At 14:45 EST she was singing her 1983 hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart” on board a cruise ship east of The Bahamas.

And just a few hours later Bonnie Tyler watched her best-known single jump to #1 on iTunes in the United States, pushing Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee into second position with their reggaeton hit “Despacito”.

“I never get tired of singing the song,” Tyler told Good Morning America on live television ahead of her performance. “It’s a great song and it gets everyone in the mood.”

Scroll down for the performance video

Bonnie, who sang for the United Kingdom at Eurovision 2013 in Malmö, performed the track with Joe Jonas’ band DNCE.

The collaboration was part Royal Caribbean’s special “Total Eclipse Cruise,” which capitalised on America’s obsession with today’s once-in-a-century celestial event.

The hype surrounding her performance helped turn it into the unofficial anthem of the eclipse, which has been the top trending item in the United States all day.

It also helped the cruise company sell out the ship, with a total of 5,484 passengers on board.

Speaking to the Miami Herald, a cruise line spokesperson said the final suite on the ship was booked on Thursday for $15,000.

The Welsh singer, who recorded the global hit “Holding Out for a Hero” for the 1984 film Footloose, used Eurovision as a platform to promote her 2013 album Rocks and Honey.

She sang a country-rock ballad called “Believe in Me” while riding a platform to the sky. Unfortunately her performance didn’t take flight and she placed 19th.

The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals — praised her as an artist, but just couldn’t stomach the song. As we wrote at the time:

“Bonnie Tyler is a legend with an instantly recognizable voice. That’s why this mediocre song is so disappointing. Making someone of her stature sing this tosh is like telling an Oscar-winning actress she has landed a part in the Akron, Ohio production of Cats, or telling Cristiano Ronaldo he’ll be playing for that powerhouse North Korea at the next World Cup. Given the right song Bonnie could have won. With this she’ll be lucky to crack the Top 20. ‘Believe in Me’ is forgettable, disposable, far too mellow, and ultimately quite shallow. To quote her ditty, I’m ‘reaching out for something and there’s nothing.”

Bonnie regrets nothing of the Eurovision experience.

“I did the best that I could do with a great song,” she said afterwards. “I’m so glad and so happy that I did it because it was an incredible experience. It was like the Grammy awards all over again.”

Read more United Kingdom Eurovision news

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Darth Thulhu
Darth Thulhu
6 years ago

Once upon a time, she was falling in love. At Malmö, only falling apart.

Nothing she could do. A total eclipse of the chart.

CyxCy
CyxCy
6 years ago

A good song is forever a good song. Moreover, the children of the 80s have grown up and want to hear again today the hits of their childhood. It’s a real fashion right now and a lot of movies and series are surfing on it: The guardians of the galaxy, The Goldberg, Stranger things …

azaad
azaad
6 years ago

Irregardless of her less than stellar entry for Malmo, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” is a timeless classic. Well done Bonnie!

sorin
sorin
6 years ago

Happy for her and lucky song, I hope she will make the best of this event and make hits again.

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

Legend saving us from bad taste and trash, whew, it took a 30-year-old song to achieve that.

Taylor Swift is releasing her song on Friday so save your coins and buy it to leave Mariah Carey’s record intact as well as the American music charts’ dignity.