Bill on the piano set with Frank looking over in The Last Of Us episode 3

The Last of Us TV show co-creator Craig Mazin reveals how the heartbreaking song, Linda Ronstadt’s “Long, Long Time,” was chosen for episode 3.


The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin explains how that heartbreaking song was chosen for episode 3. The first two episodes of HBO’s The Last of Us remain remarkably faithful to the video game as they introduce Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey). However, The Last of Us episode 3 takes a welcome detour, chronicling the 20-year relationship between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) as they meet, fall in love, and build a life together in the town of Lincoln. Although a deviation from the source material, the episode is continuing to garner critical acclaim for the show as well as emotional reactions.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Early on during The Last of Us episode 3, Frank and Bill play Linda Ronstadt’s “Long, Long Time” on piano, andduring an interview with IndieWire, Craig Mazin explained how that heartbreaking song was chosen. The Last of Us co-creator and episode 3 writer knew he wanted a sad song about love and loneliness for the episode, but after struggling to find one, he turned to a trusted friend who suggested “Long, Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt. Read what Mazin shared below:

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. 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.”

I went through hours and hours and hours. 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. 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.”

Related: Why Clickers Make That Sound In The Last Of Us


Why The The Linda Ronstadt Song Plays An Important Part In Bill & Frank’s Love Story

Bill and Frank getting married in Last of Us episode 3

The Linda Ronstadt song “Long, Long Time” plays an important part in Bill and Frank’s love story in The Last of Us episode 3. Early on during the episode, the two sing separate song renditions while playing an antique piano, with Frank’s more upbeat and unpolished version contrasting with Bill’s soulful and moving rendition. The juxtaposition becomes a catalyst for Bill and Frank’s relationship and sets the tone for the rest of the episode.

Condensing Bill and Frank’s entire 20-year love story into a single episode sounds like an impossible feat, though episode 3 writer Craig Mazin and director Peter Hoar pulled it off with powerful moments like the “Long, Long Time” living room rendition. By choosing the perfect song, the moment conveys a lot of emotion and accomplishes a lot of characterization for Bill and Frank in a short time. In addition to marking the beginning of Bill and Frank’s relationship, “Long, Long Time” resurfaces at the end of episode 3 to close the book on their love story, as Joel and Ellie listen to the song on cassette tape as they drive off in Bill’s truck. The song is so essential to Bill and Frank’s love story that it was also used as the title of The Last of Us episode 3, “Long Long Time.”

Will Linda Ronstadt “Long Long Time” Become The Next Viral Song?

Blended image of a worried Max from Stranger Things, and Kate Bush

After “Long, Long Time” was featured prominently in The Last of Us episode 3, the 50-year-old Linda Ronstadt song is being discovered for the first time by modern audiences. This continues a recent trend of popular television shows using older songs, which then see a surge in popularity, similar to how Stranger Things season 4 famously caused Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” to rise to the top of the modern-day charts. The Linda Ronstadt song is showing some early promise by trending on Twitter, though only time will tell if “Long, Long Time” reenters the charts and becomes the next viral song.

More: The Last Of Us Episode 3 Ending Explained

Source: IndieWire

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