Have you heard Elton John’s “Your Song” on the radio so many times that its magic has been kind of lost over the years? Well, imagine re-discovering it anew with a friend who has never heard it. Welcome to “Youtube Reaction Videos”. A reaction video is where someone appears on camera and listens to a song they have never heard before and you get to experience their musical discovery along with them.
Just like you enjoy introducing your friends IRL to your favorite songs, now you don’t have to wait around to make time to force your friends to be in the mood to discover new music. These content creators are willing and in the mood for discovery. Here are a couple of my favorites (in no particular order):
Rob Squad Reactions
This husband and wife team are personable, charming and try to bring a positive vibe to all their reactions. There are a couple interesting aspects of their channel. One, it is crazy to see how far their music knowledge has grown.
In their first videos, they really know nothing about rock music. But they kept at it. Not to spoil anything, but they now have favorites bands that not even the most dedicated music followers would know. Their change in opinion on The Beatles is kind of humorous. Seeing that growth is what makes the channel—start at the beginning if you can.
They have a couple innovations: “female Friday” where they only review female artists and “the bell”. They ring the bell when they are hearing a band for the first time. This is interesting. There is a big difference between hearing ANY queen song for the first time and just hearing a particular queen song for the first time. They are the most prolific channel. Check out them discovering Hey Jude.
Brad & Lex
Another husband and wife team. Whereas Rob Squad is upbeat, Brad & Lex are more subdued. Brad especially. If he doesn’t like a song—or doesn’t get a song—he’ll say it. And that is a strength of their channel. If someone likes every single song it doesn’t sound genuine. You don’t like every song you listen to! Brad is serious and into lyrics and Lex is quirky and into vibes. It makes for a great mix. Their analysis tends to be short. Their reaction to The Beach Boys “I Get Around” is both astute and funny.
The Charismatic Voice
Elizabeth is a classical singer, so she has a lot of experience with vocal techniques and the channel is primarily focused on vocals. That is a strength. For reaction videos you need to pick a lane and offer a unique value proposition. Her analysis tend to be way more in depth than other YouTubers. I also like that she does a little research on the song before hand. She doesn’t listen to the song…she reads about it’s historical significance and will read up on the band whereas the previous two go in stone cold.
Her excitement and enthusiasm carries the channel. Her reaction to hearing a young Nancy Wilson from Heart sing Crazy on You was especially fun. Expect a lot of pauses and analysis. You can tell she is an expert in her field.
Virgin Rock
Virgin Rock is a somewhat newer reaction channel. It features classical musician Amy Shaffer. She is a tough critic. Her analysis of the music is much more in-depth than any other Youtuber. She is a good educator. She explains why a song works so well—from the standpoint of music theory. Though you don’t necessarily have to know theory to appreciate her channel; she will teach you.
Her above video on Simon & Garfunkel’s The Boxer is particularly good. This is the best channel IMO.
Millie Reactions
When Millie listens to a song she genuinely has never heard before, her reactions and commentary are quite on point. Her enthusiasm is exciting. She is a young, aspiring musician—that is her angle. You must have a unique value proposition, or your reaction channel just won’t work. What makes you unique or different from all of the rest of the channels? Millie’s personality, enthusiasm and aspiring music career brings a unique perspective. I recommend watching her video where she listens to Van Halen’s Eruption.
Alex & Andy
Alex & Andy were one of the first reaction channels on Youtube. Their gimmick is two college guys discovering old music over a drink in their dorm—which eventually becomes a nice off-campus apartment. They are music fans and when something hits them they let their audience know. They have discerning tastes. Their discovery of The Chain is a good video.
SyedRewinds
Do you like lyrics? If you are a reader of my site, you probably do. Syed’s channel is newer. He is a younger guy who was raised on hip hop and is getting into classic rock. He is really into lyrics. Watch as he listens to Dylan for the first time.
Empress
Empress has the smallest channel (as of this writing). Empress’ enthusiasm, joy and risk-taking are her strengths. What I liked most about her is that she is the only person who has reacted to “Near You Always” by Jewel—which I consider Jewel’s best song and also one of the top 100 songs of all time.
How To Make Reaction Videos
A lot of the time you will hear people react to the same songs…and rightfully so. Everyone wants to see the staple song-reactions like: “The Chain”, Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Unchained Melody”, “In the Air Tonight” “California Dreaming” “Zombie” “Barracuda” “Can’t Find My Way Home”.
However there is a treasure trove of songs that have not been reacted to. Many are on this site! A couple under-represented reaction songs IMO are Judy Sill’s The Kiss, For Emily by Simon & Garfunkel, Blues Run the Game by Jackson C Clarke, Bridget St John’s “Ask Me No Questions”, Heartbeats by The Knife & Jose Gonzalez, “I’m So Afraid” and Big Love Live by Fleetwood Mac, “Tomorrow is a Long Time” by Bob Dylan, “Needle & the Damage Done” Neal Young, The Weakness in Me” Joan Armatrading, Who Knows Where Time Goes by Nina Simone & Fairpoint Convention, “The Loves Still Growin” Buzzy Linhart, “Court of the Crimson King”, Ghost by The Indigo Girls, etc. I’d love to see my favorite reactors and my readers discover these gems.
A great way to capture new subscribers is to react to deeper cuts that are beloved by fans but not huge mainstream successes. There are a ton of songs that no one has ever reacted to–that are extremely beautiful–and would be a great way to build an audience as there is less competition for content when people are looking for “song x reaction”. If you are the only one who has reacted to that song that is an easy way to get a eyeballs–and a potential subscriber.