DALLAS — As the country gears up for its April 8 total solar eclipse, The Dallas Morning News has curated an eclipse-inspired playlist as a soundtrack for the celestial event.
Dallas will be in the path of totality of the total solar eclipse, meaning that the moon will completely block out the sun for about four minutes during the peak of the eclipse. A partial eclipse will be visible for much longer before and after the main event. To view the eclipse outside of those four minutes you’ll need specialized eclipse glasses.
The playlist includes an abundance of songs with “eclipse” in the title, along with songs about the sun, moon and space. Eight journalists with varying music tastes on The Dallas Morning News Audience Team sorted through their music libraries to find related songs, ranging from pop and country to metal and K-pop. Other reporters and editors in the newsroom chimed in as well.
Here’s a look at some of the songs on our minds before the celestial event of the year. Follow The Dallas Morning News on Spotify for more.
Bonnie Tyler, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’
This 1983 ballad from Bonnie Tyler comparing a lost love to the shadow cast by an eclipse topped the charts when it was released over 40 years ago. The song has seen spikes in popularity during eclipses. In 2015, Tyler even performed the song on a cruise ship as it passed through the path of totality. The song also had a bit of a renaissance last year when a clip of it in 2010’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” turned into a meme that went viral.
Pink Floyd, ‘Eclipse’
The final song on Pink Floyd’s seminal 1973 record “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Eclipse” wraps up one of the most influential albums of the 1970s. This song — and the album more broadly — uses the sun and moon as symbols of light and darkness.
Post Malone, Swae Lee, ‘Sunflower’
Part of the soundtrack to “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” this catchy rap song rocketed to the top of the Billboard charts in 2018. The movie found similar success, too, making nearly $400 million at the box office and winning an Academy Award for best animated feature in 2019.
The Weeknd, ‘Blinding Lights’
Make sure to wear eclipse glasses on April 8 to avoid the “Blinding Lights.” Another chart-topper, this song is the most-streamed single of all time on Spotify and the No. 1 song of all time in Billboard Hot 100 history. It was the closing number of a memorable Super Bowl halftime show in 2021, too.
Johnny Cash, ‘Ring of Fire’
Considered one of the greatest country songs of all time, this 1963 Johnny Cash classic fits right into the eclipse motif. Once the moon fully obscures the sun on April 8, only a ring of fire (the sun’s corona) will be visible from our home star.
Elton John, George Michael, ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’
Originally recorded by Elton John in 1974, a live version of the song with John and George Michael was released in 1991. The duet performance reached No. 1 in the U.S. and U.K., garnering a Grammy nomination.
Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Moon Song’
Bridgers sings about an unrequited love so powerful that she would give her beloved the moon if she could. You can feel the weight of Bridgers’ feelings on this slow and powerful track chock full of emotion.
Rihanna, ‘Music of the Sun’
The title track from Rihanna’s 2005 debut album, this song is all about the sun’s healing power. With a strumming guitar, Rihanna’s chorus, “Forget about your troubles, it’s alright/ Let ‘em go ‘til we see the morning light,” drives home the track’s message.
