Bonnie Tyler's 1983 hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" experienced a significant spike in streams on Spotify during the recent solar eclipse. The song, a power ballad that spent weeks on music charts, saw its popularity surge as the celestial event unfolded.
Spotify reported that "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was among several "celestial" songs that experienced increased listening figures in the UK on August 12th, the date of the eclipse. While not the largest percentage increase, the song's streams rose by 94% during the eclipse period. Other songs that saw streaming boosts included Evolfo's "Moon Eclipsed the Sun" with a 12,817% increase, Chris Staples' "Dark Side of the Moon" (+2,805%), Pink Floyd's "Eclipse" (+594%), and Delta Goodrem's "Eclipse" (+104%). Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" also saw a 17% increase.
The resurgence in streams for Tyler's music also brings attention to her earlier career. The Grammy-nominated singer, born Gaynor Hopkins, released her first single in 1977. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" became her most defining hit, reaching number one in the UK and charting in the US. The music video for the song has garnered over 1.2 billion views on YouTube and accumulated more than a billion streams on Spotify.
Prior to the eclipse, a television advert for McVitie's Jaffa Cakes featuring Tyler also resurfaced. Originally broadcast in 2023 during a partial lunar eclipse, the advert showed Tyler using a Jaffa Cake to explain different types of eclipses. The advert was released following research indicating that a significant portion of the British public did not understand how eclipses occur.
Tyler, who passed away on July 8th at the age of 75, was recognized for her contributions to music. She was awarded an MBE for her services to music in 2023. Her funeral service was scheduled to take place on August 17th in Swansea.