The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 5, 1983 (the band's only number one there), and number three on the UK Singles Chart the same month.
In 2012, "Africa" was listed by music magazine NME in 32nd place on its list of "50 Most Explosive Choruses".
The video features the shorter radio edit of the song, which eliminates the drums in the beginning.