News

Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ returns to charts 40 years on thanks to viral reaction video

Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ returns to charts 40 years on thanks to viral reaction video

Could this be the moment Phil Collins has waited for all his life?

'In the Air Tonight' is once again a hit single nearly 40 years after its release after a pair of twins won the internet’s heart on hearing it for the first time.

The 1981 song currently sits at number three on the iTunes song sales chart, trailing only 'WAP' by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion and “Beers and Sunshine” by Darius Rucker.

The spike in listens comes after Tim and Fred Williams, YouTubers known as "TwinsthenewTrend", posted a spontaneous reaction video to the iconic drum break in Collins’ ballad in July. The video, which currently has almost 4 million views on Youtube, delighted people who felt similarly when they first heard the classic beat.

The commentary of the 22-year-old brothers begins with the close-up cover art of Collins itself. “He’s looking like he’s staring at my soul. I’m scared. I can’t look at him, man,” Fred joked.

We all watched the video anxiously waiting for the drum break to drop. Once it does, the brothers' chill vibing turns to hilarious shock and happy surprise.

In a similar video reacting to Dolly Parton’s 'Jolene', Parton tweeted, “No point in begging… Jolene already stole these two.”

The brothers, who currently have 375,000 subscribers, told CNN that while they initially stuck with hip-hop reaction videos, they tried out Frank Sinatra, and later delved into new genres.

“Because we’re Black,” Fred Williams told CNN about the popularity of their videos, “and they don’t expect us to listen to that type of music.”

Tim added, “It’s just rare to see people open these days. People don’t open to step outside their comfort zone and just react to music they don’t know.”

The Conversation (0)
x