"Long, Long Time" is a song written by Gary White. The song was a hit for

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

, whose rendition of it was included on her 1970 album '' Silk Purse''. The song 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''. The single spent 12 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 25, while reaching No. 15 on Canada's "''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' 100", No. 8 on Canada's CHUM 30 chart, and No. 20 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart. In 1971, Linda Ronstadt was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance for her rendition of "Long, Long Time".

Chart performance

Other versions

*In 1971, American singer

Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen (; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range ...

included the song on his album ''Pastorale.'' *In 1973,

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

sang a cover on his album '' Play Me'' in a duet with

Eloise Laws Eloise Laws (born November 6, 1943) is an American singer and a member of the prominent Laws family of musicians from Houston, Texas. Biography Lavern Eloise Laws was born in Houston, Texas, as the fourth of eight children of Miola Luverta Donah ...

. *In 1976,

Larry Santos Larry Santos (born June 2, 1941, in Oneonta, New York) is an American pop music singer-songwriter. Santos wrote songs for several American pop bands in the 1960s, including the 1963 hit " Candy Girl" for The Four Seasons which reached number 3 o ...

released a cover of the song, which reached No. 38 on ''Billboard''s Easy Listening chart and No. 109 on ''Billboard''s "

Bubbling Under the Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

". *

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...

recorded it on her 1976 album '' All The King's Horses''. *In 1989,

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was best ...

covered this song, on his album ''Live at Gruene Hall''. *In 1997, American country music singer

Mindy McCready Malinda Gayle McCready (November 30, 1975 – February 17, 2013) was an American country music singer. Active from 1995 until her death in 2013, she recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's '' Ten Thousand Angels'', w ...

included the song on her album '' If I Don't Stay the Night''. *In 1998, Canadian singer/songwriter

Alannah Myles Alannah Myles (née Byles; born December 25, 1958) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has won both a Grammy and a Juno Award for the song " Black Velvet". The song was a top-ten hit in Canada; it was also a number one hit on the US ''Billboar ...

covered the song for her compilation album '' The Very Best Of Alannah Myles''.

In popular culture

*The song appeared in a 1975 episode of ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...

'', season 1, episode 23, "Roundabout". As Rockford is looking for a lounge singer, Nancy Wade, he finds her at the piano singing "Long, Long Time" as part of her musical set. The Nancy Wade character was played by actress

Jesse Welles Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * Jesse (album) ...

. The episode aired on March 7, 1975. *The song appears in the 2018 movie '' Hot Summer Nights''. *The song is played during the third episode (which shares the name with the song) of the television series ''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States. ' ...

'', serving as a motif for the relationship between characters

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

and

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

. After the episode was broadcast, Spotify announced that streams of the song increased by 4,900% over the previous week; several outlets compared it to the 2022 resurgence of

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

's "

Running Up That Hill "Running Up That Hill", titled "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" on some releases, is a song by the British singer and songwriter Kate Bush. It was released in the United Kingdom as the lead single from Bush's album ''Hounds of Love'' on ...

" after its use in the fourth season of ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Prod ...

''. In the period after the episode was broadcast, the song topped three separate Billboard charts, more the 50 years after its release, placing at No. 1 on the Rock Digital Song Sales, LyricFind U.S. and LyricFind Global rankings dated February 11, 2023.https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/linda-ronstadt-long-long-time-the-last-of-us-billboard-charts-1235250935/

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
* {{authority control 1970 songs 1970 singles Capitol Records singles Casablanca Records singles Linda Ronstadt songs Larry Santos songs Song recordings produced by Elliot Mazer Torch songs