Ten Favorite International Names Songs: Africa (#5)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (86939)
United States
December 20, 2016 9:19pm CST
Moving on we're going international after looking at U.S. city and state names. Here's the next song on the list of songs that have international locations in their titles....and our only continent on the countdown!
#5: Africa - Toto
I'm sorry.
But I love this song.
Yeah, I know.
Now, for your massive dose of trivia. (You're gonna learn something with a music geek around! 
). Lead singer on this song David Paich has a very storied history in music. His father is the late Marty Paich, who worked primarily as the pianist and arranger for the legendary Mel Tormé. Long before Toto started David had an award: father and son Paich won an Emmy for a song used in an episode of Ironside. Even that was eclipsed by Paich taking home a "Best R&B Song" Grammy award in 1977 for co-writing "Lowdown" with Boz Scaggs.
Most of the members of Toto worked with Scaggs on that album, and from there they formed the band and went on to multiple Grammy awards for Toto IV.
On their first tour, however, they were in town, opening for (wait for it) Rush (yes, that Rush) in 1978. They had an in-store at a local record store (Karma Records, for you Louisville natives), and off I went to meet them because of their association with Scaggs. When I got to Paich I told him, "I really like the work you did with Boz Scaggs." He lit up like a Christmas tree and thanked me.
None of that explains why I like the song. I just do. Despite the hokey video and the gross overplaying, this remains one of my favorite Toto songs.
Africa
Written by David Paich and Jeff Porcaro
Recorded by Toto
From Toto IV, 1982
I seek to cure what's deep inside:
). Lead singer on this song David Paich has a very storied history in music. His father is the late Marty Paich, who worked primarily as the pianist and arranger for the legendary Mel Tormé. Long before Toto started David had an award: father and son Paich won an Emmy for a song used in an episode of Ironside. Even that was eclipsed by Paich taking home a "Best R&B Song" Grammy award in 1977 for co-writing "Lowdown" with Boz Scaggs.
Most of the members of Toto worked with Scaggs on that album, and from there they formed the band and went on to multiple Grammy awards for Toto IV.
On their first tour, however, they were in town, opening for (wait for it) Rush (yes, that Rush) in 1978. They had an in-store at a local record store (Karma Records, for you Louisville natives), and off I went to meet them because of their association with Scaggs. When I got to Paich I told him, "I really like the work you did with Boz Scaggs." He lit up like a Christmas tree and thanked me.
None of that explains why I like the song. I just do. Despite the hokey video and the gross overplaying, this remains one of my favorite Toto songs.
Africa
Written by David Paich and Jeff Porcaro
Recorded by Toto
From Toto IV, 1982
I seek to cure what's deep inside:
Toto's official music video for 'Africa'. Click to listen to Toto on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/TotoSpotify?IQid=TotoAFR As featured on The Essential Toto. ...
3 people like this
3 responses
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
21 Dec 16
Rare that you include a song that was a really big hit.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43685)
• Denver, Colorado
21 Dec 16
I didn't know he cowrote "Lowdown."
Used to play this on the radio all the time. I never tried it elsewhere, but on our version, if you turned it up pretty loud, about halfway through, you could hear what sounded like a chicken.
1 person likes this
