Toto - Africa -

The story behind Toto's 1982 hit is one of romanticized imagination and accidental genius, written by a songwriter who, at the time, had never actually set foot on the continent. The Inspiration

The song was primarily written by keyboardist , who found the song's signature "brassy" opening riff while experimenting with a new CS-80 synthesizer . The chorus melody and lyrics reportedly came to him in just ten minutes, a process he described as almost "divine channeling". Toto - Africa

Lyrically, the song was inspired by two distinct influences from Paich's life: The story behind Toto's 1982 hit is one