LOS ANGELES — The total solar eclipse is quickly approaching. While you prepare to hit the road towards the path of total darkness or anticipate hours of traffic coming out of your watch party, you’ll need something to listen to. And we’ve got your back.
Across 20 tracks, here’s a comprehensive playlist of total solar eclipse (and total solar eclipse-adjacent) songs to listen to while preparing to take in the wonders of the universe on Monday. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify.
There is no more appropriate song than Bonnie Tyler’s karaoke classic, “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Try not to start a singalong with this one.
Not the synth-y cover by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band — Bruce Springsteen’s spirited “Blinded by the Light” is an eclipse song for the ages, or at least for those hoping to put a little boogie in their viewing experience.
One of the greatest pop songs of the last decade, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is not only an ideal song for speeding down a highway in the darkness — safely, of course — but also a Max Martin-produced earworm that will crawl into your brain and lodge itself there forevermore.
The best YoungBoy Never Broke Again tracks bring the listener into his world: He names loved ones, he dives deep into his pain and he transforms it into affecting raps. “Solar Eclipse” centers his own mortality and what would happen to his kids if something were to happen to him. A total solar eclipse can be a time for existential thinking: This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for many, and so it is important to value that lifetime.
In Joni Mitchell’s “Moon at the Window,” a lover looks out towards the sky and sees “ghosts of the future / phantoms of the past,” the folk legend sings atop jazzy instrumentation. There’s a kind of melancholic whimsy here, and lyrical poetry, which makes this song an appropriate listen for a solar eclipse.
What is a space-themed playlist without a “Blue Moon”? Originally written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934, the song has been covered countless times over the decades, but no other hits with the soul of Billie Holiday’s 1952 take.
If space is the final frontier, David Bowie knew of its powers — and on Tuesday, with a quick listen to “Starman,” we can all try a bit of his Ziggy Stardust.
The beauty of Sun Ra’s “Space is the Place” is that it’s taken from a 1970s Afrofuturist film of the same name. Start with the song and watching the eclipse in real time, end with a screening.
Consider the distorted, reversed production of Earl Sweatshirt’s short rap track as an interlude for this playlist — a palate cleanser with a message.
“Moonlight,” an undercelebrated cut from Jay-Z’s momentous 2017 album “4:44,” considers frequent exploitation of Black artists in entertainment. It’s not an eclipse song in a traditional sense but considering his once-in-a-lifetime star power — and that of his collaborators — it feels like a fitting inclusion.
Colombian American musician Kali Uchis’ songs center love, loss and divine femininity — and so does her hit “Moonlight.” In this sweet moment of pop astrology, the moon is a source of power.
Looking up at the sky as a symbol of ambition, hope, nostalgia or innocence has a long literary history. It also functions as the perfect visual for Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” cut “Seven.” Swifties know what’s up.
What is more fitting for an afternoon eclipse than the soft folk stylings of Cat Stevens’ “Moonshadow”? It doubles as a great road trip song for country road driving, too, so for those who are traveling — take note.
From Sade’s 2010 comeback album “Soldier of Love” comes “The Moon and the Sky,” a soft soul song good enough for Earth and what exists above.
Venezuelan Canadian pop singer JACE Carrillo teams up with producer Alyko for this summery, romantic slow burn, “Eclipse.” This is the one you’ll want to turn up if you’re planning on watching the total eclipse with your partner.
The eclipse will hit North America in the afternoon, so a full-on club banger is a little too nighttime for this daytime event. However, some sultry down-tempo reggaetón? That’s on the table, courtesy Bad Bunny and Rosalía.
Not long after K-pop girl group LOONA debuted, Kim Lip was announced its sixth member and her solo single “Eclipse” was released — a R&B bubblegum-pop song that confirmed her talents. Seven years on, its pleasant pop is worthy of this playlist.
K-pop boy group Got7 marry future bass and anthemic rock in this barnburner of a pop song. Give yourself a few hours to learn the choreography to keep yourself occupied while you wait for totality to hit.
Moonbyul’s “Eclipse” begins with a fake out: delicate production explodes into hard-hitting trap production and a gothic chorus — loud synths and chugging guitars. “When the moon covers the sun / It feels like I’m alone,” the K-pop girl group member sings, but that isolation doesn’t last long.
Can an eclipse playlist exist without ending with the massive drums and Hammond organ of Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse”? We think not.
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For more coverage of the 2024 total solar eclipse, visit https://apnews.com/hub/solar-eclipse-2024.
