During each chapter Last of us a song appears that is closely related to what is happening or will happen. Unlike other productions that have many musical themes, in this case one piece is usually most relevant, to the point where it dominates the others. It’s part of the cinematic language that the series picks up, celebrating the tension of storytelling through this resource.
One which, in turn, is part of a series of coordinates given by Last of us so that the viewer, as in the game, is attentive to possible surprises and references. There is a link in the music to the codes that Bill (nikofferman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) set to link to Joel Miller (Peter Pascal). Depending on the time of the song that sounded on the radio, there was one or another meaning.
So without further ado, Bill, Frank, Joel and Tess (Anna Torv) could communicate. Just as the characters knew each other through music, in Last of us a similar game is played with the spectator: depending on the theme being played, he may foresee or have a reference to future events or the general tone that the episode will have.
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Caught by Bill and Frank, music
and its meaning in Last of us
Joel is holding a book in which some codes are found, in an adaptation made by HBO. They are the following:
- B/F
- 60 – Nothing
- 70 – new stock
- 80s
Depending on when the song played on the radio was released, it could be read or interpreted. Initially, it was raised on commercial issues. Carry seeds or other products from one place to another. But Last of us It takes this idea a little further: it also serves to show the viewer the moment they are in, what chapter they are enjoying, or to create expectations about the future of the story.
By translating these codes into a musical key, you can compose something like this:
60 – Tranquility or serenity
70 – Novelty or uncertainty
80 – adventure, tension or danger
To have a clearer clue, the end of the first chapter of the series can be taken as a reference. It was with a theme Never let me down Againfrom the British group Depeche Mode. The song was released in 1987. IN Last of usduring a play by Joel, Tess and Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) walked together on an inhospitable path. One of the verses of this song, translated into Spanish, says:
“I am walking with my best friend.
Hope you never let me down again.
Promise me that I’ll be safe like home
as long as you remember who wears the pants.
I hope you never let me down again.”Fragment translated from Never let me down Again.
The third chapter left another example of how the theme song allows you to create Last of us set the tone for the story. Long long time, interpreted Linda Ronstadt and released in 1970, this song was chosen to contextualize the relationship between Bill and Frank. While the second sang it with joy, the first sang it with nostalgia. It was a way to describe the emotional transition of each of them. In the following stanzas, also translated into Spanish, all the relationships of the characters can be grouped:
And time clears
invisible wounds of love.
This is what someone told me
but I don’t know what that means.‘Cause I’ve done all I know
To try to make you mine
And I think that I will love you
long long time”Fragment translated from Long long time.
An example related to the film language of the series, slightly different from the previous ones, occurs in the fourth episode. this sounds Lonely and Forsaken, written by Hank Williams, released in 1951. The music of this song is reminiscent of Western films, stories in which the characters spend a lot of time alone in the vast expanses of the earth. Just what’s happening with Joel and Ellie.
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These details are subtle key points found inside Last of us and it contributes to the enrichment of the overall experience of the series. It is a way of counting and creating atmospheres without words or explanations. It should be borne in mind that, being such representative themes, the viewer may also have his own memories in relation to them. As such, these songs live on through the usage they use in and out of the series.
Source: Hiper Textual
