Retro Video of the Week: "Africa" by Toto

My sincerest apologies for the lack of posting this week.  Between work, that exciting NCAA Tournament championship game, and realizing I had yet to file my tax returns two days before going on vacation through the tax deadline, it's been a hectic first three days of the week.  Due to the aforementioned vacation, this will be my last post for a week and a half, as I'll be spending that time driving through the Irish countryside with three kids and a wife who will be yelling at me constantly whenever we see an oncoming vehicle.

Anywho, Friday marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Toto's aptly titled fourth studio album Toto IV.  It was a huge success, reaching #4 on the Billboard album chart, #1 on the album charts in Australia, Canada, and The Netherlands, and the Top 10 on the album charts in Japan, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK.  It went triple platinum in the U.S., and it's the band's best-selling album ever.

If you know only two Toto songs, they are likely "Africa" and "Rosanna" from Toto IV.  "Africa" was the band's first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Rosanna" reached #2.  The band had a third Top 10 hit from the album, "I Won't Hold You Back" (#10) and a fourth Top 40 hit with "Make Believe" (#30).

I'm going with "Africa."  It's the band's most well-known and beloved songs.  As soon as you hear the first measure of that synthesizer, you know what it is.  And that chorus is what karaoke dreams are made of.  The video is essentially the band sitting on a giant book called "Africa," interspersed with scenes from what I assume is an African library.