“Total Eclipse of the Heart” Receives Stream Spike During Total Solar Eclipse

By Matthew Gray

On April 8th, 2024 the first solar eclipse occurred since late 2017, with Syracuse right along the path of totality. But it wasn’t just eclipse glasses that helped people celebrate the rare phenomenon. To ring in the national event, thousands of listeners across the U.S. decided to revive a classic that seemed to fit the mood perfectly.

From April 7th to the 8th, streams of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” dramatically increased leading up to 3:23 p.m., the time the eclipse was in full effect. The 1983 hit was the number one song added to Spotify playlists with the word “eclipse” in the title. Its searches also grew by about 50% during the span.

“Every time the eclipse comes around, it’s a bit crazy,” said Tyler.

“Total Eclipse of the Heart”  was written and produced by Jim Steinman. Steinman felt that Tyler had the perfect voice to make his piece into a reality. When it was released, the song remained at the top of the charts in the U.S. for four weeks and the U.K. for two. It’s also quite lengthy, with its current radio version being just over five and a half minutes and the original album version having a runtime of almost seven. It has been used in numerous movies and shows such as Futurama, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Old School.
The billion-view music video was directed by Russell Mulcahy, who was also at the helm of many videos for artists such as Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John. The 14-year-old recording has aged well, as one of the top comments on it now reads “Who’s here for the 2024 total eclipse?”