Africa

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25 Terms

1

Producers

David Paich and Jeff Porcaro

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2

Background

  • Recorded by toto in 1981

  • In album Toto IV

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3

Dynamics

Most of the song is mezzo-forte whilst the choruses are forte

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4

Metre

2/2

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5

General instrumentation

Rock Band:

  • drum kit with additional percussion

  • lead and bass guitars

  • synthesizers

  • male lead vocals and male backing vocals.

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6

Tempo

Moderately fast

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7

Form and structure

Verse/Chorus form

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8

Harmony

Diatonic throughout

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9
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10

Chorus chords

F#m, D, A, E
vi, iv, I, V

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11

Verse chords

B
D#m

G#m
B/F#

A/E
E/F#

G#m
A
G#m and C#m

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12

Africa texture

Homophonic

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13

‘pre’ Intro information

  • Percussion section that happens before intro

  • Uses African inspired instruments like congas, cowbells, shaker, drums, jingle stick

  • Layered rhythms (polyrhythms)

  • Ostinato

  • Syncopation

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14

Intro important information

  • B major

  • Very syncopated riff

  • Followed by a mini ostinato riff thing

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15

Intro first riff info

  • Very syncopated

  • Played with a kalimba like synth

  • Marimba like synth in bass

  • Riff gets repeated at bar 8 and 9 of each phrase

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16

Intro second ‘answering phrase’ riff thing

  • Mini ostinato (5 notes repeating)

  • Unusual pattern of 5 notes (syncopation)

  • Pentatonic

  • Harmony is 4ths apart - unusual for a pop song (African influence?)

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17

Verse 1 important information

  • Melisma at the end of each phrase on ‘conversations’, ‘salvation’ and ‘melodies’

  • Lots of repeated notes

  • All very syncopated

  • Uneven phrasing - 3 + 5 + 1 (9) three times, and then one 8 bar phrase

  • Lots of steps

  • Change to Harmonic Rhythm on chord G#m/C#m

  • In the lower part of singer’s voice until the end, when it goes into tenor range

  • Tenor range in link to chorus makes the song more exciting

  • Drum fill just before chorus

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18

Chorus 1 info

  • Switch to A major

  • Chords change from verse (VI, IV, I, V)

  • Simple pop chorus

  • Very high

  • Small range (Tonic (a) and leading tone (g#)

  • Simple melody

  • Becomes two part on ‘there’s nothing that’

  • Drums have a prominent ride cymbal

  • Becomes three part on ‘I bless the rains’

  • Mostly sylabbic except from last line on ‘had’

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19

Verse 2 info

Changes from first verse:

  • More backing vocals including oohs

  • Synth recorder sound (ascending scale - high)

  • Notes change on ‘deep inside’

  • 9 bars shorter (9+9+8)

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20

Link 1 / 2

Same riff as intro

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21

Instrumental part 1 info

  • Flute synth

  • Chords are similar to verse - this is kind of like verse 3

  • Also similar to intro but more developed

  • Pentatonic + harmonised in 4ths

  • Descending phrase with repeated quavers + triplet at 69

  • Notes are in groups of 3 - starts on lower pitch each time

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22

Instrumental part 2 info

  • Xylophone synth as well as flute synth

  • More varied and complex rhythm than first part

  • Harmonised in thirds

  • Not pentatonic - notes from E maj

  • More ascending and then descending

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23

Instrumental part 3 info

  • Similar to part 1 but ascending

  • Syncopated grace notes

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24

Chorus 3

  • 20 bars Longer - ‘I bless the rains’ x 5

  • Vocal improvisation part

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25

Outro info

Same as intro but with extra bass glissando

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