Volvo Owner Replaces His Vehicle’s Standard Door Chime with Toto’s “Africa”
It’s gonna take a lot to drag you away from your car now
Photo:Toto
The 1980s were full of over-the-top rock ballads, but none of them were quite as over-the-top as Toto’s 1982 hit “Africa.” With lyrics like “I know that I must do what’s right,
as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti,” it’s hard not to love the grandiose images that this pure product of the 80s produces.
If you’re one of the very few people who still hasn’t heard this masterpiece, you can listen to it below:
Recently, there’s been something of a resurgence regarding the popularity of “Africa” among the many denizens of the internet. People from around the world have begun to express their love for the song by covering it, parodying it, or simply quoting it during a conversation.
One Volvo owner took his devotion to “Africa” a step further, as he replaced his vehicle’s door chime with a modified version of the ballad.
An Unusual African Adventure: Cheetah Hops Into the Back Seat of a Jeep During Safari
Chris Ng was somewhat unimpressed by the generic door chime that his Volvo 240 emitted each time he climbed inside for a drive. Instead, he wanted to hear the drums echoing and wild dogs crying out every time he opened his car door.
Therefore, Ng swapped out the vehicle’s original plug-in sound module with a modified one that played and 8-bit version of Toto’s smash hit, appropriately created by 8 Bit Universe. You can listen to that version of the song here:
To capture the sounds of the rains down in Africa, Ng recorded the song straight to the module, which can be done with the assistance of a smartphone or computer. Next, Ng swapped out the vehicle’s old plug-in sound module with the new one. With a bit of simple rewiring and soldering skills, Ng had the new module firmly in place and functioning, a task that a hundred men or more could actually do.
The fruits of his efforts can be viewed below:
The experiment was such a success that Ng plans on launching a Kickstarter to start a service where interested individuals can obtain a customized module of their very own. The modules don’t even have to play “Africa,” but why would you want any other song to start every time you open your car door?
Holiday Hits from the 1980s: 5 Best ’80s Christmas Songs for Your Driving Playlist
News Source: Jalopnik
Zachary Berry currently resides in the Dayton, Ohio area. However, he enjoys traveling from place to place, as he was born in Oklahoma City and has also lived in Albuquerque and Orlando (such is the life of a military brat). Zachary graduated from Ohio University with a major in Strategic Communication, which is fancy talk for advertising and public relations. Beginning his career at The News Wheel as a lowly intern, he was able to climb his way to the top, eventually claiming his place within the last cubicle on the left. Other jobs that Zachary has held include driving around a safari truck at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. When he’s not putting his nose to the grindstone, Zachary enjoys watching and critiquing movies and television. See more articles by Zachary.