Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ is a hit 40 years after its release. Here’s why

Nearly 40 years after its release, Phil Collins’ song “In the Air Tonight” is near the top of the charts once again.

The popular song with the iconic drum break is sitting at No. 2 on the iTunes song sales chart thanks in part to a video posted last month by 22-year-old twins Fred and Tim Williams.

On their YouTube channel, TwinsthenewTrend, where they record themselves listening to well-known songs for the first time, the twins were exuberant with their commentary of the 1981 hit song.

“I ain’t never seen nobody drop a beat three minutes in(to) a song!” one of the twins exclaimed when the drum break took the song into a crescendo.

“That was cold how he did it, I ain’t gonna lie, he got me on that,” the other twin said.

Their video posted in late July has nearly 4 million views as of Tuesday morning and helped propel the Collins single up the charts.

Perhaps a new generation is appreciating the timeless song, as it had more than 4,600 digital sales Friday and Saturday — an increase of 1,100%, according to Rolling Stone.

Only Cardi B’s song “WAP” featuring Megan Thee Stallion is ahead of “In the Air Tonight” on the iTunes chart as of Tuesday.

Collins has not commented on the video and his sudden rise up the charts.

This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 8:50 AM with the headline "Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ is a hit 40 years after its release. Here’s why."