Africa by Toto: I Hear the Drums Echoing Tonight

Africa by Toto I bless the rains down in Africa

Africa is a legendary song by the American rock band Toto. The band released 17 albums and since 1977 sold over 35 million albums. Toto was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009. 

One of their best-known songs is Africa, this iconic 80's song tells the story of a young man who travels to Africa and must make a choice whether to leave with his love who flew in to take him back home or stay in the land he fell in love with, Africa. 

Toto keyboard player David Paich wrote the song, and explained in the liner notes of Toto's Best Ballads compilation: "At the beginning of the 80's 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." Paich had never been to Africa when he wrote the song.

 

Toto Africa song 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

Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

I seek to cure what's deep inside

Frightened of this thing that I've become

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

(Instrumentals)

Hurry, boy, she'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

I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rains)

I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rains)

I bless the rains down in Africa

I bless the rains down in Africa (Ah, gonna take some time)

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had, ooh-ooh

Toto Africa song facts:

• Recorded: October 25, 1981
• Released: May 10, 1982
• Song length: 4:55 album and 7:05 extended version
• Songwriters: Stone
• Africa lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
• Songwriters: David F Paich, Jeffrey T Porcaro
• Africa lyrics © Spirit Music Group

Africa lives on in popular culture:

• The song was used in the Top Gear Africa Special
• In the TV show Community, Troy and Abed sing "Africa" with Professor Bauer in Anthropology 101's End Tag
• Instrumentals of the song briefly play in the American Dad! The episode titled "Camp Refoogee".
• Africa is featured in the Family Guy the episode "Internal Affairs" It is the song that was playing when Joe and Bonnie first met, and becomes their song.

Like Toto’s Africa, the best songs have combined clever lyrics and imagery African Proverbs combine knowledge and truth in petite condensed sayings.

African proverbs bring people together, read and study more proverbs, quotes, and sayings from the African continent.

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