year later, and really wants to make another trip but it's getting harder to travel.
Africa is mankind's homeland. I love this song, and the notion of Africa. I am old and will never be able to afford to go, but how much I have wished to!
LOVE this song! And the band Toto... They were so instrumental too in creating Thriller by MJ. For me the song Africa was always like a tribute to Africa. But I never got into it that deep. LJ
A very interesting side note. In the same year Toto were very successful with their own album Toto IV, which contains Africa and Rosanne, Toto were also studio musicians for Michael Jackson's album Thriller. So 1982 was THE year of Toto.
Oh this is a classic, love it here in the UK. I always think it is a master piece of getting a story into a song. It's a romance, it's cheesy, 1980's at their best. My daughter, when covid lifted, went and lived with the Masai in the foothills of the mountain mainly because of this song :) She was volunteering working with children and running basic sexual health & contraception clinics. BP, if you feel the need to re-watch, then re-watch, we'll go on that journey with you :)
Thank you for reacting to this! Who doesn't recognize the tune and the hook? But there is much more to so many songs than just those commercialized segments that make them worth the deeper dive. Videos became very important in the 80s in particular due to the growing popularity of MTV. Of course, there were many pros and cons to that like with anything (lip synching being a really big issue as well as stage presence to promote marketability - kind of like books with or without pictures). Prior to that, album covers were important (judging a book by its cover is a real thing), and prior to that, it was artists trying to get air play on the radio. Interesting to see how the industry evolves while artists simply must keep creating, hopefully for an audience to appreciate what they do.
Loved hearing this song as a kid. I’m 46 years old and this is the first time watching their video haha! Even learning that the lyrics were not what I thought they were saying.
Wikipedia-with a new keyboard, the CS-80, and found the brassy sound that became the opening riff. He completed the melody and lyrics for the chorus in about ten minutes, much to Paich's surprise. "I sang the chorus out as you hear it. It was like God channeling it. I thought, 'I'm talented, but I'm not that talented. Something just happened here!'" Paich refined the lyrics for six months before showing the song to the rest of the band. 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." Some additional lyrics relate to a person flying in to meet a lonely missionary, as Paich described in 2018. As a child, Paich attended a Catholic school; several of his teachers had done missionary work in Africa. Their missionary work became the inspiration behind the line: "I bless the rains down in Africa." Paich, who at the time had never set foot in Africa, based the song's landscape descriptions from an article in National Geographic. At the time, Steve Lukather humorously remarked that he would run "naked down Hollywood Boulevard" if the song became a hit, due to his bemusement over the lyrics; Paich argued that it was a "fantasy song" in the vein of previous songs such as "Margaritaville". 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. Engineer Al Schmitt stated that "Africa" was the second song written for Toto IV and had been worked on extensively in the studio. Eventually, the band grew tired of the song and considered cutting it from the album entirely. David Paich considered saving "Africa" for a solo record but decided against it. The band did not expect "Africa" to be a hit, after the intended success of lead single "Rosanna" (which had peaked at number 2). However, after Sony found out that the song was gaining traction in New York dance clubs, they decided to release it as another single, further cementing the popularity of Toto IV in the process
Toto's original members were mostly studio musicians who formed the band. From what I've heard, combined, they are credited with being on several THOUSAND songs when they were studio musicians. This band's musical talent is off the charts. They are so incredible. Thank you for the review. Just found your channel a few days ago & love watching these.
It's hard to believe that this was released in 1983 - it doesn't seem over 40 years old (but then, I'm old . . .). This song & its imagery are simply beautiful. It's so good to see new generations listening to and appreciating 'classic' songs.
I've heard the song expresses the way a love for another person is seen as a connection to the divine in African songs. "Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient memories" is the guy on a quest for insight.
Perpetuum Jazzile - Africa. Please consider this cover. It's amazing! It's acapella by a huge choir. You have to just check it out. It's just amazing Perpetuum Jazzile - Africa
I love this! Just the other day I heard this on the radio, and wondered if you would ever react to the video. This is such a classic song. You made my day! As far as mishearing lyrics, for decades I thought he was singing "rises like a leopress" (female leopard) instead of Olympus. Makes more sense now.
This song and so many of the hits from the 1980s were used as a soundtrack for the TV show Miami Vice. I loved this show and as you play these '80s greats, I can visualize the scenes it underscored.
It is about the time beeing, to came back to Africa , the origin of rythm and so on...not mentioning things like I don't believe, but no one in this world, no one can deny, that African people have this rhythm in their vains way better than white or yellow bois will ever have. These ofc are all white bois, but they didn't came up with the this nor even .t Elvis, but were great mucisians still. TOTO may been at their peak the best studio band at the time. But at the same time maybe some years apart and old progressive band Genesismade this album back in 1983, that had many good songs, but the main 'hit'... MAMA was so fierce that I wasn't sure if this was really an album from Genesis. But what pter gabriel lefty to this band wa sthis amazing percussion and later on Peter Gabriel on hin solso career used this alot. Back in the 70's and 80's there were so huge bands that most of them didn't last together too long. I am so glad that my all time favorite band RUSH went down only because one of them died( Neil Peart, the most talented drummer ever and the lyririst of the band ) and not in money disputes and anything like it. But in AOR music TOTO is just great... allthough my favorite as my younger brothers albums from TOTO will be 'Isolation'. It was TOTO's heaviest album and alsdo the reasons to me and my brother to love it. 'Endless' and 'Isolation' , 'Carmen' and my younger brother's all time favorite is 'ANGELS DON'T CRY', but Fergie Frederigsen streched this sound in to max and near to metal. But to me that was the 'peak'for this band', but this song 'Africa ' will be played in the movies well after I am growing grass and flowers from my ...
Hey dude ! , you must react next time, to these others banger hits : "Georgy porgy", "I'll supply the love" , "99" , "Good for you" , "Angel don't cry" , "Endless" , "St'George & the dragon", "All Us boys", "Make believe" , "I won't hold you back" & "White sister" .
" Paich refined the lyrics for six months before showing the song to the rest of the band. 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.
I swear I remember Paich saying this was inspired by the stories of missionary priests who would come and speak at his school and he added the love story later.
I'm a 63 year old disabled woman, I just wanted you to know I appreciate your reactions! I also wanted to Thank you for all you do!
Oh my goodness, this takes me way back to the 1980s! This song was played everywhere, I loved it and I still do, it's such a classic!
Totos Hold the line from the 70s IS REAL TOTO
Rolling skating song memories
As you've seen, the "Africa" video is very stylized, conceptual, and has a very abstract storyline. So, the question of what the heck is going on is obviously open to interpretation. Believe it or not, the true meaning of this song has been studied and debated by scholars for years.
"Africa" was written by David Paich; co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist, and secondary vocalist of Toto. He has basically said that this song tells the story of a man who comes to Africa and must make a decision about the girl who comes to see him. He is enamored with the continent, but must leave if he is going to be with her.
Whether or not the man is actually in Africa has been subject to debate. He could simply be drawing on the imagery and locations of the continent, because it provides him with the perfect metaphor for the conflicting emotions he is feeling, and the huge weight of emotion he is experiencing. It has been noted that Paich had never been to Africa when he wrote the song, which led to controversy regarding "songwriter blindness" to the troubles actually being experienced in Africa at the time, and may also explain the inaccurate line about Kilimanjaro rising above the Serengeti.
David has been quoted as saying “As a kid, I'd always been fascinated by Africa. I loved movies about Dr. Livingstone and missionaries. I went to an all-boys Catholic school and a lot of the teachers had done missionary work in Africa. They told me how they would bless the villagers, their Bibles, their books, their crops and when it rained, they'd bless the rain. That's where the hook line - 'I bless the rains down in Africa' - came from.”
This song also contains some quite introspective lyrics like, "I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become,". According to David, "There was a little bit of autobiographical information (metaphors) in there: being consumed by my work, not having time to go out and pursue getting married and raising a family and doing all the things that other people do that were my age at the time."
It's all so complicated.... 🤔 But fun to try and figure out. 😀
Impressive, thank you!
The harmonies of this super group are astounding. They are considered a supergroup because all of the members were session players at some level for some of the biggest records of the 70's.The original lineup included guitarist and vocalist Steve Lukather, keyboardist and vocalist David Paich, bassist David Hungate, keyboardist Steve Porcaro, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and lead vocalist Bobby Kimball. Lukather David Paich (synths), Jeff Porcaro (drums) and Steve Porcaro (synths), played on and co-wrote some songs for Michael Jackson's THRILLER album, including the song "Human Nature". The talent in this band is beyond impressive.
Some songs, like this one, cannot be “figured out”. We just appreciate them for the good feelings they bestow on us.
The song writer explained in an interview what the song is about. Nothing to "figure out". Lol.
Toto's Rosanna is so good as well...great music and vocals!!!
One of two songs to go #1 written about the same woman. Rosanna Arquette. Rosanna by Toto and "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel. He dated her.
He already played it. He called it Roxanne at the beginning of this video 😮.
Good???? It's EFFING AWESOME!!!
The writer David 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.
I LOVE this song. I grew up in Africa and this song is part of the soundtrack of my youth. Thank you for doing this reaction. I haven't even watched it yet, I already had to comment!!
Loving the 80's nostalgia!!! "Africa" was a hit single in 1982 from Triple Platinum-certified, Toto IV album. Not to mention that the absolute classic lead single from this album was "Rosanna". Another great Toto tune is "Hold The Line" from their 1978 debut album. Love this stuff!!! 🤩
Hold the line from the 70s ROCK
I never get tired of hearing this song.
One of the writers/vocalist, is Joseph Williams. Son of John Williams.
Johm Williams of Star Wars and one of the most celebrated composers in history.
Hmm didn't know that!
@@Cchan53 I didn't know it till a few weeks ago.
I may have heard it in the past, but if so, it didn't register for some reason.
I don't think he was with them yet at this time. This is David Paich on the verses and Bobby Kimble on the choruses.
False. Bobby kimball is the singer. Williams wasn’t in the band at this time
@@thewalruswasjason101 I didn't say Williams wrote it, I said he was a bandmember.
I was nonspecific to when. So while I appreciate the clarification of his status as not being in the band at the time.
I am hardly false.
My husband grew up in West Africa, so before we got married, I felt it would be smart to go to Africa myself so that I could understand him better.
After six months in Nairobi, Kenya, as a short-term missionary, I knew it was the right thing to do.
Africa is not just a continent, a place: it is a mindset, a way of living. Life outside of the larger cities, a.k.a. "The bush" is much slower.
For example: You have to put aside your Western clock-watching because "This Is Africa" and people will arrive when it suits them.
The irony is that a lot of the strife and famine Africa suffered from in the 80s and still today, is not because of the inability to raise crops but because of civil wars. In the 80s many governments actually destroyed their own crops to keep them from being seized by rebel troops. This left the rural farmers and villagers starving and led to the famines that swept across the region. Charity efforts to get food to the starving people were often far from successful with food often being seized by rebel troops or the government and never reaching the people who needed it and in some cases contributed to the strife.
One of the most famous was the 1985 "Live Aid" Concert that raised $140 million for Africa ($407 million today) but whose organizers had no way to buy food and distribute it in Africa. Instead they gave the money to the governments where the famine was occuring so they could buy food and distribute it themselves. These were the same governments that were destroying their own crops to keep it from the rebel troops. No confirmation was ever made that a single bit of the money ever went to food and it is more likely it went to fund the wars and buy arms. This same thing is happening today in war torn regions where food donation either never get to the places that really need it, taken and resold by the governments to fund the war efforts, or are stolen by rebels. Famine in Africa is seldom the result of natural conditions.
Many of the problems are also because of how the colonial powers, England, France, Belgium, and France divided the land to form countries.
@@jss27560 Very true, the tribal issues and borders that never took them into consideration, are the root cause behind many of the rebellions and wars. But my comment was intended to draw attention to the fact that many of us at the time in the 80s were ignorant of the fact that the reason for the famine in Africa was not because of drought or crop failures but war. Even the organizers of the largest charity event the world had ever seen up to that date had no idea that the governments were just as guilty as the rebels and ended up wasting all the money they raised.
Wow the time I spent singing this song in my little car when on The radio…. Wait, I still do… just in a better car with better speakers 😂
Hold the line is another great Toto song you’ll love it.
This has been just about everyone's guilty pleasure since it came out 40 yrs ago!
The most astonishing fact about the song is that it almost did not make it on the album Toto IV and the band never thought it would be a hit ... that is why it was the last song on the album ... that is the place you used to bury the more obscure tracks.
A few things about this song: 1. It's from the monster Grammy winning record "Toto IV". "Rosanna" also comes from that album. 2. The band HATED this video concept. 3. When Toto toured Africa back in the day many people there asked David "How did you know? How did you know we bless the rains here? Because it is a dry place and we bless the rains for the crops to grow". 4. While Mike Porcaro (RIP) was the bass player in the video David Hungate is the actual bass player on this track and everything else on the first 4 Toto albums. 5. Steve Lukather does not consider this song to be a Toto song. The funny thing about that is it ended up being their biggest song. 6. Last I heard "Africa" is the most streamed song of all times and the first one to hit 1 Billion plays.
Best fan fic I heard about this was that it was someone who was a werewolf trying to figure out how to cure himself and happy it was raining and keeping the full moon from rising. Yes, this is NOT what it's about, but I loved this interpretation.
Toto was the studio band for Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, and Michael Jackson.
Really, Boz Skaggs, had no idea.
I think Boston was made up of studio musicians as well ??
@@bkm2797Half the band performed on Silk Degrees. The rest except the singer joined for the tour. They were offered a recording contract while on tour with Boz for that album. Boz is like the birthplace of Toto.
Well call me amazed,lol, it's always fun to find out important details you missed. I love Boz, although I believe he is originally from Texas, he lived here in San Francisco. Met him once on the dance floor at a big club called Bimbos, (he just started dancing with me,lol), and a few years later met his wife Carmela as a client at Sax, small world. Thanks for the info.
well that's a little misleading. steely dan brought in multiple musicians to play the same songs and then pieced together the song for the album picking the parts they liked best. and sometimes they would bring in aces to play a song and never use what they played, but they did bring in a few of the guys from toto, mostly jeff porcaro on drums.
There are places that are not home but you feel the are HOME. I'm from NYC born and raised but once I set foot in Wyoming,it was home in my heart. Circumstances have me living in Texas but many nights I have actually cried for Wyoming. Wyoming is my Africa.
I know exactly what you mean.
'They' say that once you've been to Africa, it is in your blood. You will always have a love of the continent even if you've been only once! I think it is about the love of Africa and also the struggles that Africans have borne. It is a powerful song. Loved your take on it as a brand new listener of the song.... and the appreciation of it. Much Love x
My Mom went to Africa for a missions trip in Kenya. She had to go again a year later, and really wants to make another trip but it's getting harder to travel.
I've long felt a pull to visit eastern Africa, especially Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. This song always stirs something in me, and rekindles the pull.
This song is SUCH a chill sound. I LOVE singing this song in my car, blasting it out of the stereo for all the world to hear
The librarian is played by Jenny Douglas-McRae, who has performed backing vocals for Toto live on occasion.
Thanks for giving her due credit. I always had a problem with her fate in the video. I mean, the guy in the library could have helped her.
When I first heard this song back in my youth, I thought the chorus said “I guess it rains down in Africa.” 🤣
Same 😂
Living in South Africa I have always loved this song
I saw Toto a month ago live it was great hearing all the songs they used to do and they still sound great
A true supergroup.
You should do a reaction of Pentatonix Hallelujah. Its amazing ❤
this is one of the best 80s songs EVER
I cannot explain why but have loved this song always !!
There is a Metal cover of Toto's "Africa" by Leo Moracchioli.. I'm 71 and I love it. He also Did Dire Straits "Sultans of swing"
Oh! I must listen.
I've been enjoying Dan Vasc from Brazil. If you want to try... start with Amazing Grace. (I'm 61f)
Africa is mankind's homeland. I love this song, and the notion of Africa. I am old and will never be able to afford to go, but how much I have wished to!
One of my favorite songs of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me too..🎵👍😁
LOVE this song! And the band Toto... They were so instrumental too in creating Thriller by MJ.
For me the song Africa was always like a tribute to Africa. But I never got into it that deep. LJ
I think it's one of the best '80s songs and probably one of the best pop-rock songs ever written.
Genius using olympus, Kilalamagaro, and Serengheti in the same line
A very interesting side note. In the same year Toto were very successful with their own album Toto IV, which contains Africa and Rosanne, Toto were also studio musicians for Michael Jackson's album Thriller. So 1982 was THE year of Toto.
Takes me back 42 years instantly, that's insane....life rushes through enjoy your music everyone
I FIRST HEARD THIS JAM ON MTV, MID 80'S AND STILL LOVE IT. TRULY A TIMELESS CLASSIC. ... FYI... WEEZER RECENTLY COVERED IT, ITS PRETTY GOOD TOO !
the film clip says alot more about the song and the situation of africa. its deep
Oh this is a classic, love it here in the UK. I always think it is a master piece of getting a story into a song. It's a romance, it's cheesy, 1980's at their best. My daughter, when covid lifted, went and lived with the Masai in the foothills of the mountain mainly because of this song :) She was volunteering working with children and running basic sexual health & contraception clinics. BP, if you feel the need to re-watch, then re-watch, we'll go on that journey with you :)
no such a thing as a perfect song.... that being said, this is one of the perfect songs to me.
Toto I’ll be over you, one of my favorites by them. One of many excellent songs
Michael McDonald joins them on that one!
@@AngelaGoodwin-fh6fw yes
Havent heard this in so long and almost forgot how damn good it was.
As a Slayer/Jinjer/Pantera fan ... this is the most musically perfect tones ever made. Fascinating... 👍
Thank you for reacting to this! Who doesn't recognize the tune and the hook? But there is much more to so many songs than just those commercialized segments that make them worth the deeper dive.
Videos became very important in the 80s in particular due to the growing popularity of MTV. Of course, there were many pros and cons to that like with anything (lip synching being a really big issue as well as stage presence to promote marketability - kind of like books with or without pictures). Prior to that, album covers were important (judging a book by its cover is a real thing), and prior to that, it was artists trying to get air play on the radio. Interesting to see how the industry evolves while artists simply must keep creating, hopefully for an audience to appreciate what they do.
Now check out the Frog Leap studios cover of Africa!
Yes defiantly!!
Loved hearing this song as a kid. I’m 46 years old and this is the first time watching their video haha! Even learning that the lyrics were not what I thought they were saying.
Wikipedia-with a new keyboard, the CS-80, and found the brassy sound that became the opening riff. He completed the melody and lyrics for the chorus in about ten minutes, much to Paich's surprise. "I sang the chorus out as you hear it. It was like God channeling it. I thought, 'I'm talented, but I'm not that talented. Something just happened here!'" Paich refined the lyrics for six months before showing the song to the rest of the band.
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."
Some additional lyrics relate to a person flying in to meet a lonely missionary, as Paich described in 2018. As a child, Paich attended a Catholic school; several of his teachers had done missionary work in Africa. Their missionary work became the inspiration behind the line: "I bless the rains down in Africa." Paich, who at the time had never set foot in Africa, based the song's landscape descriptions from an article in National Geographic. At the time, Steve Lukather humorously remarked that he would run "naked down Hollywood Boulevard" if the song became a hit, due to his bemusement over the lyrics; Paich argued that it was a "fantasy song" in the vein of previous songs such as "Margaritaville".
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. Engineer Al Schmitt stated that "Africa" was the second song written for Toto IV and had been worked on extensively in the studio. Eventually, the band grew tired of the song and considered cutting it from the album entirely. David Paich considered saving "Africa" for a solo record but decided against it.
The band did not expect "Africa" to be a hit, after the intended success of lead single "Rosanna" (which had peaked at number 2). However, after Sony found out that the song was gaining traction in New York dance clubs, they decided to release it as another single, further cementing the popularity of Toto IV in the process
This isn’t a song.. it’s an anthem!! 🤩😎🙌🏻
Toto's original members were mostly studio musicians who formed the band. From what I've heard, combined, they are credited with being on several THOUSAND songs when they were studio musicians. This band's musical talent is off the charts. They are so incredible. Thank you for the review. Just found your channel a few days ago & love watching these.
South Africa in the house.
One of the high points of popular music as art.
Gawd I love TOTO!! I love this song!! I've had it on repeat a LOT!! 💖💖💖💖💋💋😻😎🍹👵🐺🌵
It's hard to believe that this was released in 1983 - it doesn't seem over 40 years old (but then, I'm old . . .). This song & its imagery are simply beautiful. It's so good to see new generations listening to and appreciating 'classic' songs.
one of my favorite tunes!
That chorus gives me goosebumps! That's when I blast it in the car!
Toto amazing band with there own sound you should react to Toto I’ll be over you it has Michael McDonald in it
With lyrics like I hear the drums echo in the night and (Mt.)Kilamajaro rising above the Seregeti, I think the guy is there and doesn't want to leave.
I'm 50 years old and listen to this song a thousand times and just realized they dont say MARS. lol
I got to see them about three years ago,with my favorite Journey!🎸🥁🎸i am 68 and I don’t know what I would do without my music 🥰
Music is the highest form of art humanity has invented, its the only thing we have that gets better the more you do of it
This is one of my favorite songs from my childhood! Thanks for the reaction video!
i agree bro i love this song heard it a million times i have no idea what it's about
A man's love for the continent of Africa, Written after seeing a documentary of Africa, I Googled! Love the song!!
Far out thank you for posting❤❤❤❤❤
I've heard the song expresses the way a love for another person is seen as a connection to the divine in African songs. "Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient memories" is the guy on a quest for insight.
One of my favorite bands back then. Always listened to them. Nice ballads. ❤❤
Don't feel bad! I always thought they were singing "I miss the rains" when it was "I bless the rains"! lol 🤠
When you do the soundtrack for DUNE you know you're awesome
Perpetuum Jazzile - Africa.
Please consider this cover. It's amazing! It's acapella by a huge choir. You have to just check it out. It's just amazing
Perpetuum Jazzile - Africa
Masterpiece !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The group Perpetuum Jazzile does a wonderful rendition of this song. I hope you get a chance to listen to their version.
This song is a masterpiece! I love the big sounds!
Never understood the song or the video (and still don't) , but, dang, it still sounds great to the ears!
Que te parece Black, si te digo en español!eres cojonudo!!
I love this! Just the other day I heard this on the radio, and wondered if you would ever react to the video. This is such a classic song. You made my day!
As far as mishearing lyrics, for decades I thought he was singing "rises like a leopress" (female leopard) instead of Olympus. Makes more sense now.
One of my favourite songs...EVER!!!
That chorus still gives me chills.
You were incredibly deprived as a child to not have heard so many of the songs you’ve been discovering! Love your reaction videos!
One of my favorite songs!💜
Bless the rain! ☘️🇺🇲
Love this song. In my top 3.
Great song 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤛🏻🇬🇧
I Bless the Rains Down in Africa !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE THIS SONG!!
It is a SUPER BEAUTIFUL song, i dont care what it means...
I miss Africa
Leo Morecchioli from Frog Leap Studios does a phenominal cover of this song.
I've heard it is the song of a man that loves the continent of Africa but I don't think any of us back in the 70s ever really knew what it was about.
I always thought they were saying “ I guess the rains down in Africa “
This song and so many of the hits from the 1980s were used as a soundtrack for the TV show Miami Vice. I loved this show and as you play these '80s greats, I can visualize the scenes it underscored.
It is about the time beeing, to came back to Africa , the origin of rythm and so on...not mentioning things like I don't believe, but no one in this world, no one can deny, that African people have this rhythm in their vains way better than white or yellow bois will ever have. These ofc are all white bois, but they didn't came up with the this nor even .t Elvis, but were great mucisians still. TOTO may been at their peak the best studio band at the time. But at the same time maybe some years apart and old progressive band Genesismade this album back in 1983, that had many good songs, but the main 'hit'... MAMA was so fierce that I wasn't sure if this was really an album from Genesis. But what pter gabriel lefty to this band wa sthis amazing percussion and later on Peter Gabriel on hin solso career used this alot. Back in the 70's and 80's there were so huge bands that most of them didn't last together too long. I am so glad that my all time favorite band RUSH went down only because one of them died( Neil Peart, the most talented drummer ever and the lyririst of the band ) and not in money disputes and anything like it. But in AOR music TOTO is just great... allthough my favorite as my younger brothers albums from TOTO will be 'Isolation'. It was TOTO's heaviest album and alsdo the reasons to me and my brother to love it. 'Endless' and 'Isolation' , 'Carmen' and my younger brother's all time favorite is 'ANGELS DON'T CRY', but Fergie Frederigsen streched this sound in to max and near to metal. But to me that was the 'peak'for this band', but this song 'Africa ' will be played in the movies well after I am growing grass and flowers from my ...
Ohh Mega F ,yes ..great choice
This Toto album was the first album I bought.
You said missionary I always thought Peace Corps.
Hey dude ! , you must react next time, to these others banger hits : "Georgy porgy", "I'll supply the love" , "99" , "Good for you" , "Angel don't cry" , "Endless" , "St'George & the dragon", "All Us boys", "Make believe" , "I won't hold you back" & "White sister" .
Hes on a mission alright...lol. touch of that fever i spect. Lol ☘️ 🇺🇲
Love this song!!!!!