Linda Ronstadt’s 1970s favorite, “Long Long Time,” is getting another moment in the spotlight thanks to the HBO series, The Last of Us.
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The track was featured in a recent episode of the show which centers around the survivor of a civilzation-destroying pandemic taking charge of a young teen who serves as the last hope for humanity.
Ronstadt’s song can be heard in scenes featuring main characters Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as well as Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett).
The decision to use the song came from executive producer and director, Craig Mazin, who reached out to a friend in the music industry for ideas after struggling to find the right track to capture the emotion of the moment.
“I knew that song needed to hit certain things about longing and aching and endlessly unrequited love,” Main 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.”
He continued, “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!”
According to Spotify, in the hour following the conclusion of the episode, the song’s streaming numbers jumped a whopping 4900%.
“Long, Long Time,” appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 weeks in 1970 and peaked at #25 in 1971. The song was included on Ronstadt’s Silk Purse album and received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance.
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