Should we bless the rains in 2021?
We are entering a new era of Detroit Lions football. A new quarterback, a new head coach, and a new general manager headline the 2021 season.
But should that new era include the echoing drums of Toto’s “Africa”?
The 1982 hit song on American rock band Toto’s fourth album, Toto IV, has been an anthem for Pride of Detroit for many years. Our usage of the song originated from a Vine of a Shiba Inu dancing —it was cute and catchy, and we adopted the song. Many PODcasts have started with a remixed version of the song, a staple for our listeners. It won the 2016 Pride of Detroit Moment of the Year award as it achieved meme status in the fanbase. It headlined many Victory Mondays, although not as many as we had hoped. 2017 and 2018 were another milestone for the song. No, I am not talking about the Weezer cover.
The song crept into the Lions’ warmups in late 2017. The Lions used it to count down towards the New Year (which has sadly been removed—I suspect copyright reasons). With the hiring of Matt Patricia as the next head coach, “Africa” gained further traction when the words TOTO AFRICA were spelled out in tweets. Afterwards, the song went on to dominate the Song of the Game voting at Ford Field.
The Matt Patricia era of Lions football might have peaked with that announcement. The poor on-field product culminated in his firing just two and a half years later. Not only was Patricia fired, but so too was Bob Quinn. Worst yet for Lions fans, it led to the (eventual) departure of Matthew Stafford, the face of the franchise.
The lyrics for “Africa” are quite fitting. It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you highlights moving on from Stafford. With multiple draft picks and Jared Goff coming back in return, it certainly took a lot to drag him away from Detroit. Emotionally, saying goodbye to the team’s leader is difficult. There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do rings true when you think about all the quarterback misses the Lions have had in their history, and perhaps a sign of what is to come in a post-Stafford era. With a new home with the Los Angeles Rams , Stafford is Gonna take some time to do the things we never had—win a playoff game.
With so many new things expected for the 2021 season, is it time to also usher in a new song for the Lions fanbase?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Is it time to retire Africa by Toto?
My answer: I believe it is time.
I dearly love the song, and I have many great memories. The Lions counting down the New Year with “Africa” is a moment I will not forget. However, I believe it is best to move on from the song while the moment is right. I do not want to see “Africa” be beaten into the ground like the Detroit Lions have been these past few seasons. I think we should retire it at its peak with full honors. “Africa” represented hope for a new era of success for Lions football that sadly never came. With a rebuild on the horizon, I do not want to reflect upon the Victory-less Mondays that will likely come—this song deserves a better fate.
Do you think we should retire “Africa”? And if so, which song should we adopt next?
But please, do not suggest “Detroit Rock City” by KISS.
Your turn.
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