Over 740,000,000 YouTube views of one of my favorite songs (1982), a song which never grows old for me — "Africa," by Toto:
Lyrics:
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 old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say
"Hurry boy, it'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
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had (ooh, ooh)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 Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've becomeIt'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 (ooh, ooh)Hurry boy, she's waiting there for youIt'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 bless the rains down in Africa
(I bless the rain)
I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
(Gonna take the time)
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had (ooh, ooh)Source: LyricFindSongwriters: David F Paich / Jeffrey T PorcaroAfrica lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing, Spirit Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group
Great vid! Thanks, FJ.
ReplyDeleteAfrica is a timeless classic. I personally prefer Leo Moraccholi's metal cover version....but my musical tastes differ a bit from this audiences.
ReplyDeletehttps://laughingsquid.com/heavy-metal-cover-africa-toto/
Great tune.
ReplyDeleteI remember when this song came out. I was new in the Air Force and in a new place. The song always struck me as weird, but its catchy.
ReplyDeleteMy Kids generation all know it, because it had become a high school chorus staple, probably because the teachers grew up in the 80's.
Here is a really cool Rolling Stone article about this iconic song
How Toto’s ‘Africa’ Became the New ‘Don’t Stop Believin”
SF,
DeleteExcellent link! Thank you.
The band Weezer has a cover of "Africa" that is surprisingly faithful yet still Weezer-y.
ReplyDelete@CI - check out Leo's cover of "Mama" by Genesis.
ReplyDeleteIf it can't be metal, it ain't good :P
You are absolutely correct!
DeleteI hadn't heard Mama yet, but I'll check it out.
Interesting to read the "meanings" of the tune.. I had an entirely different interpretation for myself.. I guess thats what makes music.. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is song is a beautiful classic.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
DeleteI think so, too.