Africa (Toto song)
Encyclopedia
"Africa" is a song by rock
band Toto
, and one of the band's most recognizable songs. It 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
the same month. The song was written by the band's keyboardist/vocalist David Paich
and drummer Jeff Porcaro
.
David Paich said: "At the beginning of the '80s I watched a late night documentary on TV about all the terrible death and suffering of the people in Africa. It both moved and appalled me and the pictures just wouldn't leave my head. I tried to imagine how I'd feel about if I was there and what I'd do."
Musically the song took quite some time to assemble, as Paich and Porcaro explain:
Jeff Porcaro reminisces about how the song's percussion tracks took shape:
"Africa" was played on all of Toto's tours from its release until the band's breakup in 2008. It was sung by David Paich
at the 2009 Millennium Development Goals
Awards Ceremony.
. The story is of a researcher in a library (portrayed by band member David Paich
), looking for clues to a book called Africa. Many scenes include the band performing atop a stack of hardcover books. This video also features Mike Porcaro
on bass, replacing the original bassist David Hungate
who had already left the band before the video was made.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
, and one of the band's most recognizable songs. It was included on their 1982 album Toto IV
Toto IV
Toto IV is the fourth studio album by American band Toto released in 1982 .The album received six Grammy Awards including Record of the Year for "Rosanna", Album of the Year for Toto IV and Producer of the Year for the band. It reached number four on the Billboard Pop Albums chart shortly after its...
, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in February 1983 and number three on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
the same month. The song was written by the band's keyboardist/vocalist David Paich
David Paich
David Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
and drummer Jeff Porcaro
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
.
Background
The initial idea for the song came from David Paich. Jeff Porcaro explains the idea behind the song: "... 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."David Paich said: "At the beginning of the '80s I watched a late night documentary on TV about all the terrible death and suffering of the people in Africa. It both moved and appalled me and the pictures just wouldn't leave my head. I tried to imagine how I'd feel about if I was there and what I'd do."
Musically the song took quite some time to assemble, as Paich and Porcaro explain:
"On 'Africa' you hear a combination of marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
with GS 1. The kalimba is all done with the GS 1; it's six tracks of GS 1 playing different rhythms. I wrote the song on CS-80, so that plays the main part of the entire tune."
Jeff Porcaro reminisces about how the song's percussion tracks took shape:
"I was about 11 when the New York's World Fair1964 New York World's FairThe 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
took place, and I went to the African pavilion with my family. I saw the real thing; I don't know what tribe, but there were these drummers playing, and my mind was blown... It was the first time I witnessed someone playing one beat and not straying from it, like a religious experience, where it gets loud, and everyone goes into a trance. I have always dug those kind of orchestras, whether it be a band or all drummers... and I said, 'Gee, someday there's going to be a little drum orchestra where everybody plays one thing, and you don't stray from it. You do it until you drop. You're banished from that land if you move from that one part.'
"So when we were doing 'Africa', I set up a bass drum, snare drum and a hi-hat, and Lenny Castro set up right in front of me with a congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
. We looked at each other and just started playing the basic groove.... The backbeat is on 3, so it's a half-time feel, and it's 16th notes on the hi-hat. Lenny started playing a conga pattern. We played for five minutes on tape, no click, no nothing. We just played. And I was singing the bass line for 'Africa' in my mind, so we had a relative tempo. Lenny and I went into the booth and listened back to the five minutes of that same boring pattern. We picked out the best two bars that we thought were grooving, and we marked those two bars on tape. We made another mark four bars before those two bars. Lenny and I went back out; I had a cowbell, Lenny had a shaker. They gave us two new tracks, and they gave us the cue when they saw the first mark go by. Lenny and I started playing to get into the groove, so by the time the that fifth bar came – which was the first bar of the two bars we marked as the cool bars we liked – we were locked, and we overdubbed shaker and cowbell.
"So there was bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, two congas, a cowbell, and a shaker. We went back in, cut the tape, and made a one-bar tape loop... Maybe it would have taken two minutes to program that in the LinnLinnDrumThe LinnDrum is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics. It was released in 1982 as a successor to the Linn LM-1. The LinnDrum has 15 drum sounds sampled from real drums, a sequencer for programming rhythm patterns and five trigger inputs....
, and it took about half an hour to do this. But a Linn machine doesn't feel like that! So we had an analog groove. We took that tape, transferred it onto another 24-track for six minutes, and David Paich and I went out in the studio. The song started, and I was sitting there with a complete drumset, and Paich was playing. When he got to the fill before the chorus, I started playing the chorus, and when the verse or the intro came back, I stopped playing. Then we had piano and drums on tape. You have to realize that there are some odd bars in 'Africa', so when you have a one-bar loop going, all of a sudden, sometimes Lenny's figure would turn around. So Lenny went in and played the song again, but this time he changed his pattern a little for the turnarounds, for the fills, for the bridge, for the solo. We kept the original part and the new one. Then we had to do bongos, jingle sticks, and big shakers doing quarter notes, maybe stacking two tracks of sleigh bells, two tracks of big jingle sticks, and two tracks of tambourine all down to one track. I was trying to get the sounds I would hear Milt Holland or Emil Richards have, or the sounds I would hear in a 'National Geographic' special, or the ones I heard at the New York World's Fair."
"Africa" was played on all of Toto's tours from its release until the band's breakup in 2008. It was sung by David Paich
David Paich
David Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
at the 2009 Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
Awards Ceremony.
Music video
The music video was directed by Steve BarronSteve Barron
Steven "Steve" Barron is a director and producer, best known for directing the films Coneheads , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the innovative music videos for a-ha's "Take on Me" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"....
. The story is of a researcher in a library (portrayed by band member David Paich
David Paich
David Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
), looking for clues to a book called Africa. Many scenes include the band performing atop a stack of hardcover books. This video also features Mike Porcaro
Mike Porcaro
Mike Porcaro is best noted as the bass player in the Grammy Award winning band, Toto.He is the middle brother of Toto members Jeff Porcaro and Steve Porcaro...
on bass, replacing the original bassist David Hungate
David Hungate
David Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
who had already left the band before the video was made.
Covers
- The song has been covered in 1982 by Key of DreamsKey of DreamsKey of Dreams is an acoustic guitar jazz fusion ensemble from Portland, Oregon that has been performing since 2003. Founding members Eric Schultheis and Abe Wirth take their inspiration from classical, metal, jazz, flamenco, funk, rock and electronic styles of music.The Portland Oregonian says...
, Italo DiscoItalo discoItalo disco encompasses much of the dance music output in Europe during the 1980s. It is one of the world's first forms of mostly electronic dance music and evolved during the late 1970s and early 1980s in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe...
style. - The ShadowsThe ShadowsThe Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
did an instrumental of the song in 1983. - Singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
s Howie DayHowie DayHoward Kern "Howie" Day is an American singer-songwriter. Beginning his career as a solo artist in the late 1990s, Day became known for his extensive touring and in-concert use of samplers and effects pedals in order to accompany himself...
and Virginia CoalitionVirginia CoalitionVirginia Coalition is a rock band from Alexandria, Virginia, who met in the early 1990s through their music class at T. C. Williams High School. Referred to as VACO by fans, the band released their first album, The Colors of The Sound in 1998...
and Umphrey's McGeeUmphrey's McGeeUmphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation", or "improg" ....
perform versions of "Africa" in their live shows, and the song has been a popular cover for a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
groups. - SubAudible HumSubAudible HumSubAudible Hum are an indie rock band based in Melbourne, Australia. Often compared to Radiohead they are active on the live circuit, particularly in their home town, they have released three albums, one of which was nominated for the J Award; In Time For Spring, On Came The Snow...
covered this song for Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Like a VersionLike A VersionLike a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show...
. - Belgian-born Canadian singer Lara FabianLara FabianLara Fabian is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English....
used this song on her Nue Tour in 2001 as an interlude performance to her NueNueA nue is a legendary creature found in Japanese folklore. It is described as having the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake as a tail. According to the legend, a nue can metamorphose into a black cloud and fly. Due to its appearance, it is sometimes...
album track "Rio" with one of her backup singers singing lead on the verses. - German band PyogenesisPyogenesis-History:Formed as Immortal Hate by Tim Eiermann, Joe Proell and Pit Muley, they recorded their demo Pyogenesis of a Festered Corpse in September 1990. With addition of second guitarist/vocalist Flo Schwarz, they renamed to Pyogenesis. First EP, Ignis Creatio, was released in 1992 on Osmose....
covered their song in their full length album, Mono, ... or will it ever be. - Phonte ColemanPhontePhonte Coleman, better known as Phonte, is a Grammy nominated American rapper, formerly of the now defunct North Carolina trio Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer...
, member of the rap group Little Brother covered the song for his 80's cover album, Zo and Tigallo Love the 80's. - Chris de BurghChris de BurghChris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
covered it on his 2008 covers album FootstepsFootsteps (Chris de Burgh album)Footsteps is singer/songwriter Chris de Burgh's seventeenth original album, released in 2008. This album includes two songs penned by de Burgh and cover versions of thirteen other songs...
. - LowryLowry (band)Lowry is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band with members originally hailing from Kansas, New Zealand, Australia, North Carolina and Canada. Originally emerging from New York City's "anti-folk" scene, the band has gone through several incarnations before settling into its current line-up in early 2008...
recorded a cover of the song for Engine Room RecordingsEngine Room RecordingsEngine Room Recordings is an independent record label with a roster of Indie rock and Alternative rock musicians. Beyond marketing and distribution for its artists, the label does booking and artist management....
' compilation album Guilt by Association Vol. 2Guilt by Association Vol. 2Guilt by Association Vol. 2 is a compilation album released November 18, 2008 by Engine Room Recordings. Like its predecessor, Guilt by Association Vol. 1, it features indie rock artists covering well-known pop and R&B songs.-Overview:...
, which was released in November 2008. - Wellington International Ukulele OrchestraWellington International Ukulele OrchestraThe Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra is an ensemble of ukulele players based in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from a double bass the band is composed entirely of ukuleles. Their repertoire consists mainly of covers of modern popular music and some ukulele and New Zealand standards...
recorded a cover the song on their 2009 release, The Dreaming EP. - Olivia Lufkin did a slow cover of the song on her Sea Me single.
- Straight No ChaserStraight No Chaser (a cappella group)Straight No Chaser is the name of two related but separate a cappella men's singing groups. The Indiana University group is composed of 10 to 12 undergraduate men whose lineup changes every year. The professional group, known simply as Straight No Chaser, is composed of former members, mostly...
did an a capella cover of the song in the late 1990s for a bonus track on their album, "Holiday Spirits." They rerecorded the song as an Amazon.com exclusive track for their 2010 album, "With A Twist." (The song was also included in the group's most famous work, the "Twelve Days of ChristmasThe Twelve Days of Christmas (song)"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Although first published in England in 1780, textual evidence may indicate the song is French in origin...
" medley, which ends with "Africa" set to different lyrics.) - Alternative Christian rock band Relient KRelient KRelient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
has performed the song at some of their live shows in 2010, and included it on their 2011 cover album, K Is for KaraokeIs for KaraokeIs For Karaoke is a 2011 cover album by American rock band Relient K. The first seven songs were released on July 28 as Is for Karaoke EP, and on October 4 the remaining songs were released as Is for Karaoke Pt...
. - Acoustic guitar virtuoso Andy McKeeAndy McKeeAndy McKee is an American fingerstyle guitarist, currently signed to the American record label .His style of playing and his compositions have earned him a considerable international fanbase...
also did a solo arrangement of Africa for guitar, encompassing many percussive and alternative techniques that are the hallmarks of his playing. - Philip LawsonPhilip Lawson (baritone)Philip Lawson is a composer and arranger, mostly of a cappella and sacred music. He is currently a baritone with The King's Singers and has been the group's principal arranger for the past fifteen years. In 2009 the group's album "Simple Gifts", on which Lawson arranged 10 out of 15 tracks, won...
of The King's Singers has done an arrangement of the song, now performed by many high-school choirs. It is published by Hal Leonard Corporation. - The Slovenian a capella group, Perpetuum JazzilePerpetuum JazzilePerpetuum Jazzile is a Slovenian choir that performs jazz and popular music. It was founded as Gaudeamus Chamber Choir in 1983 by Marko Tiran. In 2001, Tiran passed the art directorship of the choir to Tomaž Kozlevčar, the renowned music producer, arranger and vocalist, who was followed by Peder...
did a version of this song from their album of the same name, Africa. They credit their version to Kearsney College Choir, who did a version as well. - Pop singer Jason DeruloJason DeruloJason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
has used an interpolation of the chorus in his single, "Fight for YouFight for You"Fight for You" is a song by American recording artist Jason Derülo, taken from his second studio album, Future History . It was written by Derülo, Steve Hoang, David F. Paich and Jeffrey T. Porcaro. Production for the song was handled by RedOne, BeatGeek and Geo Slam. "Fight for You" will be...
" from his 2011 album Future HistoryFuture History (album)Future History is the second studio album by American recording artist Jason Derülo, first released on September 16, 2011. Production for the album was provided by DJ Frank E, The Fliptones and frequent collaborator J.R...
.
Personnel
- Steve LukatherSteve LukatherSteve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
- backing vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Bobby KimballBobby KimballRobert Troy "Bobby" Kimball is an American singer, best known as the longtime frontman of the rock band Toto.- Early life:...
- backing vocal - David HungateDavid HungateDavid Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jeff PorcaroJeff PorcaroJeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
- drums, percussion - Steve PorcaroSteve PorcaroSteven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....
- synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - David PaichDavid PaichDavid Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
- lead and backing vocals, piano, synthesizer
Guest Musicians
- Jim Horn - recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
s - Lenny CastroLenny CastroLenny Castro is an American freelancing percussionist in the studio recording industry in the Los Angeles area.-Early life:Castro is a percussionist of Puerto Rican descent and was born and raised in New York City. His father, Hector Castro, played the keyboard in a Latin style and gave his son...
- congas, percussion - Joe Porcaro - marimbas, percussion
- Timothy B. SchmitTimothy B. SchmitTimothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
t - backing vocal
Charts
| Chart (1982-3) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 5 |
| Austrian Top 40 | 7 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 8 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 8 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 2 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 18 |
| French Singles Chart | 27 |
| German Singles Chart | 14 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 22 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 8 |
| South African Singles Chart | 18 |
| Spanish Radio Chart | 18 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 6 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
Year-End Chart
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Top 40 | 18 |
| Belgian VRT Top 30 | 85 |
| German Media Control Charts | 88 |
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 24 |
| Australian Kent Music Report | 25 |
| U.K. Singles Charts | 38 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 75 |
See also
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1983
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1983 (U.S.)
External links
- [ Billboard Chart Listing - Allmusic.com]
- Mix Magazine's "Classic Tracks" article