Twin brothers Fred and Tim Williams, who went viral after posting their reactions to classic hits like "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins, chopped it up with former President Barack Obama about their musical preferences and the need for unity in the country on their YouTube channel "Twins The New Trend."
Obama surprised the popular YouTubers with a video call after they discovered a Bob Dylan track from his memoir playlist.
Dylan's song “The Times They Are a-Changin’” was featured on the former leader's 21-track playlist titled “A Promised Land.” Obama, who shares a playlist of his favorite songs every year, told the twins his 2020 list of songs are reminiscent of his first term as president.
Music has always played an important role in my life—and that was especially true during my presidency. In honor of my book hitting shelves tomorrow, I put together this playlist featuring some memorable songs from my administration. Hope you enjoy it. pic.twitter.com/xWiNQiZzN0
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 16, 2020
“Hey people, what’s going on? I hear you guys were asking questions. I decided I’m just going to go ahead and come here live,” Obama said.
The father of two opened up to the twins about his love of music and why this particular playlist was special.
“I do playlists all the time just for fun, and I did that when I was president,” he explained. “But one of the things I did was do a playlist because I released my book about the first part of my presidency called ‘A Promised Land’ and music’s kind of a theme in the book.”
While answering Fred's question about the importance of Dylan's song, Obama kept it real, imparting his wisdom and sharing his admiration for the artist's "social conscience."
“I’ve been a Bob Dylan fan for a long time, partly because I’m just older. He was part of that kind of social conscience that was in rock music and then later in hip-hop music,” he told the young men.
“Look, I’m like everybody else; I like music about girls and cars and … but whenever you can find some musicians that really have a message about how America might be, how the world might be, that always is something that I pay attention to. And then he’s one of the greatest examples of it,” he added.
Obama's eclectic taste in music spans across genres as his annual playlists suggest. His 2019 playlist included Lizzo, Summer Walker, Burna Boy and Angélique Kidjo.
"From hip-hop to country to The Boss, here are my songs of the year. If you’re looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there’s a track or two in here that does the trick," Obama wrote in an Instagram post.
It’s no secret that the charismatic Chicagoan's love for music runs deep. In a 2012 reelection campaign event at the Apollo Theatre, Obama dazzled the crowd with his rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," ABC News reported.
The Harvard alum also congratulated the two brothers on their newfound fame and applauded them for their open-mindedness.
"One of the most important things we can do, especially young people, is open our minds to how other people feel, what their traditions are, make common cause with folks who don't look like us or come from the same neighborhood," Obama said. "You guys are being open to new ideas and new experiences and reaching out to different traditions. That's America at its best. And I think you guys sending that message is powerful so keep doing what you're doing."
