By Maria Sherman

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.

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 — 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.

An eclipse song to dance to: “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd.

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.

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: 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.

An eclipse song for the introspective listener: “Moon at the Window” by Joni Mitchell.

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.

A throwback eclipse song: “Blue Moon” by Billie Holiday.

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.

The rest of the list:

An eclipse song for the arty folk: “Starman” by David Bowie.

An eclipse song for people very much in touch with the universe: “Space is the Place” by Sun Ra.

A righteous eclipse song: “Eclipse” by Earl Sweatshirt.

The “it isn’t an eclipse song, but it also isn’t not an eclipse song” eclipse song: “Moonlight” by Jay-Z.

A sexy eclipse song: “Moonlight” by Kali Uchis.

An eclipse song for the Swiftie in your life: “Seven” by Taylor Swift.

An idyllic eclipse song: “Moonshadow” by Cat Stevens.

A dreamy eclipse song: “The Moon and the Sky” by Sade.

A romantic eclipse song: “Eclipse” by JACE Carrillo and Alyko.

An eclipse song to get the afternoon party started: “La Noche de Anoche” by Bad Bunny and Rosalía.

An R&B-pop bop for the eclipse: “Eclipse” by LOONA’s Kim Lip.

An eclipse song that will immediately inspire a dance lesson: “Eclipse” by GOT 7.

An explosive eclipse song for those who feel lonely when the moon covers the sun: “Eclipse” by MAMAMOO’s Moonbyul.

The eclipse song that has to be present on every eclipse playlist: “Eclipse” by Pink Floyd.