Linda Ronstadt

While Linda Ronstadt's “Long, Long Time” likely won't become a TikTok trend like Kate Bush's “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” in Stranger Things, ...

“But I was wrong, because there was one person worth saving.” No matter what happens next in The Last of Us, it was an hour of television that will stay with us for a long, long time. The track marks the beginning of their long relationship, featuring sentimental lyrics in the chorus like, “I think I'm gonna love you for a long, long time,” and “I think I'm gonna miss you for a long, long time.” “’Even if a character doesn’t make it in our show,’” Mazin recalled Druckmann saying, “’these guys had a happier ending than they did in the game.’” And it can’t be a song that we all know.'” After texting Seth Rudetsky, a buddy he had who hosts Sirius XM's On Broadway, Mazin “described what I needed and within 30 seconds, it was [incoming text noise] ‘Long, Long Time by Linda Ronstadt,’” he recalled. “I remember saying to [creator] Neil [Druckmann], ‘I’m not sure what the song is, I just know that it has to be this incredibly sad song about yearning for love, and never getting love, and just making your peace with the fact that you will always be alone. [third episode](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a42687278/the-last-of-us-episode-3-recap/) of the post-apocalyptic survival series, Ronstadt’s 1970 ballad is not only thematically important—but its lyrics are critical to the story, too.

The episode then jumps to four years later, where viewers see Bill meet Frank (played by Murray Bartlett), a man who falls into one of the traps Bill sets up to ...

[come to the house](https://time.com/6247205/the-last-of-us-hbo-adaptation/) looking for Bill and Frank, and find a suicide note and the keys to a truck they need. Over 20 years, the episode shows the two falling in love and trying to protect each other from the outside world (not without some bumps in the road and Bill taking a bullet). [“Long Long Time”](https://genius.com/albums/Linda-ronstadt/Silk-purse) in a “Best of Linda Ronstadt” songbook. [interview with IndieWire](https://www.indiewire.com/2023/01/last-of-us-linda-ronstadt-bill-frank-song-1234803718/), series co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin recalled telling Neil Druckmann, the original game writer and co-creator of the series, that he wanted the characters to bond over a sad song. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider. [third episode of ](https://time.com/6246819/the-last-of-us-episode-3-craig-mazin-interview/) [The Last of Us](https://time.com/6246819/the-last-of-us-episode-3-craig-mazin-interview/) had viewers wiping away tears throughout its hour-plus run. They drink pill-riddled wine, go to their bedroom, and die together—exactly how they want to go. Bill agrees, later revealing that he plans to die, too, rather than live in the world without Frank. In the glove box, Ellie finds a cassette tape labeled “mix for Bill). “And time washes clean, love’s wounds unseen/That’s what someone told me, but I don’t know what it means.” As Frank is about to leave, he goes over to a piano in Bill’s house and finds the sheet music for the song The

Ronstadt's 1970s hit isn't just a major emotional beat; it's also where Episode 3 gets its name. After Bill (Nick Offerman) begrudgingly offers Frank (Murray ...

Smith described the film](https://decider.com/2020/01/10/linda-ronstadt-the-sound-of-my-voice-review/) as “a moving portrait of an artist whose life has been brought to heel against an unbeatable foe.” After you re-watch The Last of Us Episode 3, you can catch it on HBO Max. Ronstadt was dubbed the Queen of Rock and the Queen of Country Rock in the 1990s. [Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice](https://decider.com/movie/linda-ronstadt-the-sound-of-my-voice/) was directed by the Oscar-winning Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and features interviews with several of Ronstadt’s friends and fellow artists. Basically, she’s one of the most successful and lauded singers you may have missed. But not even the most diehard fan of this franchise was prepared for Episode 3’s heart-wrenching use of Linda Ronstadt’s “Long, Long Time.” Ronstadt later stated that she wasn’t pleased with the album, even though “Long, Long Time” marked her first Grammy nomination.

The third episode debuted last night and it has turned the spotlight onto Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame singer Linda Ronstadt, who was most professionally active ...

the rock, country, pop, jazz, and mariachi legend, Linda Ronstadt. I went through hours and hours and hours. But it can’t be on the nose. Linda Ronstadt is trending, which is pretty much the way it ought to be every day. And finally, I was like, ‘I know what to do: I’m going to text my friend Seth Rudetsky,’ who is a host on Sirius XM On Broadway, and has this encyclopedic knowledge of all music. And it can’t be a song that we all know.’” [January 30, 2023] Fans are happy to see Ronstadt get some renewed attention, especially when it comes to the streaming royalties that are surely coming her way. The third episode debuted last night and it has turned the spotlight onto Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame singer [Linda Ronstadt](https://uproxx.com/music/the-simpsons-best-musical-guests/), who was most professionally active from the late ’60s to the ’00s. I described what I needed and within 30 seconds, it was [incoming text noise] ‘Long, Long Time by Linda Ronstadt.’ I kinda remembered that song. “I had the thought that this would happen, that there was a song that would be played, and that we would be surprised by who was good at it and who was bad at it. In the new episode (titled “Long Long Time”), Frank and Bill’s relationship is kicked into gear when the two of them play Ronstadt’s “Long, Long Time” together on an antique piano.

She outsold Joni Mitchell and had the Eagles as her backing band – then disappeared. Can the zombie drama give her a Kate Bush-like rebound?

At the time it was the best-selling non-English-language album in the history of the US charts. If anything, she feels that the music culture of the time was toxic compared to today’s. We were encouraged in the Sixties to think of us and them. I think it’s a little bit healthier that they embrace their audience and sort of feel like everybody’s on the same team. Ronstadt always had the air of someone with one eye on the exit - and that made her songs feel like thrilling high-wire acts. That’s where we find Long, Long Time – the tragic banger The Last Of Us may potentially introduce to Generation TikTok. Yet, in terms of critical acclaim, she has never received the kudos laid at the feet of her contemporaries. Out of all of them, Ronstadt was arguably the most gifted vocalist – though she always questioned her ability. The issue was not her ability, but her belief in herself. In 1964, aged 18, she took a bus to LA with $30 in her pocket. Might the Last of Us deliver an electric shock to her profile? And it plays over that devastating final shot of the window that opens out from the room where their bodies lie together.

People are rediscovering the San Francisco-based singer after last night's moving episode featured her 1970 song 'Long Long Time.'

As the "Last of Us" brings a spotlight to music legend Linda Ronstadt, there's much more to know about her than one hit song.

The classic, Grammy-nominated song features prominently in Episode 3 of the popular post-apocalyptic series.

Much like Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" on Stranger Things, Linda Ronstadt's "Long, Long Time" is getting a TV boost.

[Originally released in 1970](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long,_Long_Time), the song spent 12 weeks on Billboard’s top 100 list, peaking at number 25, and garnered Ronstadt a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance. [saw a huge surge in popularity](https://gizmodo.com/stranger-things-4-sadie-sink-vfx-kate-bush-netflix-1849114648) and even began to get regular radio play again. It’s only been a day since The Last Of Us used Ronstadt’s song in its beautiful, poetic, painful episode—but one has to imagine, as more people watch it and fall in love with Bill and Frank, that number will only go up. And now, like [another specific piece of music before it](https://gizmodo.com/kate-bush-stranger-things-season-4-running-up-that-hill-1849092944), the song is seeing a huge surge in popularity. [“Long, Long Time”](https://gizmodo.com/last-of-us-3-explained-craig-mazin-neil-druckmann-hbo-1850026210) named after a song of the same name by singer Linda Ronstadt. Immediately after the episode aired, [popular music streamer Spotify](https://twitter.com/SpotifyNews/status/1620127474976964608) reports the song saw a 4,900% increase in plays compared to the previous week.

It's because her melancholic, Grammy-nominated ballad "Long, Long Time" from 1970 was used to fantastic effect in Sunday night's beautifully haunting third ...

With viewership of the post-apocalyptic series growing, as [ Variety recently reported](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-last-of-us-episode-2-ratings-viewers-1235499252/), there's a good chance that "Long Long Time" will do even better. The song enjoyed If all of your online friends are talking about Linda Ronstadt today, it's with good reason -- and it's not just because she is one of the rock era's great singers.

After the episode aired, the 1970s song saw streaming numbers increase by 4900% according to Spotify.

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 could not find the right song for the life of me. In the scene, Frank is sitting down at a piano and discovers a Linda Ronstadt songbook.

How Ronstadt's plaintive song from the '70s resonates with the singer and on HBO's post-apocalyptic series. By Alison Stine. Staff Writer ...

[The Last of Us](https://www.salon.com/2023/01/29/the-last-of-us-episode-3-nick-offerman-murray-bartlett-long-long-time/)," the song first plays in an amateur version. Frank tries an awkward and off-key version of " [Long, Long Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrH3OQRgfVc)." The song in " [The Last of Us](https://www.salon.com/2023/01/29/the-last-of-us-episode-3-nick-offerman-murray-bartlett-long-long-time/)" was Linda Ronstadt's 1970 hit "Long, Long Time" and it was less of a moment and more a whole episode keyed around the ballad. (Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images)The lyrics of "Long, Long Time" paint the picture of a love that didn't work out but will forever burn in the singer's heart: "And I think I'm gonna love you for a long, long time." She told [USA Today](https://www.today.com/health/linda-ronstadt-rare-brain-disorder-rcna55208) in 2022, "I can sing in my brain." Written by Gary White, a Texas artist whom Ronstadt duets with on another song on the album, "Louise," "Long, Long Time" was a song Ronstadt allegedly had to persuade her record company to include. ["The Last of Us"](https://www.salon.com/2023/01/15/the-last-of-us-review-hbo/) may have had its ["Stranger Things"](https://www.salon.com/2022/07/10/stranger-things-5-jurassic-world-dominion/) moment early, in the third episode of its initial season. Mazin said, "The whole idea was to hit the highlights of moments in your life where love means something different." streams of the song increased by a stunning 4,900% in one hour alone, according to [Spotify](https://twitter.com/SpotifyNews/status/1620127474976964608?t=6DbyIDLAyLtj9Im6VFhlBQ&s=19). The single of "Long, Long Time" stayed on the Billboard's Hot 100 chart for 12 weeks, though it never reached the top spot. That album, "Silk Purse" contains the track used by "The Last of Us." The bump that the Netflix show gave to a song, Kate Bush's classic " [Running Up That Hill (Deal with God)](http://www.salon.com/2022/05/31/stranger-things-kate-bush-tiktok-running-up-that-hill/)," which played for quite a long time during a pivotal moment for the characters, was echoed by HBO's new zombie series.

Nick Offerman (Bill) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) share a moment in the third episode of the HBO zombie series where they play a version of Ronstadt's hit song.

“Long, Long Time,” which was written by Gary White, was released in 1970 as a single off of Ronstadt’s Silk Purse album. The song tethers Max (Sadie Sink) to the real world as she tries to escape Vecna in the Upside Down. The real version would then get played at the end of the episode with Ronstadt’s voice in full glory.