Watch Billy Pilgrim Perform Their “Obscure” Song that Became an A Cappella Hit

When I was months away from turning 20 without as much as one fake ID to my name, my two best friends told me about this incredible duo they’d just seen at Eddie’s Attic, the already legendary listening room (and 21+ venue) in Decatur. A few months later I got to go see Kristian & Andrew for myself, a year before they would change their name to Billy Pilgrim and release their self-titled, major-label debut with Atlantic Records. Though it wasn’t a single, the album featured “Insomniac,” a live staple we already knew by heart.

This morning, I learned that that “obscure song became an a cappella sensation” courtesy of a fun investigative story from the New York Times. Apparently it’s been a go-to selection among college singers for decades, as evidenced by this 2010 rendition from a group called Straight No Chaser.