The Last of Us Spikes Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Long, Long Time’ to 4900% in Spotify, Set to Repeat Kate Bush’s Success in Stranger Things

The Last of Us Spikes Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Long, Long Time’ to 4900% in Spotify, Set to Repeat Kate Bush’s Success in Stranger Things
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Pedro Pascal can be considered the King Midas of the Hollywood TV industry, as so far, almost all of the series that he has been a part of have broken viewership and critical records, with the latest being HBO’s live-action adaptation of the super popular PlayStation video game The Last of Us. With just 3 episodes alone, the show now sits with the elites at the top of the chart on Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% fresh rating worldwide.

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HBO's The Last of Us
Pedro pascal and Bella Ramsey in HBO’s The Last of Us

But that might be selling the plot and the story of the series a little short, especially when the game that the show is based on was revered as one of the best story narrations in all the video games. This, combined with excellent screenplay and performance by the lead actors has brought back video game adaptations to their rightful place in the entertainment industry. But along with it, the show has gone beyond and brought back a vintage classic to the modern era in its third episode.

The Last Of Us Episode 3 Brings Back A Vintage Song To Popularity

The article may contain spoilers for The Last of Us

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A still from The Last of Us episode 3
A still from The Last of Us episode 3

When Naughty Dog announced that they would be launching a game that would touch the hearts of the players, no one could’ve realized how on the nose that statement would be. Fast forward a decade, and along with the video game, HBO’s live-action adaptation of The Last of Us has taken the world by storm. Pedro Pascal, along with her very talented co-star Bella Ramsey has proven the doubters wrong about the show’s chances of success with stellar performances by both of them.

You may also like: “We’re exhausted”: Pedro Pascal Was Scared of the Last of Us Fanbase, Hesitated to Play ‘Joel’ in The Hit HBO Show

And with the release of its third episode, the show has taken its first major deviation, which has still been received with absurdly popular support from the fanbase. And as if this wasn’t enough, the third episode has also brought back a classic song with it. The song referred to here is Linda Rondstat’s “Long Long Time”, which has now surpassed a 4,900% increase in streams with the third episode’s release. Craig Mazin, the creator of the series gave a statement to Variety, saying:

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“I knew that song needed to hit certain things about longing and aching and endlessly unrequited love, 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!”

The song was a perfect melody to connect the relationship of Bill and Frank, the gay couple that was the center of the narration of the third episode.

You may also like: The Last of Us Fans Rally Behind Nick Offerman for the Emmys After Episode 3 as Series Takes Major Deviation From Original Game

What’s Next For The Last Of Us?

Bill and Frank in The Last of Us
Bill and Frank in The Last of Us

After its first major deviation received positive reviews from the audience, the show will now focus on the rest of the story with a near-identical narration of the video game as was promised by Mazin before the show’s release. But it may have to delve into some additional content as the events from the video game are not time-gated and can be done at one’s leisure, while the show has to pervasively keep the story rolling, which might demand a slight addition of story that may or may not add to the end of the tale.

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You may also like: “It’s one of the best episodes of television”: The Last of Us Episode 3 Gets Heavy Praise from Midnight Mass Creator Mike Flanagan as HBO Adaptation Sets Benchmark for Gay Love Stories

The Last of Us, now streaming on HBO Max

Source: Variety

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Written by Deepak Bisht

Articles Published: 1394

Deepak Bisht is a writer at FandomWire who has vast expertise in films of many genres, a hardcore anime nerd along with two years of writing experience. After completing his Bachelor's in Business Administration, he became part of the company in hopes of providing accurate, informative, and exciting articles to the world.

Apart from his contributions to FandomWire, the rest of his time is spent either reading quality works of literature, listening to vintage music, or playing any video games he can get his hands on.