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Movies & TV

16th Jan 2023

The Last Of Us Episode One features an absolutely perfect needle drop

Rory Cashin

last of us song

This particular band has never made us feel this scared before…

Spoilers for the events of the first episode of The Last Of Us.

As we mentioned in our full, spoiler-free review of the entire series (which you can check out here), The Last Of Us is an absolutely incredible show, and it lets us know this immediately with its jaw-dropping, 85-minute epic first episode.

But we’re here in particular to talk about the needle drop the closes out the episode, a song selection so incredibly perfect that it can’t help but make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

In Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) apartment, he and his partner Tess (Anna Torv) are waiting for nightfall so they can safely smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of the government safe zone to a group of resistance fighters on the other side of the country.

While they’re waiting, Ellie discovers a song code by Frank and Bill (who haven’t appeared in the show… yet), with songs from different decades meaning different things. On the code sheet, the ’80s doesn’t have a direct meaning, but Ellie tricks Joel into revealing that any song played over the radio from the decade means there is some serious trouble.

Once night falls and the trio make their way out of the city, the camera cuts back to Joel’s now-empty apartment, and the radio springs to life and begins playing a song…

Depeche Mode’s moody dance hit ‘Never Let Me Down’ was first released in 1987, as a single from their sixth album Music for the Masses, and the reason why it is such a brilliant needle drop is three-fold…

(1) It is so immediately recognisable as an 80’s song, that even if you didn’t recognise the song itself, you know the decade, and you know it means trouble.

(2) While the song itself is usually associated with reflecting about drug use, the lyrics within the song itself reveal maybe a little bit more:

“I’m taking a ride with my best friend / I hope he never lets me down again / Promises me I’m safe as houses / As long as I remember who’s wearing the trousers / I hope he never lets me down again.”

Some nice foreshadowing there.

(3) And… well, there must be a reason why Frank and Bill decided to play an 80’s song. Joel’s earlier reaction when he fell for Ellie’s trick about the radio playing ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ reveals that if it is a song from that decade, then things must be really bad. But what that might be, we’ll have to wait and see…

The Last Of Us episode two will be available to watch on Sky Atlantic or stream with a NOW Entertainment Membership on Monday, 23 January.

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