Africa (song)
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2008-07-08T00:24:52Z
Wolfer68
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{{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)]]