Gen X Playlist

Rap-loving Twins React to Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” 1981 Hit

August 8, 2020 – I am Gen X – currently over the age of 40 as I blog this – and the older I get, the more strange I find it that people younger than myself are not familiar with any of the songs, bands, singers, or gadgets that I grew up with.

It’s strange to me to think that the two twin brothers mentioned in these articles, Fred and Ted Williams, didn’t hear the Phil Collins song “In The Air Tonight” until July of 2020 (or some time recently, I’m not sure exactly when they first reviewed it).

I was in grade school when that Phil Collins song was first released, and I remember at the time, it was on TV everywhere back then – I think the song may have been used in an episode of NBC’s show “Miami Vice”.

I seem to remember hearing this Phil Collins song not just on the radio but in commercials in the early to mid 1980s, and in movies. That song was huge – it was every where for a few years after its initial release.

I do appreciate the fact that the teen brothers are taking the time to listen to older songs.

When I was a teen in the 1980s, I loved music – but of course back in the 1980s, when I grew up, we did not have You Tube, Spotify, iTunes, and so on.

So if you wanted to hear music back then, you either had to listen to the radio all day, spend a small fortune on buying new albums or tapes (which meant getting someone to drive you to a store to buy the music), or borrow music off older siblings or friends.

I would’ve given my right arm back in the 1980s when I was a music- loving teen to be able to listen to any and all types of music and bands FOR FREE via You Tube, Spotify, or similar services, including songs that were decades older than me…

I do not understand why so many people currently under the age of 35 do not avail themselves of this tech to listen to and research older music.

Phil Collins had many other good songs, not just “In The Air Tonight.” After his stint with the band Genesis, he went on to release some really good pop songs as a solo artist in the 1980s, including “Don’t Lose My Number,” “Two Hearts,” “Sussudio,” a remake of “You Can’t Hurry Love,” and several other songs.

But again, I am glad to see that Ted and Fred Williams are willing to listen to older music of all genres and give it a try. I wish more young people did so.

When I was a teen in the 1980s, I used to listen to music from the 1950s, and I enjoyed Swing music, which was from the 1930s –  1940s. Good music has no expiration date.

Edit: Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ Is a Sales Hit Again After 39 Years, Thanks to Twins’ Reaction Video

“In the Air Tonight” currently sits at No. 3 on the iTunes song sales chart, trailing only the brand new releases “WAP” by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion and “Beers and Sunshine” by Darius Rucker.

It’s not just a passing single-day phenomenon, either. Numbers provided by Alpha Data show that “In the Air Tonight” was the fourth biggest selling song of the week ending Aug. 8, up from No. 185 the week before. 

…“TwinsthenewTrend” now have 350,000 subscribers for their YouTube channel, which is about a year old. They told CNN they initially stuck with hip-hop reaction videos, then took a suggestion to try out Frank Sinatra, and have delved into multiple genres since then. They’ve reacted to everything from Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” to Pantera, Lauryn Hill, Rage Against the Machine, the Carpenters, A-ha, the Allman Brothers Band, Marvin Gaye and Queens of the Stone Age.

“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.” Added Tim, “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.”

Watch these joyous Gen-Z babies bask in the glory of Phil Collins

Twins’ incredible reaction after hearing Phil Collins’ in The Air Tonight for the first time goes viral

Youths discover the “In The Air Tonight” drum break, react appropriately

‘This is a banger’: Watch as Gen Z twins hilariously react after hearing Dolly Parton, Phil Collins for the first time 

Watch YouTube stars listen to Phil Collins’ 1981 hit for the first time: ‘He killed it’

Twin brothers listening to Phil Collins for the first time go viral after capturing brilliant reaction

YouTube Twins Lose it During First Listen to Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’: Watch

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of discovering an amazing new song — just ask twin brothers Tim and Fred Williams, who have been documenting their first-time reactions while listening to classic hits on YouTube.

The 21-year-old siblings, who post under TwinsthenewTrend, have gone viral in recent months for their “First Time Hearing” video series, where they have recorded their priceless reactions and commentary while discovering music by icons such as Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, and Queen.

In late July, the Williams brothers — who grew up mostly listening to rap — posted a particularly memorable clip of themselves listening to Phil Collins’ 1981 debut single “In the Air Tonight” for the first time.

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