Linda Ronstadt, whose song “Long Long Time” was recently featured on The Last of Us, will not be making any money from the royalties associated with it.
The 76-year-old singer’s track saw a major surge in streaming numbers following its use on the hit HBO series.
But because she sold her music catalog in 2021, Ronstadt won’t benefit from the song’s revival.
“I still love the song and I’m very happy about it [songwriter Gary White] will get a windfall,” she told Billboard.
Ronstadt’s manager John Boylan added: “She’s not unhappy about it, believe me.”
No royalties: Linda Ronstadt, whose song Long Long Time was recently featured in The Last of Us, will not make any money from the royalties associated with it (pictured in 2020)
“We sold your catalogue. The last four or five years have been a tsunami of acquisitions like this.”
She spoke a bit about hearing the song for the first time when she was introduced to White by guitarist David Bromberg.
Ronstadt said she took me to the Au Go Go cafe in Greenwich Village to see Gary perform with Paul Siebel. After the show, Gary played me Long Long Time and I immediately wanted to record it.’
She continued, “It wasn’t a country song, it wasn’t a folk song, it wasn’t a rock song, but I thought it was a really good song.”
Long Long Time was released in 1970. It appeared on the album Silk Purse and received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance.
The classic tune was played three times during the devastating episode The Last of Us, which portrayed the tragic love story between Bill and Frank when they met under the guise of the apocalypse.
The episode was acclaimed by fans and critics alike, with many stars praising Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett for their performances in the “achingly beautiful” love story that culminates in their deaths.
According to Spotify, streams for Linda’s song “Long, Long Time” increased 4900% in the US after the episode’s release on HBO Max.
Boost: The 76-year-old singer’s track has received a boost in his streaming numbers due to its use on the show, but that won’t help the Arizona native
Sold! She then explained that she sold her music catalog a few years ago, which is why she would not receive any money for the increase in streams (pictured in 2013).
Tragedy: The classic tune was played three times during the devastating episode of The Last of Us, which portrayed the tragic love story between Bill and Frank as they met under the guise of the apocalypse
The surge in streaming after appearing on the television show seemed to evoke the resurgence of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) after it was used in Stranger Things.
After going viral on TikTok and re-entering the charts in a number of countries, the track helped Kate reach her first Top 5 single in America.
It peaked at number four on the US chart nearly four decades after its release, with the single originally only peaking at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Emotional: The episode was acclaimed by fans and critics alike, with many praising stars Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett for their performances
Huge surge: According to Spotify, streams for Linda’s song ‘Long, Long Time’ surged 4900% in the US after the episode’s release on HBO Max
Year of Resurgence: The surge in streaming after appearing on the TV show was reminiscent of the resurgence of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) after it was used in Stranger Things
The popular tune also peaked at number one in Norway and Austria, with her album Hounds Of Love hitting number one on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart in the US.
Discussing the milestone achievement, Kate gushed: “It’s all so exciting! Since the last post, “Running Up That Hill” went to #1 in Norway and Austria.
“This is great news and we just found out today that it has gone from No. 8 to No. 4 in the US
Digital Music News reported a statistic claiming that the song’s streams increased by 9,000% due to the show and social media.
For the month after Stranger Things came out, Fortune estimated $2.3 million in royalties.