Tuesday, September 15, 2009

#51: Africa (the song)

Long time readers of this site know that Notre Dame Students love Africa (see #1), but what they might not be aware of is that there are two types of Africa that Notre Dame Students Like.  The first is, and more obvious one, is the continent; while the second, and less obvious one, is the 1982 hit song by the band Toto.


Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you/
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do/
I bless the rains down in Africa/
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had.


Notre Dame Students love this song and play it more often than any song by Toto should ever be played.  It is played at parties, weddings, tailgates, dances, and is one of the few songs that regularly appears on the playlist at both Finny’s and The Backer.  This song is firmly entrenched on the Notre Dame Playlist.

But why do Notre Dame Students love the song?  Is it because of the lyrics they don’t really know the words to?  Is it because of the chorus that they love to belt out while covered in sweat and clutching their hands around a Keystone Light or a Long Island Iced Tea?  Is it because off the awesome background instrumentals?  Is it because of the sweet percussion break that makes even the most passive of Notre Dame Students bust out some air drums?

NO. 

Notre Dame Students love this song simply because of how much they like Africa (the continent).  Notre Dame Students love of Africa (the continent) is so great that as a corollary they will love almost anything that relates to or discusses the continent.  Notre Dame Students also love the song Do They Know It’s Christmas?, the film Hotel Rwanda, and the episodes of ER that feature storylines in Africa.  However, no piece of entertainment is beloved as much by Notre Dame Students because of the Africa Corollary than the song by Toto that students will sing at any time of any night they hear it.

11 comments:

  1. Nailed it. ND <3s Africa and anything Africa.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think the love of the song is unrelated to the obsession with the continent and its inhabitants.

    ReplyDelete
  3. remember the time the band played africa during half time? that was cool.
    definitely just listened to the song to reminisce.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I went to ND and love this song and requested once with a friend in Columbus - no one else in the bar understood!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That song rose to epic levels from being played over and over at a dorm party that my roommate and I had in 2002 in Siegfried Hall! Your Welcome, ND! And I bless the rains down in AAAAA-Frica!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. After having only dated Siegfried guys for all four years of college, I can honestly say a Siegfried guy would be behind it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Having been nothing but a Siegfried guy for 4 years I can only agree.

    ReplyDelete
  8. When I was at ND Siegfried housed a bunch of stuck up and prude broads. Some looked like dudes too, so I guess having guys now in a chickie dorm isn't all that far off. Gotta admit to loving the song but the continent can sink as far as I'm concerned.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The band just played Africa AND Living on a Prayer at the night game vs USC Saturday!

    ReplyDelete