Bonnie Tyler classic Total Eclipse of the Heart soars during solar eclipse just days ahead of singer’s funeral
Bonnie Tyler’s iconic 1980s power ballad Total Eclipse of the Heart saw its UK Spotify streams surge by 94 per cent on Wednesday, August 12, as the largest partial solar eclipse in almost three decades captivated the nation.
The streaming spike came just five weeks after the beloved Welsh singer died unexpectedly on July 8 at a hospital in Portugal, aged 75. Globally, the track experienced a 14 per cent uplift on the same day.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in Neath, Ms Tyler became an international star with the release of the ballad in 1982.
The song topped the UK charts for a fortnight and held the number one spot in the United States for four weeks.
Bonnie Tyler died last month in Portugal
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GETTYIts music video has since amassed more than 1.2 billion YouTube views, while Spotify streams have surpassed one billion.
Mal Pope, a musician and close friend of Ms Tyler’s, watched the celestial spectacle from Langland Bay and said the late singer was firmly on his mind throughout.
Walking around the area, he noticed youngsters joining in with the famous track.
“It wasn’t just the oldies who knew it the first time around. It’s a classic song – it was really lovely hearing kids singing along with it,” he said.
The nation was gripped by Wednesday’s partial eclipse, prompting a resurgence of Tyler’s classic song
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GETTY
Speaking to BBC News, Mr Pope described the timing as bittersweet, with the eclipse falling during preparations for Tyler’s funeral.
“The whole village of Mumbles has got Bonnie on their minds. It just seems so ironic that of all the weeks for there to be a total eclipse, that it should be this week in Bonnie’s very special, sad weeks,” he reflected.
“It’s like the sky came out in sympathy with us all here in Mumbles,” he added.
Ms Tyler’s track was far from the only eclipse-related song to enjoy a streaming boost on August 12.
Bonnie Tyler pictured in 1977 | GETTY
According to Spotify data, Evolfo’s Moon Eclipsed the Sun registered the most dramatic percentage rise in UK streams, climbing by an extraordinary 12,817 per cent.
Chris Staples’ Dark Side of the Moon followed with a 2,805 per cent increase, while Pink Floyd’s Eclipse jumped 594 per cent.
Delta Goodrem’s Eclipse rose by 104 per cent, and Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine saw a more modest 17 per cent uplift.
Mr Pope expressed confidence that Tyler’s signature song would endure far beyond this week’s celestial event.
Bonnie Tyler died in July
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PA“Every time there’s going to be a total eclipse, people are going to play the song on the spot, I’m sure, for generations to come,” he said.
Spotify has previously disclosed that it paid out more than $1.4 million for streams of Ms Tyler’s catalogue in 2025.
A procession through Mumbles is planned for Saturday, with a tribute concert following on Sunday, Mr Pope confirmed.
Ms Tyler’s funeral service is scheduled for August 17 at midday at St Mary’s Church in Swansea.
Her coffin will be brought to her former Mumbles home on August 15, with members of the public invited to line Newton Road from 15:15 to pay their respects.
Mr Pope said he believed Ms Tyler would have relished the outpouring of affection during the eclipse.
“She had the most amazing voice, a great singer, and I’m sure she would have been smiling and thinking, ‘isn’t this lovely that people still remember this song’, which was a big hit all around the world,” he said.
The Grammy-nominated artist, who represented the UK at Eurovision in 2013, received an MBE from Prince William in 2023 for her services to music.
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