The pilot episode of The last of us ended with Never let me down again, one of the most iconic songs by Depeche Mode, released in 1987. This week, in a moment of déjà vu for the viewer, the song played again on the post-apocalyptic series, only this time performed by another artist and in an acoustic version. What is its meaning?
The context in which Never Let Me Down Again is played is important. After discovering the Jackson community where Tommy (Gabriel Luna) lives in perfect harmony with Maria (Rutina Wesley), the future mother of his son, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) continue on their way. They find the university where they were supposed to meet with the scientists who are to investigate Ellie for a cure for the Cordyceps infection, but they only found monkeys and, in a tense moment, three men.
One of these strangers, about whom the players of The Last of Us video game already have some seriously disturbing information, stabs Joel, who kills his assailant. And, when Joel and Ellie flee from the university on horseback following the train tracks, he falls in the snow from his injury. Can he die he? How can Ellie get out of this, alone, helpless and in hostile territory?
As reported in portals such as Cinemanía, there is a detail that should not be overlooked. Joel and Tess had a code to communicate with Bill and Frank, the protagonists of the much talked about third episode: if they played a song from the eighties, it meant they were in danger. And considering that Never Let Me Down Again was released in 1987, the musical choice serves to represent the extent to which Joel’s life hangs by a thread.
However, you can also carry out another interpretation of the Depeche Mode classic which, as a curiosity, is the most beloved song by the British band along with Personal Jesus (or, at least, they are the ones that have been played the most times). played live). In the pilot, the appearance of the song had an ironic point: Joel was forced to travel with Ellie despite the fact that he had no desire to start an affair with a teenager. Except for Tess, he shunned any possibility of human connection.
So, when Dave Gahan sang that “I’m taking a ride with my best friend”, you could understand the sense of humor of those responsible for The last of us. The electronic and even industrial sound of the song also forcefully illustrated that reality in which the remnants of civilization became a threat to those who survived.
In the sixth episode, on the other hand, both the sound and the meaning are different. The words of “I’m taking a ride with my best friend, I hope he never lets me down again” no longer have a hint of irony. Joel and Ellie, despite not daring to express it clearly, have become indispensable figures in each other’s lives. This was confirmed by Ellie’s decision to continue her path with Joel instead of settling in Jackson where she could have had the most peaceful adolescence possible in that universe-mushroom. And, in its acoustic version, the song takes on nuances of both intimacy and vulnerability.
The members of Depeche Mode have also given their approval on social networks to the version played by Jessica Mazin, the daughter of Craig Mazin, the creator of the series along with Neil Druckmann. The acoustic theme, as the singer has reported, will be available on the official soundtrack of The last of us and, as an anecdote, she has even explained that she recorded it in her room.
“Fun fact about the Never Let Me Down Again cover: the original vocal performance I recorded in my bedroom for the demo is the final version vocal performance! It’s so cool to think that it came right out of my room,” she enthused.
