"Long, Long Time" is a song written by Gary White[1] which became a hit for
Linda Ronstadt in 1970. Ronstadt included the song on her album Silk Purse.[2] "Long, Long Time" is about a lasting love for someone who never became a lover.
Linda Ronstadt version
In 1970, Linda Ronstadt released the song as a single and on the album Silk Purse.[1] The single spent 12 weeks on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 25,[3] while reaching No. 15 on Canada's "RPM 100" (her first single there),[4] No. 8 on Canada's
CHUM 30 chart,[5] and No. 20 on Billboard's
Easy Listening chart.[6][7]
The song is played during the
third episode (which shares the name with the song) of the 2023 television series The Last of Us, serving as a
motif for the relationship between
Bill and
Frank.[15] After the episode was broadcast, Spotify announced that streams of the song increased by 4,900% over the previous week;[16] several outlets compared it to the 2022 resurgence of
Kate Bush's "
Running Up That Hill" after its use in
the fourth season of Stranger Things.[17][18][19] In the period after the episode was broadcast, the song topped three separate Billboard charts, more than 50 years after its release, placing at No. 1 on the Rock Digital Song Sales ranking dated February 11, 2023.[20]