‘In The Air Tonight’ Climbs Up Music Charts After Video Of Teens Listening To 1981 Phil Collins Song Goes Viral
Nearly 40 years after dropping his famed song “In The Air Tonight,” Phil Collins is climbing up music charts again thanks to a viral YouTube video.
The song scaled up to the iTunes Top Songs chart last week, landing at No. 3, behind Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s “WAP” and Darius Rucker’s “Beers and Summer.” The number’s recent rise in the charts comes nearly two weeks after its iconic drum break was the subject of a video from YouTubers Fred and Tim Williams.
More from Deadline
“That was cool, that was cool,” the 22-year-old twins said of the famous beat. “I have never seen nobody drop a beat three minutes in the song.”
Fred and Tim Williams, who run the Twinsthenewtrend YouTube channel, have been filming their reactions listening to a number of hits for the first time. Their July 27 video has since gone viral, gaining the attention of Ava Duvernay, Mindy Kaling and others.
The twins told CNN that their channel, which mainly focuses on their reactions to hip-hop songs, pivoted when they decided to listen to Frank Sinatra. Since the switch, Fred and Tim Williams have recorded reaction videos to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and even Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“We’re Black, and they don’t expect us to listen to that type of music,” Fred told CNN.
“We’re young, too,” 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.”
In the 2009 comedy smash The Hangover, boxing legend Mike Tyson famously air-drummed the “In the Air Tonight” break — “here’s my favorite part” — and sang along before slugging poor Zack Galifianakis. The track, which made the pop Top 20, also famously was featured in the first episode of Miami Vice in 1984. Collins himself would play a sleazeball grifter in a Season 2 episode of the NBC cop drama.
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.