The third episode of HBO’s TV series adaptation of The Last of Us revolves around the love story between two of the show’s supporting characters, Bill and Frank. As part of the episode’s events there’s a song that plays an integral part in the establishment of the relationship, and also closes off the episode on an emotionally-charged high. That song is ‘Long Long Time’ by American rock and country singer, Linda Ronstadt. The episode title shares the same name.
Popular music streaming service Spotify has now revealed that in the hour following the episode’s premiere, streams of Ronstadt’s Grammy-nominated version of the ballad shot up by a whopping 4900% in the US. A similar phenomenon occurred when Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)’ featured in the Netflix series, Stranger Things.
While exact figures were not shared by Spotify, at the time of writing, ‘Long Long Time’ has over 8 million streams.
According to Variety, the song choice was made by co-writer, executive producer, and co-director on The Last of Us, Craig Mazin (Chernobyl).
‘I knew that song needed to hit certain things about longing and aching and endlessly unrequited love,’ Mazin told Variety.
‘I could not find the right song for the life of me. I was trying and trying, and then I texted my friend Seth Rudetsky, who is the host of Sirius XM on Broadway and a savant. I told him, “Here’s all the things I need,” and two seconds later: “Linda Ronstadt, ‘Long, Long Time.'” I was like, there it is. That’s it!’
For further analysis and reading on the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, you can check out the following articles:
- A spoiler-free review of the entire first season of The Last of Us HBO TV series
- The Last of Us HBO TV series: Cast and Character Guide
- The Last of Us interview: Henry and Perry actors examine their work
Episode recaps and analysis:
- The Last of Us – Episode 1 Recap – ‘When You’re Lost in the Darkness’
- The Last of Us – Episode 2 Recap – ‘Infected’
- The Last of Us – Episode 3 Recap – ‘Long, Long Time’
- The Last of Us – Episode 4 Recap – ‘Please Hold to My Hand’
- The Last of Us – Episode 5 Recap – ‘Endure and Survive’
- The Last of Us – Episode 6 Recap – ‘Kin’
Behind-the-scenes podcast recaps:
- HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast – Episode 1 Recap – ‘When You’re Lost in the Darkness’
- HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast – Episode 2 Recap – ‘Infected’
- HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast – Episode 3 Recap – ‘Long, Long Time’
- HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast – Episode 4 Recap – ‘Please Hold to My Hand’
The Last of Us is now streaming on HBO Max in the US, and Binge in Australia.
