Here’s something Bonnie Tyler probably didn’t foresee when she released her soon-to-be hit song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in 1983: That in the futuristic-sounding year of 2017, there would be a literal total eclipse (of the sun, in this case) and that, in the process of getting pumped for the rare event, millions of people would listen to her song on little computers that stream music from signals beamed wirelessly from the sky, as if by magic. But here we are!
In the hours leading up to the eclipse, Spotify saw a 2,859% increase in U.S. streams of the song compared to the same period two weeks ago. This presumably includes streams of the lesser-known cover version by Jill Andrews that Spotify included on its “Total Eclipse” playlist. But the original Bonnie Tyler version (which is on another eclipse-themed playlist being hyped on Spotify’s “Browse” tab) has seen over 106 million streams in total.
The song also shot to the #1 spot on iTunes and saw a 500% increase in digital sales, according to Nielsen. The boost presumably means a spike in royalty payments for Tyler, the record label, and songwriter Jim Steinman. How much? We may never know. But it’s a one-time sum the song’s creators may not see again until April 8, 2024, when the sun is blocked by the moon once again.
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