Africa – Toto (1982)

Description

Additional information about this, Toto vinyl art.

Toto – The Artist

Toto was an American rock band formed in 1977 in Los Angeles. The band’s most recent lineup consisted of Joseph Williams (lead vocals), David Paich (keyboards, vocals), Steve Porcaro (keyboards), Steve Lukather (guitars, vocals), plus touring members Lenny Castro (percussion), Warren Ham (saxophone), Shem von Schroeck (bass) and Shannon Forrest (drums). Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, blues, and jazz. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the late 1970s and 1980s, beginning with the band’s eponymous debut released in 1978. With the release of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Toto IV (1982), Toto became one of the best-selling music groups of their era. Widely known for the Top 5 hits “Hold the Line”, “Rosanna”, and “Africa”.

Africa – The Song

‘Africa’ is a song recorded by the American rock band Toto in 1981, for their fourth studio album Toto IV, and released as the album’s third single in 1982, through Columbia Records. The song was written by band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro.
Critics praised its composition and Toto’s performances. Lyrically the song It is about a man’s love of a continent rather than being a song about a personal romance. The song was popular throughout the world especially in the US and the UK. The song was accompanied by a music video, which premiered in 1983, and was directed by Steve Barron, who collaborated previously with the group for “Rosanna”. The video features Toto in a library, as they perform and showcase various aspects of African culture. While popular in the 1980s and 1990s, with the song being certified gold by the RIAA in 1991, “Africa” saw a resurgence in popularity via social media during the mid- to late 2010s.

The Continent Africa  – The Shape

This record has been modelled into a  silhouette of the African continent. Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth’s total surface area and 20% of its land area. With 1.3 billion people as of 2018, it accounts for about 16% of the world’s human population. Africa’s average population is the youngest amongst all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4. Despite a wide range of natural resources, the continent is one of the least wealthy per capita in large part due to the legacies of European colonisation in Africa. Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and the large and young population make Africa an important economic market in the broader global context.

Need Help?  Contact Us