Quite possibly the MOST incomprehensible song of the 80s

If you're anything like me and have what I call a "phonographic memory" in that you remember a lot of the songs you hear for years after you first heard them, then you're probably familiar with the song "Africa" by the band Toto from their 1982 album "Toto IV".

Long story short, this has to be among the most misheard songs of all time. A quick survey of some of my co-workers with similar inclinations in music agree with me. The lyrics are supposed to be "I bless the rains, down in Africa.". I grew up hearing it on the radio and thinking he was singing "I robbed some trains down in Africa" while my co-workers heard "I've got a plane down in Africa" or "I caught some rays down in Africa", and "I got some AIDS down in Africa".

Part of me wants to think that this song was some sort of Soviet plot to distract Americans long enough so they wouldn't notice a nuke streaking overhead and then taking out Washington DC and wiping out everything within a 250 mile radius. Instead of keeping an eye for a nuke, we'd be wondering what the hell that song REALLY was about and what he really got "down in Africa".

Is anyone else in agreement here or did I eat some stale Mr. T cereal while playing Q*Bert far too many times than a healthy person should have been playing it back in the day?

 

"Does he have it?" Is that what they're saying there? How many people have heard me sing "monkey hatchet?"

Kiss to whoever gets the reference!

 

I think the lyrics are pretty obvious.

Didn't your mum ever tell you to wash your ears!

 

I always through it was "I smashed the planes"

 

Not everyone can make out to songs as well as you can, Wolverine.

 

I alwsys thought it said "I guess it rains, down in Africa"...

 

This is what liner notes are for

 

Liner notes are one thing, but when you're a kid with zero cash to your name, it's a little tough to get ahold of the CD, much less the liner notes. Or you could always just get some spades down in Africa.

 

Toto has nothing on misheard song lyrics when you compare them to Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

Blinded by the light
Wrapped up like a douche
in the middle of the night


EDIT--Oh wait. 80s.

Well, I always thought "Karma Chameleon" was "become a comedian".

 

What is it really? Wrapped up like a duece on the 4th of July?

 

I like that song.

 

That's what I was going to mention, Lee.


Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night

 

I thought it was, "I blessed the rains down in Africa....."

 

Nope, it was the song: 99 Luftballoons ; who knew what the heck they were talking about.

 

There's a song on the Tony Hawk soundtrack that I, FruityTooty, and, looking online, a ton of other people, thought went: "Die! Die! Psycho *******! Die! Die! Psycho *******!"

Apparently it's actually 'psycho vision.' Go figure.

 

Yeah, but when you consider the fact that it was written by Bruce Springsteen, it all sorta makes sense in an odd sort of way.

 

Wow, I always thought it was "I was raising cain down in Africa...".

 

I can't think of the name of the song, nor do I know any of the lyrics, because it's all in French. But I know it was quite popular, and I think it's a really cool song, but for the life of me, I don't know the name of it.

I wish I knew, 'cause I want a copy of it.

Anyone know what song I'm talking about...the only thing I could understand in the song was "Ooooooh, oooooh, oui, ooooh!" - yeah, I know...kind of vague, huh?

 

I messed with stains down in Africa --> I got some AIDS down in Africa

 

I always thought it was something like, "I miss the rains..." But then I never cared enough about Toto to look up the actual lyrics.


My vote for most incomprehensible song of the 80s goes to "It's The End Of The World As We Know It".

 

Superhero TV power, don't be watchin' Fawlty Towers

 

Or the Genesis song Land of Confusion.

 

I planted grains down in Africa!

 

"de do do do, de da da da" by the Police.

De do do do, de da da da
Is all I want to say to you
De do do do, de da da da
Their innocence will pull me through
De do do do, de da da da
Is all I want to say to you
De do do do, de da da da
Theyre meaningless and all thats true

 

This is the time
This is the place
So make love for the future
But theres not much love to go around


-or-


There's not much blood to go 'round


Either way, its not the lyrics you have to worry about--Its those creepy puppets.