All it took was a small snippet in “The Last of Us” and Linda Ronstadt’s song shot like a slingshot

“Long Long Time” is such a significant element of an episode of the acclaimed series that the entire episode bears the same title as Linda Ronstadt’s touching ballad. The song was released in 1970 and comes from the artist’s second album “Silk Purse”. Already then, the song brought the singer a Grammy nomination in the category “Best Contemporary Female Performance of a Song”.

She competed for the award with Bobbie Gentry (“Fancy”), Anne Murray (“Snowbird”) and Diana Ross (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”). After 53 years from the premiere, the composition gained a second life – thanks to the series “The Last of Us”.

Bill and Frank sang “Long Long Time” on “The Last of Us”

The third episode ” focuses on the plot of Bill and Frank, which has been significantly developed in relation to what is known about them from the game. The script was written by Craig Mazin, known for his work on the loud and praised “Chernobyl”. IndieWire:

I told Neil [Druckmannowi, autorowi gry oraz współtwórcy serialu – dop. red.]that I want these two characters to develop a deeper relationship through a sad song. Back then I didn’t know what the song would be.

I had in mind that it would be a really sad piece where we hear a plea for love and that plea is not fulfilled. It was important that the theme of coming to terms with the fact that you were condemned to loneliness appeared in the song.

The choice fell on “Long Long Time”. The scene performed by Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett came out stunning, and soon after the premiere of the episode on music services, the madness began.

Spotify even reports that in just an hour, only American viewers searched for a song so intensively that its plays increased by 4,900 percent. This data was collected on Sunday, January 29 between 11 p.m. and midnight EST.

Similarly, “The Last of Us” worked for Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” in 1987. It is also worth recalling that the Netflix series “Stranger Things” effectively contributed to the renaissance of the popularity of Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill” – the song returned to the top of the Billboard list after several decades and higher positions than after its premiere in the 1980s Spotify also reports that it was the most popular and most listened to retro song of the year.

There is no need to hide the third episode of “The Last of Us” so far aroused the most controversy and divided the fans of the production. The creators dared to depart from what the players knew from the original and, what’s more, they showed a very non-hetronormative love story. Some are delighted and touched by the beauty of this story, others are outraged by LGBT themes or the fact that this story allegedly has nothing to do with the main plot of the series. Already in the first days of the premiere of the episode, voices were raised that it is January, and we have probably already seen the best episode of this year. Others postulate that the roles of Frank and Bill Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman should be awarded with Emmy statuettes and Golden Globes.