The Last of Us Episode 3 sends 70’s hit Long Long Time soaring on Spotify charts

Linda Ronstadt’s hit 70’s song ‘Long Long Time’ has seen a massive increase in listens and streams on Spotify in the past day following its inclusion in the third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us.

HBO’s The Last of Us episode 3 has been hailed by both critics and audiences alike for the beautiful yet heartbreaking queer romance it focuses on. In Dexerto’s review of episode 3, we called it “one of the best TV episodes of all time.”

However, the masterful storytelling of the third episode isn’t the only thing that has been getting major attention online. In the final moments of the episode, Ellie and Joel are finally able to get their hands on a working car, with the two then setting off to find Joel’s brother Tommy. 

Similar to a scene in the first game, Ellie flicks through the music in the car, popping in a tape that Joel immediately approves of. The song in question being the Linda Ronstadt song Long Long Time, which first released back in 1970. What’s more, the name of the song also serves as the title for the whole episode.

Long Long Time by Linda Ronstadt booms on Spotify

Since the episode aired, the song has seen a huge increase in listens on music streaming service Spotify. According to data from Spotify, Long Long Time has already seen a more than 4,900% increase in streams in the US alone on January 29 between 11 PM and midnight ET. This increase in streamers compared to stats from the week prior.

This uptick in listens mirrors a similar situation that occurred during the recent season of Strangers Things. With the Kate Bush classic Running Up the Hill launching to the top of music charts following its inclusion in the show.

Given this early data is from a small window just after episode 3 of The Last of Us debuted, streams are sure to only continue skyrocketing from this point on.

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