Song: Africa (1982)
Artist: Toto
Album: Toto IV (Columbia)
The lyric “I bless the rains down in Africa” come from the band Toto’s greatest hit song, Africa, released on the album Toto IV in 1982. It is said to be misheard, sometimes, as “I left my brains down in Africa” but it is uncertain whether this particular mondegreen is a made-up one (many are!). Although Neil Pert, the drummer, and lyricist of Rush, was talented at placing big words into rock songs, Toto manages, in Africa, to do something he could never dream of, putting “Kilimanjaro” into a song without forcing the phrasing or messing up the melody.
Toto Africa Chorus
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
Africa was written by the band founders David Paich and Jeff Porcaro. The song Rosanna, from the same album, had done well in the charts, staying and no. 2 for five weeks. But, Africa made it all the way to number one in February of 1983. It has the distinction of being the only number one song with the name of a continent in its title.
Toto’s Album Toto IV, even though it, like the band, was panned by critics, won for six categories in the 1983 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for Rosanna, and Album of the year.
The lead singer Bobby Kimball, whose real last name is Toteaux (rumored to be the source of the band’s name, along with Dorothy’s dog), left the band the next year, and singer Dennis “Fergie” Frederiksen too over. Toto was not able to recapture the success of Toto IV in subsequent albums.
Some other well-known hit songs from Toto include Hold the Line and Pamela.
Listen to (and Watch) Toto Playing Africa Live
Fantastic backup singers on this…
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