The Last of Us has an unforgettable soundtrack, delivering symbolism through songs of the '80s. The HBO show adapts the highly successful game franchise of the same name, which takes place after a fungal infection becomes a global pandemic, causing the world to collapse and civilization to shatter forever. In this context, Joel, a hardened man troubled by a tragic loss accepts a life-changing assignment: bring Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, to safety as she might be humanity's last hope for a cure.
Despite its violent setting and brutal content, the show has a sensitive approach toward its characters, taking its time to craft a believable relationship between the protagonists and explore the shattered mind of humans in a seemingly hopeless world. For this reason, The Last of Us proves that the video game adaptation curse is dead. Another important detail is how the show pays a lot of attention to its choice of songs. In the story, music isn't simply entertainment; it's one of the most important elements of the show as it symbolically offers extra meaning in the way it affects each character differently.
How 1980s Music Foreshadows Danger In The Last Of Us
One of the many meanings of music in The Last of Us is introduced in the very first episode, marking the first genuine interaction between Joel and Ellie. After he wakes up from a nap, she tricks him into revealing one of the secret codes transmitted by his radio. By singing a verse from an '80s song and watching Joel instantly get worried, she understands that '80s songs represent imminent danger. After they set out on their journey, The Last of Us season 1, episode 1's ending features a distinctively '80s song playing on the radio, and from then on, tunes from that decade are hints that trouble is coming.
Depeche Mode - “Never Let Me Down Again” (S1, E1)
In the penultimate shot of The Last of Us season 1, episode 1, "When You're Lost in the Darkness," Joel's empty and dimly-lit room suddenly comes back to life as the radio turns on, playing Depeche Mode's “Never Let Me Down Again." After the camera zooms in closer to the radio, the scene cuts to a shot of the chilling dystopian world outside. The song gets louder, representing the first of many signs that danger is right around the corner. Even for viewers unfamiliar with the Depeche Mode song in The Last of Us, the new wave elements of the tune and the heavy synths immediately recall the sounds of the '80s.
"Never Let Me Down Again" is specifically a song about taking drugs, with lyrics including "I'm taking a ride with my best friend" and "we're flying high." However, the meaning changes completely in the context of The Last of Us, as it becomes a song about friendship and refers directly to Joel and Ellie taking a ride across the dying world beyond the QZ. The song foreshadows the beautiful bond the two characters will form, even with all the danger that will come their way.
Erasure - “Chains Of Love” (S1, E3)
In season 1, episode 3, "A Long, Long Time", The Last of Us tells a heartwarming love story and makes perfect changes to Bill's video game arc. When Joel and Ellie go down to Bill's bunker, they can hear Erasure's "Chains of Love" playing faintly. Joel explains that if Bill doesn't reset the countdown every few weeks his playlist goes on incessantly. This means that the song that plays at the end of episode 1 represents the moment Bill transmitted his alert, and since he died alongside Frank, the '80s playlist runs over the radio symbolizing permanent danger. In other words, death.
The lyrics to "Chains of Love" indicate how the songs in the playlist speak out what simple words couldn't.
How can I explain when there are few words I can choose
How can I explain when words get broken
This is Bill's reserved way to say goodbye and urge Joel to come and take what's left in the bunker before someone else shows up. The significance doesn't end there, since the Erasure song's chorus also suggestively brings up what happens to Bill and Frank and how their relationship has met a bittersweet fate.
Come to me, cover me, hold me
Together we'll break these chains of love
Don't give up, don't give up
Together with me and my baby
Break the chains of love
New Order - “True Faith” (S1, E4)
While "True Faith" is a popular New Order song from the '80s, the track is performed in The Last of Us by Lotte Kesner as the credits of season 1, episode 4, "Please Hold To My Hand," begin to roll. This version of the song is featured in the game The Last of Us Part 2 and represents an important part of Ellie's journey of self-discovery, revealing how the second game also influenced the adaptation.
The song applies to the show's Ellie, too, with lyrics that refer beautifully to the loss of innocence, which is something the character is going through.
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear
I used to think that the day would never come
That my life would depend on the morning sun
"True Faith" plays immediately after Joel and Ellie find themselves trapped by a mysterious visitor and represents the calm before the storm. The next episode features one tragedy after another, including Henry and Sam's tragic Last of Us story. It's another example of an '80s song representing danger.
Jessica Mazin - “Never Let Me Down Again" (S1, E6)
The Last of Us season 1, episode 6, "Kin," ends on an alarming note by throwing back to the first episode's use of Depeche Mode's “Never Let Me Down Again." The tune plays again in episode 6, but this time it's performed by Jessica Mazin as a sad, slow ballad. The cover version perfectly captures an atmosphere of loss and despair as Ellie tries to aid a severely injured Joel. The lyrics are even more meaningful now that the two have a beautiful and strong bond.
A-ha - “Take On Me” (S1, E7)
In The Last of Us season 1, episode 7, "Left Behind," the A-Ha song "Take On Me" casually plays as Ellie and Riley have fun at an abandoned mall. It's the most important '80s song to play on the show, hinting at The Last of Us' biggest tragedy to come. Once the fate of Ellie and Riley's relationship is revealed by the end of the episode, the lyrics hit the hardest, especially in the chorus, which implies that life is short and taking a chance on love in the meantime is better than not.
Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day or two
Players of the Last of Us games were already concerned about the weight of the song a long time ago: featured in the show's first trailer, it foreshadows important events that are yet to unfold in the show. The Last of Us Part 2 delivers a heartrending cover of the song performed by Ellie. The show is likely to repeat the scene, which has the potential to hit just as hard because of the tragic ending to Ellie and Riley's relationship, which is the focus of The Last of Us season 1, episode 7.