Videos of YouTubers Tim and Fred Williams listening to classic songs have racked up millions of views

Have you ever mentally pictured a scenario in which aliens landed on Earth from outer space and heard U2 for the first time? Well, thanks to the internet, you need wonder no more kind of. The internet will never stop marvelling at the giant chasm between young and old. Whether its a millennial haplessly poking a rotary phone or a youngster looking at a cassette like it was dug up from the ground, weve gotten the message by now the young are a breed apart.
YouTubers Tim and Fred Williams have lived a relatively sheltered sonic life, theyve managing to get to the age of 22 without hearing Phil Collins, U2, Hozier or Janis Joplin (the Indiana twins, huge fans of hip-hop, are reportedly steeped in gospel music by exposure) Yet the gaps in the twins musical education have turned out to be the online audiences gain.
Tim and Fred Williams listening to Phil Collinss In The Air Tonight. Photograph: YouTube
The two young rappers went viral after recording themselves listening to Phil Collinss In The Air Tonight (1981), complete with the only commentary on the song youll ever need. Lets wake em up! Tim enthuses as the iconic drums kick in. Before the pair could even cool down from their enthusiastic chair-dancing, their YouTube channel TwinsTheNewTrend racked up five million views. In the US, the song went to No 1 on college radio.
They have also turned their lovable critical acumen to Frank Sinatra, Prince Nirvana, Pavarotti and Whitney Houston, Rolling Stones and Dolly Parton. The latter responded on Twitter: No point in begging . . . Jolene already stole these two.
The reaction video is nothing new, yet watching the Williamses discover, in real time, the genres that have been the cornerstones of rock and pop for decades, is surprisingly charming.
U2s Where The Streets have No Namefares reasonably well under the twins appraisal. Never heard of them before looks like a good band, I dunno, Tim shrugs before noticing them church pianos and offering up some helpful air-drumming (irresistible, to be fair) and some approving murmurs.
I love the soul they have theyre cold, is Tims final verdict on that, as every Irish person ever wonders what life must be like to be an adult and have never heard of U2.
Van Morrisons Brown Eyed Girl loses the brothers a little midway through. It sounds like they got a little funk in there or something, offers Tim.
Tim and Fred Williams listening to Hoziers Take Me To Church for the first time. Photogaph: Youube
Hoziers Take Me To Church, in spite of its gospel top notes, catches them off guard. He just literally came off the beat, they marvel. Later, Tim is moved to press pause. Bro, why does this song make me feel hurt, like I did something wrong? Thats powerful man, makes you feel emotional. If your voice can change someones mood like that, well thats crazy.
TwinsistheNewTrend a refreshing change from typical TikTok fare: often we think that kids would rather die than listen to their parents music collection, but as the brothers Williams show, theres plenty of life left in the rock classics yet.
Theres no computer or autotune, Fred remarks at one point of the Phil Collins track. They just focus on voices, beats and instruments. Its just interesting how they can make a song like that.
Fans and subscribers are encouraged to suggest classics for the twins to listen to, and naturally our minds are racing about classics they can wrap their ears around. Without further ado, can we see please see reactions to the Saw Doctors N17, Enyas Orinoco Flow, Christy Moores Lisdoonvarna and Daniel ODonnells Rivers of Babylon? There isnt enough head bobbing in the world, frankly . . .