SKU: A0.943040

About the piece

Africa is a song by the American rock band Toto. It was included on their 1982 album Toto IV, and released as a single on September 30, 1982. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 5, 1983 (the band's only number one there), and number three on the UK Singles Chart the same month.

The initial idea and words for the song came from David Paich. Jeff Porcaro explains the idea behind the song: a white boy is trying to write a song on Africa, but since he's never been there, he can only tell what he's seen on TV or remembers in the past.

Paich said: At the beginning of the '80s 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.

In 2015, Paich explained the song is about a man's love of a continent, Africa, rather than just a personal romance. In 2018, Paich explained the song is about a person flying in to meet a lonely missionary. As a child, Paich attended a Catholic school. Several of the teachers had done missionary work in Africa, and this became the inspiration behind the line I bless the rains down in Africa.

About the arrangement

I have tried to keep as much of the original material used by Toto as possible, within the confines of a male voice choir arrangement. The arrangement is for TTBB and piano and can include sound effects made by the choir at the beginning to imitate rain and a thunderstorm. A bongo/djembe drum can be played through the choruses to add more of an African percussive feel. My thanks must go to Gareth Giles who helped create the piano part for this arrangement.

Duration: 4 mins

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