It can be hard to understand why a hit song causes ambivalence in musicians who create and perform it. That seemingly was the case with Toto's 1982 smash, "Africa." Penned by band members Jeff Porcaro and David Paich, it was on their album Toto IV. It got a coveted Diamond certification from the RIAA. A monster success for Toto indeed!
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Even the greatest successes often have a dark side, too. Band member Steve Lukather talked candidly about that per People via Fail Better with David Ducovny. He was pretty honest about "Africa" and what he said might very well surprise you. In his opinion, the song became so closely identified with Toto that it all but took over the band's identity. I guess that could be a rather pesky and bothersome issue.
"For some reason, this 'Africa' thing has been a blessing and a curse. First off, it's the least Toto song out of our whole bunch, but that's the one everybody thinks that's what we are." He added, "We thought it was a throwaway song, We made the whole record without hearing the lyrics. And the last thing we did was put the lead vocal on. Everything else was done."
Steve Lukather Of Toto Acknowledged That Some Of The Lyrics To 'Africa' Can't Be Taken Literally
Lukather said that, "People try to think that we're serious about all this." He conceded that the band's members joked about some of the song's lyrics, knowing they were fanciful and bot geographically correct. For example, per the outlet, "Africa" mentions glimpsing Mount Kilimanjaro from the Serengeti, and that just cannot be done. Lukather also noted that some Beatles lyrics don't stack up logically when examined too closely.
The Song Got To Be The Band's 'Golden Carrot'
Ironically, Africa was Toto's sole chart-topping hit. "But it's become the golden carrot, you know, so you can't argue with it," Lukather admitted. At the very least, he thinks that this song might lure people to get interested in everything else the band put out there. "And then they find out these guys are actually a rock band."
