the perfect playlist
12+ perfect songs for your Total Solar Eclipse roadtrip to Central Texas
Dark Side of the Moon obviously needs to be included.
In case you missed it, the Total Solar Eclipse is coming on April 8, and the fervor is rising. Texas is going to be one of the best places in the U.S. to see it, with dark skies set to cover Texas cities for up to four minutes. Everyone's getting ready, from hotels to music festivals, and everything in between.
The only missing link is the soundtrack. What kind of celestial music will provide the most fitting backdrop for this once-in-a-lifetime event? You need the right kind of themed songs, which can be grouped into two categories:
- Songs with clever titles that reference the sun or the moon
- Songs with a sweeping atmospheric nature that can imbue the sudden darkness in the middle of the day with the proper degree of gravitas
Beyond the opportunity to make another pioneering list, a feat for which CultureMap has become known, this exercise provides a chance to get acquainted with music you may not have heard of, which is more than likely since some of these songs are o-l-d.
Here's our list of suggested songs to play during the Total Solar Eclipse, in alphabetical order:
Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers, 1971
Singer-songwriter Withers was famously working in a factory making bathrooms for 747s when he wrote this song, which became a huge hit. It's cool the way it starts out simple, just Withers' voice and guitar, then strings come in to give it a celestial, eclipse-worthy sweep. The lyrics are basic, but peak with the passage where he repeats "I know I know I know" 26 times in a 10-second span without pause. That's half the totality in San Antonio.
All The Stars, Kendrick Lamar with SZA, 2018
This collaboration between rapper Kendrick Lamar and singer SZA is a breathtaking back-and-forth between Lamar's cool treated vocals and SZA's soulful, soaring tones, set over a jittery beat with little sci-fi pops that fit the eclipse milieu to a T. The lyrics seem to be about a severed romance, but all you need to know is that they chant the line "All the stars are closer" 18 times, and it's impossible not to chime in.
Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1969
This song was one of CCR's biggest hits, and it has a funny disconnect: The music is chipper and upbeat, but the lyrics are apocalyptic, predicting doom and gloom. Ancient civilizations used to
view eclipses with fear and awe, before astronomers discovered they were predictable. So there's your very loose eclipse tie-in, but this song makes the list mostly for the song title.
Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden, 1994
One of the Seattle rock band's best songs, "Black Hole Sun" was a departure from their usual grunge sound. Singer-songwriter Chris Cornell
said that it was "grasping for some kind of hope out of depression or feeling sort of lost or sad." The moody, psychedelic quality of the music and the "impressionistic" lyrics — i.e. they don't need to make sense — make it a perfect song for an eclipse.
Children of the Sun, Golden Dawn Arkestra, 2018
There are almost too many sun-worshipping songs to choose from within Austin band Golden Dawn Arkestra's catalog, from "Wings of Ra," to "Stargazer," to "Cosmic Dancer." Let's cut straight to the chase: "Children of the Sun" is the best move. Let the mantra wash over you ("We are the children/The chosen ones") and the jazz funk beat move you into a new life as someone who has become aligned with the sun god.
Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, Blind Willie Johnson, 1927
Once upon a time in 1977, scientists did some very important science and put two identical golden records on the Voyager space crafts, just in case someone ever finds them and is curious about what life on Earth sounds like. They included this meditative gospel blues track by Central Texas artist Blind Willie Johnson. Listen to it while quietly pondering the miracle of life and the impassivity of the cosmos.
Spaceman, The Killers, 2008
It's probably fair to say "Spaceman" isn't indie glam rock band The Killers' best song, but in 2024 the dance tune is one of the most nostalgic. Get inside frontman and spaceman Brandon Flowers' head and take a journey to the moon as it aligns with the Earth and sun. If you plan carefully and start the linked YouTube video 19 seconds past 1:31 pm, you can time the totality with the song's weird, futuristic bridge.
Total Eclipse of the Heart, Bonnie Tyler, 1983
This 80s staple may be corny and melodramatic but you can't leave it out on any eclipse list, not with that dead-on title. Here's a fun fact: The song sees a spike in interest during every eclipse, most recently 2021 when Tyler observed it on Twitter, saying, "Notifications are blowing up.*checks news* Ah. There's an eclipse." She even sang it on a cruise ship during an eclipse in 2017.
Total Eclipse of the Sun, Don McLean, 2018
Kinda drippy song which seems to be about being dumbstruck by a girl is a sweet effort by Don McLean, most famous for his 1971 song, "American Pie." The old dude is still writing songs. That said, it's on this list for the title and the title alone.
The Sky Is A Neighborhood, Foo Fighters, 2017
One of music's most famous believers in aliens is affable rock legend Dave Grohl, who even co-opted a vintage term for UFOs as his band's name when starting Foo Fighters. We can't say for sure that aliens aren't behind this, so consider honoring them by blasting this roof-stomper Grohl wrote about his stargazing hobby; The idea is that we're all in this Universe together, so we have to be respectful.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Richard Strauss, 1896
Classical music piece written by composer Richard Strauss in 1896 became hugely famous after it was used masterfully in the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's since become a common go-to soundtrack in popular culture when you want to tease a momentous event and has been used for space-related scenes. If there's any music associated with outer space, this is it.
Watcher of the Skies, Genesis, 1972
Song by British prog-rock band Genesis came out during their prime era, when they still had singer Peter Gabriel and drummer Phil Collins. It wasn't their best-known, but it is nonetheless a sprawling 7-minute-plus masterpiece with abrupt shifts in tempo, classic prog-rock instrumentation like Mellotron and flute, and Collins' killer drums. It makes the list both because of the pertinent title and also, it's just a great song.
Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd, 1973
This concept album with universal themes by rock band Pink Floyd was the fourth-best selling album in history, and has also spent more time on the charts than any other album in history. There's the name of the album. The prism album cover. The final track called "Eclipse." Really, just play this album.
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Brianna Caleri contributed songs to this list.
