Solar eclipse playlist: Rock out during your cosmic adventure
What’s a light show without inspiring tunes?
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.
Here’s a playlist of eclipse songs to listen to while preparing to take in the wonders of the universe Monday. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify.
A classic eclipse song: “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. 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.
A rockin’ eclipse song: “Blinded by the Light” by Bruce Springsteen. Not the synth-y cover by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, this spirited “Blinded by the Light” is an eclipse song for the ages.
An eclipse song to dance to: “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd. One of the greatest pop songs of the last decade, “Blinding Lights” is an ideal song for speeding down a highway in the darkness — safely, of course .
A grounded eclipse song, to remind you of the Earth: “Solar Eclipse” by Youngboy Never Broke Again. The best Youngboy Never Broke Again tracks bring the listener into his world. “Solar Eclipse” centers on 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.
For the introspective listener: “Moon at the Window” by Joni Mitchell. 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 melancholic whimsy here, and lyrical poetry.
Throwback eclipse song: “Blue Moon” by Billie Holiday. What is a space-themed playlist without a “Blue Moon”? Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934, the song has been covered countless times, but no other hits with the soul of Billie Holiday’s 1952 take.
Song for the arty folk: “Starman” by David Bowie. If space is the final frontier, David Bowie knew of its powers.
For people very much in touch with the universe: “Space is the Place” by Sun Ra. The beauty of Sun Ra’s “Space is the Place” is that it’s taken from a 1970s Afrofuturist film of the same name.
Righteous eclipse song: “Eclipse” by Earl Sweatshirt. Consider the distorted, reversed production of Earl Sweatshirt’s short rap track as an interlude for this playlist.
The “it isn’t an eclipse song, but it also isn’t not an eclipse song” eclipse song: “Moonlight” by Jay-z. An undercelebrated cut from Jay-z’s momentous 2017 album “4:44,” this is not an eclipse song in a traditional sense, but it feels like a fitting inclusion.
Sexy eclipse song: “Moonlight” by Kali Uchis. Colombian American musician Uchis’ songs center on love, loss and divine femininity. In this sweet moment of pop astrology, the moon is a source of power.
For the Swiftie in your life: “Seven” by Taylor Swift. 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 this “Folklore” cut.
Idyllic eclipse song: “Moonshadow” by Cat Stevens. What is more fitting for an afternoon eclipse than the soft folk stylings of Cat Stevens? It doubles as a great road trip song for country road driving, too.
Dreamy eclipse song: “The Moon and the Sky” by Sade. From Sade’s 2010 comeback album “Soldier of Love,” a soft soul song good enough for Earth and what exists above.
Romantic eclipse song: “Eclipse” by JACE Carrillo and Alyko. The Venezuelan Canadian pop singer teams up with producer Alyko for this summery, romantic slow burn.
To get the afternoon party started: “La Noche de Anoche” by Bad Bunny and Rosalía. The eclipse will hit North America in the afternoon, so a full-on club banger is a little too nighttime. But some sultry down-tempo reggaetón? That’s on the table.
Song that must be present on every eclipse playlist: “Eclipse” by Pink Floyd. Can an eclipse playlist exist without ending with the massive drums and Hammond organ of Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse”? We think not.