TOTO "africa" classic or dud

"I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become" <-- what does this line mean?

Midlevel office-supply-store manager wishes he were some sort of suave international spy, who has dark impulses and a sinister pain gnawing at his soul.

Instead, what he has is a basement apartment in his mom's house, and a late payment on his El Camino.

How can I hide this thread? I’m joshing really but hasn’t everything that can be said about this song been said?

No because every few months someone comes in to ask why it's still a trending topic, and oldsters need to school that poster, and the discussion starts again.

Really what it needs is a pinned FAQ, so that whenever some afriNoob comes in to ask why this thread is active, they get a canned synopsis of the discussion so far, and are discouraged from asking the question anew.

Sounds reasonable

Not sure that it matters what he seeks to cure or what thing he has become. Makes it more universal of a journey.

Years ago, most likely in the mid to late '90s, a band I was in played with a fake '80s Teen Beat band called Romania. That night, they covered "Africa." I'm pretty sure it all starts there.

I rather liked Romania, and this is disappointing to hear.

tropical house as well as jack antonoff xp

Would def explain why it interested my senior production students from last year

I don't think rickrolling involved much actual appreciation for Rick Astley's music, though? (although he good-naturedly parlayed it to his advantage)

― empire bro-lesque (morrisp), Friday, August 10, 2018 2:43 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm thinking more along the lines of something like the use of Wilson Phillips' "Hold On" in Bridesmaids (2011) -- simultaneous activation of "cheesy nostalgia" and "good song / real emotion" factors -- though there are probably better examples.

― empire bro-lesque (morrisp), Friday, August 10, 2018 2:45 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Agree. I don't think there were videos of Gaelic choirs singing translated versions of "Never Gonna Give You Up" (?).

The distinguished totoafricologists here itt have done respectable work on why this song / why now.

But I understand the perspective of those who wonder Where Is The Love for a lot of equally deserving songs.

Like, what if there were a way to reapportion a tenth of the pixels spilled on "Africa" and "Don't Stop Believing" toward, like "We Belong," "Separate Ways," "Love Is a Battlefield," "Turn Your Love Around," "Do You Believe in Love," Pass the Dutchie."

I’m not sure a song by a female vocalist could ever achieve this degree of meme-ification...

I’m not sure a song by a female vocalist could ever achieve this degree of meme-ification...

― empire bro-lesque (morrisp), Friday, August 10, 2018 6:23 PM (five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah I said this earlier, with the exception of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" I can't think of one

the memeification isn't so much an issue here, it's the part where the memeification starts to affect actual musical canon where it gets annoying as all hell

Agree. I don't think there were videos of Gaelic choirs singing translated versions of "Never Gonna Give You Up" (?).

"never gonna give you up" doesn't have much in the way of melodies & harmonies that would translate well to a choir </hongro>

xp total eclipse otm but also millennials LOVE stevie nicks songs!

this discussion makes me think of the actually sincere and somewhat beautiful use of "Life In A Northern Town" in one episode of "King of the Hill"

But I understand the perspective of those who wonder Where Is The Love for a lot of equally deserving songs.

Yeah, like What is Love

incidentally there shall be no love for "where is the love" despite how much the black eyed peas would like that (i know they tried reviving it within the past few years)

Years ago, most likely in the mid to late '90s, a band I was in played with a fake '80s Teen Beat band called Romania. That night, they covered "Africa." I'm pretty sure it all starts there.

Whoa, I saw Romania at some point in the mid to late '90s, and no offense but I would have had more fun if they'd covered "Africa" at some point

My friend dared me to quote Africa during training at work. I did it in the clumsiest way possible.

Trainee: So you'll go easy on us, right?

Me: Yes, sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti...

*silence*

I wonder what they think of this song over at the retirement home...

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/a-hilarious-and-deep-look-into-totos-africa.334359/

Steve Hoffman
Your Host
Your Host
"Africa" by Toto. One of my favorite songs, I'll shout it from the rooftops.
Nov 13, 2013
theMess, OneStepBeyond, DrAftershave and 23 others like this.

I finally heard this Weezer thing and what bugs me the most actually is that they covered it IN A LOWER KEY

Tbf the notes are ridic high

I bless the key change of Africa

sure as kilmanjaro rises only 75% of the height of olympus above the serengeti

Half step down so more like 91-92%!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7n6iYXiBb8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzrToqsPmyw

bobby actually comments on this one complaining about the monitors lol

good rehersel imo

wow there's a really sad biopic to be made here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jafRIOpxoc

Name sounded familiar and turns out the author of this was in Hugo Largo.

http://www.realclearlife.com/music/weezers-africa-worst-pop-recording-time/

points off for referring to “Separate Ways” as “Journey’s ‘Love Will Find You’” but does make me want to hear Toto’s “Hash Pipe”

you can summon conceptually and creatively loathsome music like . . . anything by Oingo Boingo

GTFO with this

Rock’n’Roll is the sound of America’s disenfranchised, made electric.

Rock'n'roll has been The Establishment for at least 40 years if not longer, and you don't get to just blithely claim hip-hop as "rock'n'roll" for whatever the purposes of this argument are.

v difficult karaoke song ime

“All those little musical catchphrases that were in the hit are all there, but it’s taking place in a soundscape that’s the size of the Serengeti. You think, ‘This is background music.’ No. It’s foreground music. It’s a lot of what I listened to when I was doing First National Band, and one of the reasons why without [pedal steel guitarist] Red Rhodes I never would have been able to put it together. First National Band left a lot on the table. This is on the channel called Shitpost Wizard.”

basically somebody needs to play michael the 11 minute version of "don't you know" by the jan hammer group

http://www.citypages.com/music/82-hit-songs-from-1982-wed-rather-hear-than-totos-africa/491395521

haha that might as well be the top 82 numbers between 1 and 82.

re: the realclearlife link…Tim Sommer has in the past couple of years proffered very caffeinated, tedious hot takes for a couple of outlets. as I guess he's trying to be a pundit decades after Hugo Largo and having signed Hootie and the Blowfish. The most notable such outlet was the New York Observer well into the stewardship of one Ken Kurson, a one time punk rocker who worked for Giuliani 10 years ago and who gutted the legacy of the Observer, a paper I treasure having written for, on the say so of jared Kushner. Well into 2016 and Kurson having been a co-writer of one of President Diarrhea's statements re: the retweeted Star of David/cash meme, Sommer continued to associate with Kurson. So he can shut his fucking mouth re: that hair-ruffling line in his weezer/africa jeremiad. When it counted, he worked for a trumpworld lackey, and apparently still associates with the guy, who was up for a national endowment of the arts post until the feds found out that he's a shady piece of shit.

jfc

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-45608054

A music venue in Bristol is going to play Africa by Toto on loop all night to raise funds for an African charity.

DJ Michael Savage will play the US rock band's biggest hit on vinyl for "five hours straight" at The Exchange in Bristol on 30 November.
He said people can be sponsored for how long they last.

Band member Steve Lukather said in a tweet he would "kill someone after about five plays". He added: "Imagine if you will, we cut this 1981. You think YOU have heard it too much? LOL".

They should raise money by saying for every donation they get they will play it a minute less or something.

The local radio station plays this song once every day, so I feel like cumulatively I've listened to it for five hours already.

Lukather seems cool

https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/media/large/1/0/b/a8d54fc8acb569fe079f7f1dbd22b.jpg
checks out

Luke slays on beat it

Are you guys familiar with his guitar teacher?

Luke is a bit of a rockist crybaby

I was at a high school football game today. dJ playing exclusively hip hop until the game started, then switched to Weezer’s Rosanna and Africa

He met you all the way

There was no reason for a cover of this song.