The Last Of Us is about an apocalypse, zombies and love. But currently one ballad in particular stands out in the series: “Long, Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt. The 76-year-old’s song not only gives the third episode its name, but is also recorded three times – in different variations, suitable for three scenarios.
The fans seem to be excited about this: since the episode premiered, the song’s streams have increased by 4900 percent compared to the previous week, as Spotify reports on Twitter. Previously, said series had already done so with a Depeche Mode song – after the release of the pilot episode on January 16, 2023, “Never Let Me Down Again” landed in the trends.
Spotify: New streaming records by using old songs
Spotify’s post states that the surge in streaming numbers occurred in the one-hour period between 11 p.m. and midnight Eastern Standard Time (six hours behind our time). That could mean that the numbers directly correlate to the release of the new TV episode.
Oh, so all our hearts were breaking last night… ? #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/upTiav0MLw
— Spotify News (@SpotifyNews) January 30, 2023
How “Long, Long Time” underscores the feelings in the episode
The song is about love, loneliness, longing. This underlines the emotional scenes, is the key to understanding the characters Bill and Frank, survivors of an apocalypse. Frank sits down at a piano and discovers a Linda Ronstadt songbook. As a result, the two become close despite the catastrophic circumstances and spend an intense time together. The song can also be heard in the scenes with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey).
Here are two versions of the song:
As reported by NME, executive producer and director Craig Mazin made the song choices, but only after his friend Seth Rudetsky suggested it.
Speaking to Variety, Mazin says, “I couldn’t find the right song for the life of me. I kept trying, and then I wrote my friend Seth Rudetsky.” Rudetsky is the host of Sirius XM on Broadway. Mazin told him, “Here are all the things I need, and two seconds later: ‘Linda Ronstadt, ‘Long, Long Time.’ I just thought this is it!”
More about the new series: “The Last Of Us”
The HBO series is based on the survival horror computer game of the same name. Nine episodes tell the story of Joel Miller, whose mission to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a city into a quarantine zone in the post-apocalyptic world goes awry. The adventure takes place in 2023, after a mushroom mutation has already turned more than half of humanity into monsters and zombies.