During times of socio-political upheaval, music and song can help defuse tension and bring relief. Songs of a bygone era, like Bonnie Tyler’s sentimental ditty “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” continues to resonate with people these days.

These sort of songs that express people’s innermost anguish offer a “gift of release,” as The New Yorker puts it. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” does exactly that.

The song, which topped the Billboard charts back in the early 1980s, will once again be heard by passengers of the Royal Caribbean cruise, in time for the much-awaited astronomical event this August -- the total solar eclipse.

For those unable to book Royal Caribbean’s Total Eclipse cruise, numerous news stations will be broadcasting coverage of the event.

Enduring appeal of an iconic song

Crooner Bonnie Tyler will be backed up by Joe Jonas’ electro-pop band DNCE when the moon passes over the sun and becomes perfectly aligned with Earth. Many people, most of them baby boomers, can readily identify with the lyrics of the iconic song.

Indeed, a once-in-a-lifetime celestial spectacle requires a great musical score, and Bonnie Tyler is very excited to provide it. The enduring appeal of “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” not just the title itself, makes it the top choice for a special natural phenomenon.

Little known facts about the Bonnie Tyler song

Though it is an all-time favorite song that has wended its way into karaoke bars in many parts of the world, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” carries details (including its writer-producer) unknown to many. The song's creative brainchild is Jim Steinman, who also composed Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell.” He described the process of creating the song as something like an aria.

There was an onslaught of emotion and sound.

People sensed that. Many individuals who may be pining over a lost love or the collapse of something good easily gravitate to the song. Like most other composers, Jim Steinman did not anticipate that the song would be a huge hit. The words “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” struck a chord in many people’s hearts.

That led to sales and profits.

Bonnie Tyler, who belted out "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in such an emotive and sincere way, likewise deserves credit for the song’s phenomenal success. It is one of those songs that underscores that not all good things last, or that the best times in one’s life can fade into oblivion. It is a fitting song for a rare and jaw-dropping natural occurrence like the upcoming total solar eclipse.