Any great event deserves a great soundtrack. Welcome to our list of the best classic rock eclipse songs. Naturally, we started out by asking around.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with an answer on FB or on the phone lines. Scroll down to check out the best classic rock eclipse songs (most popular picks) or read on for some eclipse info. These events can be confusing!

Rapid Fire Eclipse Notes

The sky isn’t falling, but I’m not looking up either. What makes THIS eclipse different from the others we’ve experienced? The April 8th, 2024 total solar eclipse is the last eclipse that will be viewable in the United States until 2044 and that eclipse won’t have a much smaller path of totality.

What is the path of totality?

CBS News gets into a lot of eclipse info and they define the path of totality as the strip of the eclipse’s path where the moon completely covers the sun. The last eclipse, back in 2017, had a path of totality that covered around 12 million people (per NASA). Our 2024 eclipse estimates that more than 31 million people will be in the path this time around.

Big Jim has a great article about the eclipse. Did you know that eclipses have been known to affect animals in strange ways? You can read Jim’s article HERE. He also talks about the only place in Michigan that is in the path of totality and why the mayor would rather you went somewhere else.

PS: “Totality” is an annoying word.

Corona isn’t just a beer.

Corona is a term used with eclipses. NASA defines the Sun’s corona as “the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere. The corona is usually hidden by the bright light of the Sun’s surface.” The corona is visible during an eclipse. The corona is actually way hotter than the actual surface of the Sun.

Doni shows her eclipse glasses. they seem legit but Doni is still hesitant. She really wants to catch the eclipse while listening to the best classic rock eclipse songs.

Do I Need To Wear Glasses?

Seriously, you better know the answer to this. I bought eclipse glasses, but I still don’t think I’ll look up. I have trust issues. I’m one of those people who thinks their eyeballs will fall out if I look at the sun during an eclipse. For the record, my hysteria is just that… i get hysterical, hysteria.. oh can you feel it? Where was i? Oh yes, not looking up. I’ll most likely wait for the pictures.

So why do we need glasses to look at the eclipse? Basically, you can sunburn your retinas. For the record, it’s never a good idea to look directly into the sun for a variety of reasons that are covered in an article from the Australian government. When the eclipse is going on, parts of the sun show that we don’t normally see. If you damage your eyes, they could heal or they could not.

Like I said, I’ll wait for the pictures.

Check out our list of the best classic rock eclipse songs complete with notes on why they made the list. We threw a couple of bonus picks in too.  They fall a bit outside of classic rock, but they are definitely classics.

The Best Classic Rock Eclipse Songs

• #7 "Children of The Sun" - Billy Thorpe

  The people of the Earth stood waiting
  Watching as the ships came one by one
  Setting fire to the sky as they landed
  Carried to the world Children Of The Sun

  So maybe Billy Thorpe is speaking more about aliens than eclipses in this song, but it still fits beautifully. Billy Thorpe never made a video for “Children of The Sun” bit I did find this trippy video of still shots that I’m assuming was a fan contribution. Check it out!

   

• #6 "Invisible Sun" - The Police

  There has to be an invisible sun
  That gives us hope when the whole day’s done

  Sting may have gotten inspiration for the tile from a 1658 novel by Sir Thomas Browne. He wrote “Life is a pure flame, and we live by an invisible sun within us.” “Invisible Sun” is also not about eclipses. It’s about the violence in Northern Ireland back in the ’80s.

   

• #5 "Sunspot Baby" - Bob Seger

  She left me here stranded like a dog out in the yard
  Charged up a fortune on my credit card
  She used my address and my name
  Man, that was sure unkind
  Sunspot Baby
  She sure had a real good time

  This song also.. not about eclipses, but sunspots are a real thing. Did you know that sunspots tend to occur in pairs? They appear as dark spots on the Sun because the sunspots have a lower temperature than the rest of the Sun.  It has to do with magnetic fields.

  Weather.gov tells us a lot more about sunspots and answers the question as to whether or not sunspots can affect our weather.

   

• #4 "Blinded By The Light" - Manfred Mann's Earth Band

  Bruce Springsteen wrote “Blinded By The Light.” The only lyrics that Manfred Mann’s Earth Band changed: “cut loose like a deuce” became “revved up like a deuce.” The song is one of the most famous in the category of “misheard lyrics.” “Wrapped up like a douche” is definitely not part of the lyrics. Manfred Mann’s version actually sounds nothing like the original.

  I have heard that Bruce did not like the Manfred Mann version until he started getting fat royalty checks.

• #3 "Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)" - Pat Travers

  “Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)” is a cover. The song was written by a harmonica player named Stan Lewis. Pat Travers cover is definitely a fun party version but the lyrics are much darker than one might think.

  I never felt this mad before
  When I just found out she don’t want me no more
  If I get her in my sight
  Boom boom! COME ON! Out go the lights!

  The song is singing about a guy looking for his girl to punch her… boom boom… out go her lights. While this is incredibly uncomfortable, it is also the reality behind the song. Again, this song makes for a great eclipse song, but it’s not about eclipses.

• #2 "Black Hole Sun" - Soundgarden

  “If I write lyrics that are bleak or dark, it usually makes me feel better,” Chris Cornell said this of his writing process. Chris was the soul author of “Black Hole Sun.”

  Black hole sun
  Won’t you come
  And wash away the rain

  The lyrics are definitely bleak. While this song is not about an eclipse, certainly the imagery is there. This song did extremely well for Soundgarden. The imaging accompanying the song were of an exaggerated eclipse. The tail end of the video shows everything and everyone getting sucked into something that looks like a cross between a black hole and and eclipse.

   

• #1 "Brain Damage/Eclipse" - Pink Floyd

  “There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it’s all dark.” The final words of the masterpiece, Dark Side of The Moon. “Eclipse” and “Brain Damage” are almost always played together. The two songs flow seamlessly together.

  And all that is now
  And all that is gone
  And all that’s to come
  And everything under the sun is in tune
  But the sun is eclipsed by the moon

  Dark Side of The Moon had its 50th anniversary not too long ago. Pink Floyd had an animation video competition for “Eclipse.” Here’s the winning submission:

   

• Bonus Eclipse Material

  Obviously, Bonnie Tyle needs to have a nod. This song was HUGE in the ’80s. Bonnie Tyler did a heck of a job delivering the song. It was written by Jim Steinman. He said that the song was a tribute to the 1922 film, Nosferatu (a version of Dracula). Jimmy Fallon sang “Total Eclipse of The Heart” with Heart during the eclipse. Click HERE to check it out.

  Once upon a time there was light in my life
  But now there’s only love in the dark
  Nothing I can say
  A total eclipse of the heart

  The video has more than one billion views.

   

  We also need to mention “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. The lyrics include, “Then you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia… To see the total eclipse of the sun.”

  Another nod for “Ring of Fire” by Johnny cash.  The song was actually written by June before she and Johnny married. She felt being around Cash was like being in a “ring of fire.”

Sign me up for the 94.7 WCSX email newsletter!

Stay connected to all things Classic Rock, join the WCSX Workforce- it’s free and you can win prizes, concert tickets and VIP experiences.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.