In 1982, just five years after forming in Los Angeles, Toto became known for their power pop-rock ballad hits “Africa” and “Rosanna.” Along with hit “Rosanna,” which went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also released on the band’s fourth album Toto IV, “Africa” elevated the band beyond earlier hits like “Hold the Line” from 1978.
Written by Toto keyboardist David Paich and the late drummer Jeff Porcaro (1954-1992), “Africa” shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Toto IV earned the band six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.
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[RELATED: Behind the Song: Toto, “Africa”]
Even though “Africa” brought Toto great success, it was nearly cut from the album before Al Keller at CBS convinced the band to leave the track on. “I thought it was the worst song on the album,” said Lukather. “It didn’t fit, the lyrics made no sense and I swore that if it was a hit record, I’d run naked down Hollywood Boulevard.”
When “Africa” and “Rosanna” blew up, Lukather said those songs did not represent the scope of the band’s sound. “A lot of people categorize us as that ‘Africa’ or ‘Rosanna’ band, and I hate that s–t,’” said Lukather to the UK publication Rock’s Backpages. “We have a lot more substance than that. Don’t get me wrong, those songs have been great to us, but you really don’t understand the depth of the band if that’s all you know.”
In another interview in 2021, Lukather added, “There was stuff off ‘Isolation’ [1984] like ‘Endless’ or ‘Angel Don’t Cry’ which I thought for sure would have been hits. But we were getting a lot of s–t at rock radio. They just wouldn’t look at us after ‘Africa’ hit and all the ballads. They just didn’t consider us a rock band, so they discarded our music.”
Science: “Africa” is “The Best Song Ever Made”
To make matters worse, “Africa” received even more praise in 2017 when a team of neuroscientists and music experts concluded that “Africa” is “the best song ever made.” After reviewing the emotive side—feeling and emotions tied to a song—along with more sophisticated brain wave data analysis and dopamine measurements, “Africa” went to the top.
“We can measure how people respond to a song in a bunch of ways, including brain scans,” said Daniel Glaser, neuroscientist and director of the Science Gallery at King’s College London. “Actually measuring foot tapping or the smile muscles is probably just as good as more ‘scientific methods.'”
David Poeppel, professor of psychology and neural science at New York University, added “Science says ‘Africa’ is the best song ever made.”
Weezer and Weird “Al”
In 2018, “Africa” had another resurgence when Weezer released a cover of the song, along with a a music video starring Weird “Al” Yankovic performing as Weezer’s frontman Rivers Cuomo. The band’s cover of “Africa” was their first song to hit the Billboard Hot 100 (at No. 51) since “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” in 2009. Weezer’s “Africa” also went to No. 1 on the Alternative Songs, making it their first No. 1 since 2008 single “Pork and Beans.”
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Today, Lukather still has a love-hate relationship with “Africa,” but it remains a staple on the Toto’s setlist.
“Forty-five years later, I’m still trying to fight,” said Lukather. “It’s like, ‘Why don’t you just come to see the band once before you think we’re just ‘Africa’?’ It’s a kitschy little gift that we’ve been given.”
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Yamaha
