Photo: Hulton Archive
Soundgarden's 1994 hit "Black Hole Sun" just accomplished an interesting feat: it topped Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart 30 years after its release. The rise may seem unexpected, but its sudden popularity goes hand in hand with the total solar eclipse thats path of totality made its way throughout the United States earlier this month.
The song garnered 4.2 million official streams (up 34%) and 2.5 million in radio airplay audience (up 19%), as well as selling 1,000 downloads (up 166%) in the US during April 5-11, according to Luminate.
As Billboard points out, this is the first Soundgarden song to top the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, though it's worth noting this particular chart didn't launch until 2020. "Black Hole Sun" also The track also shot up the Hot Rock Songs, Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts, landing at at 13, 15 and 19. respectively.
"Black Hole Sun" is a single off 1994's Superunknown. When it was first released, it topped the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for seven weeks.
Other songs that saw a resurgence thanks to the solar eclipse are Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”; Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising”; Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”; Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse”; and The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”