Hear Weezer’s Fan-Requested Cover of Toto’s ‘Africa’
Weezer unveiled a cover of Toto’s 1982 hit “Africa.” The band’s rendition came about after a fan, whose Twitter account is @weezerafrica, lobbied for months to get the band to cover the song.
According to Noisey, a 14-year-old named Mary started the Twitter campaign. Last week, Weezer kind of acquiesced when they released a cover of Toto, except it was a different tune: “Rosanna.” However, as @weezerafrica noted on Tuesday, “Looks like @Weezer finally blessed the rains…” when the band released their version of “Africa.”
The band stays fairly true to the cheesy-smooth rock original, save for adding a some of their trademark power chord flourishes during the chorus.
Weezer has been hinting at a 2018 release for their self-titled Black Album, a follow-up of sorts to their self-titled 2016 White Album that will ultimately serve as the follow-up to their 11th studio album, 2017’s Pacific Daydream. In the interim, frontman Rivers Cuomo released a surprise solo single, “Medicine for Melancholy” in March.