Steve Lukather, the guitarist of the band Toto, recently shared his thoughts on Weezer’s cover of their hit song “Africa” during an interview on Matt Pinfield’s KLOS radio show, “New & Approved.” Lukather questioned the sincerity behind Weezer’s frontman Rivers Cuomo’s alleged love for the song. “I don’t know about him loving the song, man,” Lukather said. “I don’t think that’s the case at all.
I think he did it to take the piss out of it and it blew up in his face and now he’s got to play it every night.”
Lukather also mentioned that his attempts to establish a friendly relationship with Cuomo after the success of the cover did not go as planned. “I tried to reach out to this guy and be friendly, but then it just got weird. I don’t want to get into it, but — peace and love.
It was good for them, it was good for us.”
Weezer’s cover of “Africa” was released in 2018 after a viral social media campaign by a 14-year-old fan. The cover was a surprise hit, charting at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No.
Cover controversy between Toto and Weezer
1 on the alternative songs chart. Despite the success of the cover, Lukather’s comments suggest that there may have been some tension between the two bands.
In a 2020 interview, Lukather revealed that his attempts to engage Cuomo in friendly conversation were met with silence, leading to what he described as “hurt feelings.”
David Paich, Toto’s keyboardist who left the band in 2019, also shared a similar sentiment. He recalled an incident backstage at Jimmy Kimmel Live! when Weezer’s manager informed them about the growing popularity of the song. “I saw Rivers wince,” Paich said.
“They initially did it as a goof, but now they realized they’d have to play the song for a lot longer than they thought they would. This whole business runs on hit records. If you get one, you better be prepared to play it for the rest of your life.”
Weezer’s cover of “Africa” was included in their self-titled covers album and became a regular part of their live performances.
However, it has seen less playtime since the start of their Voyage to the Blue Planet tour in 2024. While the cover brought significant success to both bands, questions about the intentions behind Weezer’s rendition remain a topic of discussion among fans and the musicians involved.
