Monday (April 8) marked the first total solar eclipse since 2017, and music lovers are sending eclipse-themed songs up the charts again. Songs like Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and Pink Floyd’s aptly named “Eclipse” are rising on various charts for the first time in a long while.
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“Total Eclipse of the Heart” debuted in 1983 and peaked at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 29 weeks on the chart. Now, it soared to No. 2 on the Apple Music charts and went up 50% in Spotify searches as eclipse-viewers hoped to set the right mood for the occasion.
Additionally, Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse” hit No. 8 on the U.S. iTunes chart. While the song wasn’t originally a hit in 1973, when it was the final track on Dark Side of the Moon, “Eclipse” often hits the charts again when celestial events roll around and interest piques.
Organizations and Astronomy Fans Make Playlists for Watching the Total Solar Eclipse
Other songs that saw some spikes in searches on streaming platforms were “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles, “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers, “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden.
A cursory search on Spotify reveals a host of eclipse-themed playlists by users and even an official one by Spotify, which is tailored to individual tastes through recommendations. The Spotify-made playlist, titled sonder—which is the realization that everyone on the planet is living a life as full and rich as yours—features many instrumental songs to get one in the mood for a total solar eclipse. Songs like “Time” from the Inception soundtrack and “Cornfield Chase” from Interstellar, both Hans Zimmer compositions. It also includes Radiohead, Disasterpeace, and music by composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
In a similar vein but featuring more contemporary songs, Space.com also made their own playlist. The first two songs are, of course, “Eclipse” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” However, it also includes “Moonshadow” by Yusuf/Cat Stevens, “Blinded By The Light” by Bruce Springsteen, and “Don’t Look Back Into the Sun” by The Libertines. St. Louis Public Radio almost made a playlist of cool jams like “Supernova” by Liz Phair and “Staring at the Sun” by TV On The Radio.
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