The music of Chris Stapleton and Snoop Dogg is in the air right now, can you feel it?
For this season of ESPN’s Monday Night Football, Snoop and Stapleton have collaborated to cover Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” The odd duo’s reworked rendition of the song debuts in full on Monday throughout the special “Two Games, One Night” presentation.
The new recording of Collins’ 1981 smash song features Cindy Blackman Santana on drums, and it was unveiled in a teaser video with all three of the stars that also includes a preview of the cover.
The preview footage features 44-year-old Stapleton singing a faithful rendition of the well-known lyrics. According to a press statement, Snoop, 51, will rap football-related lines on the album’s full version, even if the teaser doesn’t feature any of his verses.
Stapleton has previously talked about growing up listening to Dr. Dre and Snoop’s music, which may seem like an unusual pairing for a country singer and rapper.
In 2022, he stated to 60 Minutes, “[Snoop and Dre’s music] was so real that it could be translated even to some child in eastern Kentucky who had no idea of the stuff that he was talking about. It was risky as well, because, as you may know, youngsters between the ages of 15 and 16 find risky and real to be quite alluring.
According to a press statement from ESPN’s Creative Content Unit and Grammy-winning composer Dave Cobb, the official new opener to Monday Night Football will also feature “NFL stars, game highlights, and dramatic moments” in addition to the three singers. The long-running Monday Night Football theme music, “Heavy Action,” will also be played during the program.
In addition to being a timeless ’80s song, “In the Air Tonight” has a long tradition of being played prior to football games. An article describing how the music gets players in the game before they take the field was originally broadcast on ESPN.
In the segment, two-time Super Bowl champion and former Steelers great Hines Ward noted, “It was amazing to me to see how a single song could get you in that mentality to go kick some tail.”
Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders continued, “I don’t care if you are the home team or the visiting team, you are hearing that song regardless of what.
Before Monday’s Saints vs. Panthers game on ESPN and the Browns vs. Steelers game on ABC, the brand-new “In the Air Tonight” airs for the first time. Prior to every Monday Night Football game, as well as ESPN’s week 18 Saturday doubleheader, super wild card, and opening divisional playoff game, it will be broadcast.