In The Air Tonight - Other Pop Culture References

Other Pop Culture References

"In the Air Tonight" has been widely used in films, television, and video games, often to create or emphasize an eerie or portentous mood; in some cases this usage is ironic or referential to previous uses of the song.

Appearances in film include:

• The song plays during the train love scene in the 1983 movie Risky Business.
• A combat scene in Bravo Two Zero.
• An appearance in the movie Big Trouble when a drunk security guard played by Andy Richter stalks a group of teens he finds suspicious.
• The scene in The New Guy when Dizzy Harrison, pretending to be Gil Harris, walks away in slow motion after unknowingly setting the school's statue on fire.
• The melody of the song persists throughout the film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. It is also referenced multiple times in the dialogue.
• In American Psycho, Patrick Bateman mentions the song as being more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way, than Phil Collins' work with Genesis.
• The song is also featured in the film Paid in Full starring Wood Harris and Mehki Phifer.
• The song is in The Hangover, where the three protagonists are ambushed in their hotel suite by Mike Tyson and his bodyguard after the disappearance of Tyson's pet tiger. As the tension builds, Tyson stops all conversation and says "This is my favorite part". Then, after the drum solo, he knocks out Zach Galifianakis' character.

In addition to the famous usage in the pilot episode of Miami Vice, appearances in television include:

• Days of Our Lives actually had a tangential relationship with Miami Vice in the '80s, with one episode of the soap opera set in Miami included walk-ons by detectives Calebrese and Switek. Days attempted to emulate some of the feel of Miami Vice in some of its more adventurous and sensual storylines: "In the Air Tonight" was played during a scene featuring a particularly dangerous rendezvous between Chris Kositchek and Savannah Wilder.
• The song is used at the end of the first season finale episode of Tru Calling - "Two Weddings and a Funeral".
• The song is featured in the pilot episode of Fastlane.
• The song is referenced in the Family Guy episode "Petergeist", where Stewie sings it when he is captured by the TV people and his voice has the effect of Phil Collins when he is singing the song.
• The song is played in the opening title sequence for the television show Carpoolers in which four men drive in silence, listening to the song, before simultaneously air-drumming the signature drum crash and then returning to deadpan silence.
• The song is briefly played in the television show Criminal Minds, in the first episode of the first season, "Extreme Agressor". It played while the murderer assaulted his victim in a car.
• The song is often covered by singer Lights during her live shows.
• The song is an introduction to Charmed in the first season, for the episode "The Witch Is Back", and was performed by Holly McNarland.
• The song is used twice in the popular BBC science-fiction/police drama series Ashes to Ashes. The first time is in episode 2 of series 2, when Gene Hunt is contacting his predecessor. The second time is in the series finale of series 3, and the series as a whole, when Alex Drake heads north to find out the truth about the world she inhabits.
• The extended version of the song is used at the beginning of the third episode, "Damned If You Do", in season 7 of CSI: NY.
• The song is featured on the british teen drama Skins on the episode "Katie and Emily" in 2009.
• The song is played on the animated series Allen Gregory on the first episode in 2011.
• At Bill Snyder Stadium in the 2011-2012 season, the song could be heard playing on the scoreboard with Willie the Wildcat playing the drum solo on a Drum kit. The video has not been seen in the 2012-2013 season.

The song appears on the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories soundtrack and on one of the game's music station, "Emotion 98.3". It is also the title of a mission, which revolves around protecting Phil Collins; completion of the mission unlocks a CGI cutscene of a Phil Collins concert where the song is played in full. Collins plays himself in the game, a first for Grand Theft Auto, and said cutscene features an animation of Collins singing and playing the drums to the song.

The song is also played during the warmups of many NFL teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts. Ray Lewis is an avid Phil Collins fan and is credited for the song's popularity as an NFL warmup anthem. The song has been played before some key games for the Chicago Bulls in the 2011 playoffs at the request of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. The song was also played in a Miami Heat basketball game before introductions.

• The boxer Jermaine Taylor used "In the Air Tonight" as his introductory song before his upset victory of Bernard Hopkins VS. Jermaine Taylor I

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz also used the song as his batting song