The Story Behind Weezer's cover of Africa by Toto

27 January 2019, 06:00 | Updated: 25 April 2022, 11:40

Rivers Cuomo and the LA pop rockers paid homage to the 1982 track back in 2019. Find out why and learn more about the single here.

Weezer are a big fan of a covers, taking on everything from the Pixies to Radiohead.

But last year, the LA pop rockers unveiled a cover of Toto's Africa, much to the amazement of their fans.

Listen to their version here:

Weezer - Africa

A quick listen sees Rivers Cuomo et al keeping it simple, and rightly so. After all, if it aint broke...

But why did they decide to cover the 1982 hit in the first place?

Apparently it's all down to a Twitter account called @weezerafrica.

As Noisey reports, 14-year-old Mary from the Cleveland area set up an account with one aim in mind: To get the band to "bless the rains down in Africa."

And how did she do it? By annoyingly tweeting the band over and over until they responded.

Amazingly, Mary managed to somehow cut through, and drummer Patrick Wilson was particularly amused by her efforts.

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Not only did the band begin engaging with the teen, but they only went and granted her wish, didn't they?

We guess there is a plus side to being a very persistent teenager with a lot of time on your hands after all...

Watch the official video for Toto's Africa here:

Toto - Africa (Video)

Africa was originally released by Toto in Ocrober 1982. It was the tenth and final track on their fourth studio album Toto IV, which was released the same year.

The song, which was written by band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro, hit number one on the US' Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the Canadian charts. The hit, which hit the UK Top 10 singles chart, remained popular throughout the '80s and '90s, before experiencing a resurgence thanks to social media and Weezer's fan-requested cover.

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