This Linda Ronstadt Classic Is Suddenly Popular Again

Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time” is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. Just as Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” did following its inclusion in that jaw-dropping scene from Stranger Things Season 4, Ronstadt’s 1970 song is enjoying renewed success after appearing in The Last Of Us‘ third episode, which detailed the bittersweet post-apocalyptic queer love story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett)in an episode that has been praised by critics as the best of the season and hailed as a “milestone for LGBTQ gamers.”

A scene early on in the episode saw Frank, who had only recently been welcomed into Bill’s home, sitting down at a piano and performing a not-so great rendition of the Ronstadt hit. Bill eventually took over, emotionally singing the lines, “Love will abide, take things in stride. Sounds like good advice but there’s no one at my side.”The scene was a catalyst for what would become their heartwarming years-long romance, with the song later playing towards the end of the episode as Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) listening to the song on a cassette tape.

Unsurprisingly, the heartwarming moment and the impact that Bill and Frank’s story had on viewers left many fans scrambling to listen to “Long Long Time” on repeat, so much so that the song has soared up the streaming charts. Spotify revealed Monday that between 11 p.m. ET and midnight Sunday, Spotify streams of “Long, Long Time” increased 4,900% compared to the week prior, marking a massive increase in interest.

“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,” episode writer and series co-creator Craig Mazin told IndieWire of choosing the song. “I remember saying to Neil, ‘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. But it can’t be on the nose. And it can’t be a song that we all know.’”

Mazin explained that after struggling to find the perfect song for the scene, he recruited the help of his friend Seth Rudetsky, a host on Sirius XM On Broadway. Mazin told the outlet, “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 played it and was like, ‘Oh, my. There it is.’”

Written by Gary White, “Long Long Time” is featured on Ronstadt’s second album, Silk Purse, which was released in 1970. Per Billboard, the song charted for 12 weeks, peaking at number 25. It was Ronstadt’s first single to appear on a Billboard chart. In 1971, Ronstadt earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance.