Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images & HBO Max

This ‘Last of Us’ song is on track to receive the full-blown ‘Kate Bush effect’

The "Kate Bush Effect" might be happening once again for a song featured in "The Last of Us."

Erielle Sudario

Published: Jan 30, 2023 06:06 pm

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us, episode 3 “Long long time.”

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Episode three of The Last of Us showcased the love story between Bill and Frank and has brought fans to tears. Alongside the show’s storytelling, the episode featured songs that played in the background that help support the episode’s storytelling of this loving relationship set in the middle of the apocalypse. So it’s no surprise that there are calls to give one song featured in the show the “Kate Bush effect.”

‘Long Long Time’ isn’t just the name of the episode. It is also the name of the song that was originally performed by Linda Ronstadt and Bill and Frank in the show. The song was released in 1970 and there are now calls to give this song a streaming boost after it was featured in the show. Fans believed that Ronstadt deserves the same recognition as Kate Bush when ‘Running up that Hill (A deal with God)’ was featured in Stranger Things and immediately went viral.

Linda Rondstadt watching tonight’s THE LAST OF US pic.twitter.com/jkrF7rYXDD
— Chris Conroy (@ConroyForReal) January 30, 2023

There should be no reason why "The Last of Us" can't do for Linda Ronstadt, what "Stranger Things" did for Kate Bush.

She possessed one of the greatest voices in pop music – ever. Singing everything from rock to opera, her ability to interpret a song is unparalleled. pic.twitter.com/NvBAuaBNQb
— Liam Gareau (@liamgareau) January 30, 2023

the last of us could give linda ronstadt her kate bush summer of 2022 moment if we all just TRY hard enough
— little bungler (@notthatjessiej) January 30, 2023

haven’t seen the last of us or stranger things but I do want everyone to know and love Linda Ronstadt & Kate Bush like they deserve
— Ντέιβιντ 🍉 (@ifyouseekdavy) January 30, 2023

i would love for The Last of Us to push Linda Ronstadt on kids and up the charts like Stranger Things did Kate Bush.
— Friendly Krueger (@SteelyBand) January 30, 2023

Some believe that the “Kate Bush effect” is slowly happening right now. As of writing, ‘Long Long Time’ currently has over 8 million streams on Spotify and reached number 5 in the iTunes music charts. Meanwhile, the song currently received over 1.6 million views on YouTube, filled with comments that referenced the recent episode. A 15-year-old upload of Ronstadt’s live performance of the song also caught the attention of fans and currently sits on over 14 million views.

Unfortunately, gatekeepers have emerged who aren’t keen to see their favorite artist trend, just like how Taika Waititi was against Kate Bush’s newfound popularity.

Linda Ronstadt waking up to her royalty checks next week. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/uAVns8E7UM
— Cory Collins (@CoCoCoryCollins) January 30, 2023

She's trending bc one of her songs was a theme throughout last night's episode of HBO's "The Last of Us." I would not be surprised to see the song get a bump in the real world like Kate Bush did bc of "Stranger Things." She's trending for being awesome, don't worry.
— otterbird (@otterbird) January 30, 2023

Episode Three of The Last of Us was described as one of the “biggest deviations” from the original source material. The show changed the backstories of Bill and Frank and shared an hour-long love story. At the same time, showrunner Neil Druckmann described “Long Long Time” as “the happy episode,” and teased fans who were emotionally invested.

It’s currently unknown if Ronstadt would receive the same level of treatment when Bush went viral in 2022. But thanks to the show, her song has introduced younger fans to another iconic singer.

Episode Three of The Last of Us is available to stream on HBO Max, with new episodes coming out weekly.

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Author

Erielle Sudario

Erielle Sudario is a Digital Producer for We Got This Covered. Outside of work, she's either DM'ing a 'Dungeons and Dragons' campaign, playing video games, or building keyboards. Erielle holds a Bachelor of Communications Degree (specializing in film and journalism) from Western Sydney University and a Graduate Diploma in Radio and Podcasting from the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School.