Toto appreciation blog

I recently came across a YouTube clip of Toto performing Africa in 1982. Toto was one of the most lame bands of the 1980s, and yet I like a lot of their music. Rosanna, I'll Be Over You, Hold the Line, and I Won't Hold You Back are all in my iTunes playlist...

Africa is so strange. The lyrics are bizarre - "I know that I must do what's right, sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti." The way they repeat "I bless the rains down in Africa" five times in the final chorus... it's bizarre and I like it.

Some interesting Toto trivia:
-Steve Lukather and Mike Porcaro played on Michael Jackson's Thriller.
-Singer Bobby Kimball left the band due to drug problems, which I always found hilarious, the idea that a member of Toto had drug problems. Because, you know, they partied so hard.
-Kimball has rejoined the group and now performs with them live, but amazingly, he lip synchs the chorus to Africa now, because he can't hit the high notes.

No such problems in this clip. It's a really good performance: Toto - Africa (live in Japan, 1982)