Africa (song) 1264192 224251940 2008-07-08T00:24:52Z Wolfer68 6204905 {{Unreferenced|date=October 2007}} {{Infobox Single | | Name = Africa | Cover = Toto - Africa.jpg | Artist = [[Toto (band)|Toto]] | from Album = [[Toto IV]] | Released = 1982 | Format = [[vinyl record|7"]], [[Compact Disc|CD]] | Recorded = 1982 | Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]] | Length = 4:58 | Label = [[Columbia Records]] | Producer = [[Toto (band)|Toto]] | Audio sample? = yes | Last single = "[[Make Believe (song)|Make Believe]]"<br/>(1982) | This single = "'''Africa'''"<br/>(1982) | Next single = "I Won't Hold You Back"<br/>(1982) {{Audiosample | Upper caption = Audio sample | Audio file = Africa by Toto.ogg }} }} "'''Africa'''" is a song by [[rock music|rock]] band [[Toto (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 have.'' 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. ==Covers== [[Singer-songwriter]]s [[Howie Day]] and [[Olivia Lufkin]] have recorded [[cover version]]s; Lufkin's version is released as the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] of her 2001 single, "[[Sea me]]". [[Virginia Coalition]] and [[Umphrey's McGee]] often perform "Africa" in their live shows, and the song has been a popular cover for [[a cappella]] groups. [[Tukuleur]], a group from Africa, recorded a French-language hip hop version of the song titled Afrika. American guitarist [[Andy McKee]] has recorded an instrumental version of the song on his ''Dreamcatcher'' album.<ref>{{cite web | title = Andy Mckee playing his acoustic guitar arrangement of Africa | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt1fB62cGbo }}</ref> ===Sampled on=== [[Image:Toto - Africa (video clip).jpg|right|thumb|200px|Toto in the music video for "Africa".]] "Africa" has been used as a sample in several songs. These include: *[[Nas]] - "New World" *[[Ja Rule]] - "Murder Reigns" *[[Xzibit]] - "Heart of Man" *[[JoJo (singer)|JoJo]] - "[[Anything (JoJo song)|Anything]]" *[[Cryzp]] - "Africa" *[[Eric Prydz]] - "Take Me Away" *[[Marcus Levin]] - "Take Me Away" *Brazen - "Toto" *[[Karl Wolf]] - "Africa" *[[Wordz]] - "Restless" ==In popular culture== * A quote from the second verse was voted the sixth worst lyric ever, in a poll for the BBC.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/events/lyrical/top10.shtml]</ref> <blockquote> 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, Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti. </blockquote> *''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'' features the song on the Emotion 98.3 radio station. *The ''[[American Dad!]]'' episode "[[Camp Refoogee]]" features the song briefly. Also in "[[Bullocks to Stan]]" at the cleaners, Stan is seen murmuring this song, changing the famous "I bless the rains down in Africa" line to "I crash the planes down in Africa." *''[[SingStar]]'' features the song on the ''[[SingStar Rock Ballads]]'' solos edition *The ''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'' episode "[[My Way Home]]" featured this song at the beginning of the episode. *It is the official song of the [[Great Midwest Trivia Contest]] held at [[Lawrence University]]. *A snippet of this song was repeatedly featured on the radio show ''[[Get This]]''. *A snippet of this song and the video was used in a [[SONY]] [[cassette tape]] commercial. *In an ''[[Achewood]]'' comic strip, [[Achewood#Ray Smuckles|Ray Smuckles]] is seen [http://achewood.com/index.php?date=03182002 dancing], presumably to the song. ==External links== *[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:y69gs35ba3pg~T51 Billboard Chart Listing - Allmusic.com] *[http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_totos_africa/ Mix Magazine's "Classic Tracks" article] ==References== {{reflist}} <!-- NOTE about succession boxes: these are designed to flow from one #1 article to the next regardless of songs dropping/returning to #1 - please do not create circular links or have the "preceding"/"succeeding" songs show the same thing. --> {{start box}} {{succession box | before = "[[Down Under (song)|Down Under]]" by [[Men at Work]] | title = [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] [[Hot 100 number-one hits of 1983 (United States)|number-one single]] | years = [[February 5]] [[1983]] – [[February 11]] [[1983]] (1 week) | after = "[[Baby, Come to Me]]" by [[Patti Austin]] and [[James Ingram]] }} {{end box}} {{Toto}} [[Category:1978 singles]] [[Category:Toto songs]] [[Category:ARC Weekly Top 40 number-one singles]] [[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]] [[fr:Africa (chanson)]] [[it:Africa (canzone)]]