ESPN’s Monday Night Football put a fresh spin on a nostalgic hit Monday night (Sept. 18), as the broadcast opened with a new music video featuring Chris Stapleton, Snoop Dogg and drummer Cindy Blackman Santana reimagining Phil Collins‘ classic “In the Air Tonight.”
The clip led into ESPN’s broadcast of the New Orleans Saints facing off against the Carolina Panthers at 7:15 p.m. ET, as well as ABC’s broadcast of the Cleveland Browns game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:15 p.m. ET. It will now continue for all Monday Night Football games, as well as ESPN’s Week 18 Saturday Doubleheader, Super Wild Card and its first Divisional playoff game, per a press release.
“It was fascinating to me to see how one song could get you in that mode to go kick some tail,” said the Steelers’ Hines Ward in an ESPN feature about the song, before Washington Commanders’ Terry McLaurin added, “I don’t care if you are the home team, the away team, you are hearing that song no matter what [before the game].”
“In the Air Tonight” first appeared on Collins’ debut solo album, Face Value, in 1981. Released as a single, it reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. The rock ballad bubbled under the Hot 100 for six weeks in the fall of 1984 after it was featured on NBC’s buzzy hit Miami Vice. The song was later featured on the Miami Vice soundtrack, which topped the Billboard 200 for 11 weeks in 1985-86.
The new twist on “In the Air Tonight” isn’t the only music moment for Monday Night Football this season. As previously announced, ESPN teamed up with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake throughout the 2023-24 NFL season to curate music for select Monday Night Football games. The curated music from the superstar duo will run in Monday Night Football promotional spots, live telecasts and pre-game shows for seven weeks this season.
Watch the new intro below: