‘Africa’ By Toto – The Story Behind Their Amazing Biggest Hit
Out of all of the songs that Toto has released, ‘Africa’ by Toto is their biggest hit according to the Billboard charts. Ironically, ‘Rosana’ won all the Grammy’s but “Africa”…
MADRID, SPAIN – JULY 27: Steve Lukather of the American rock band Toto performs in concert during Noches del Botánico Music Festival at Real Jardín Botánico Alfonso XIII on July 27, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Mariano Regidor/Redferns)
(Photo by Mariano Regidor/Redferns)Out of all of the songs that Toto has released, 'Africa' by Toto is their biggest hit according to the Billboard charts. Ironically, 'Rosana' won all the Grammy's but "Africa" was Toto's only number one hit. "Rosana" stopped at number two.
David Paich's Inspiration for 'Africa' by Toto
'Africa' by Toto was written by their keyboardist, David Paich. In the liner notes of Toto's Best Ballads Compilation, David said of the song, "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." David had yet to visit Africa when he wrote the song.
Never Grammy Nominated
Although "Africa" was Toto's biggest hit, it was not nominated for a Grammy. The album was nominated for Record of the Year and "Rosana" was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. "Rosana" won for Record of the Year.
The Video for 'Africa' by Toto
Toto was one of a handful of American bands that were making videos before MTV hit. Those videos got Toto a lot of plays in the heyday of MTV. The video was directed by Steve Barron. Steve directed Toto's video for "Rosana" as well.
