In most of its previous six episodes, HBO’sThe Last of Ushas incorporated meaningful — and sometimes surprising — songs into the stories it’s telling. Most notably, Episode 3, which centers on the decades-spanning love story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), isnamed after a Linda Rondstadt songthat figures prominently into the characters’ relationship. At the end of Episode 4, Lotte Kestner’s cover of “True Faith” plays — an Easter egg for fans who might recognize it as the song Ashley Johnson, the voice of Ellie in the games, sang forThe Last of Us Part 2’scinematic trailer.
The point being, none of the song selections inThe Last of Usare left up to chance. Instead, the team behind the hit series puts quite a bit of thought into its support acts. This level of care is perhaps best seen in the curation of the songs featured inThe Last of UsEpisode 7, “Left Behind.” So, what song plays when Ellie and Riley are dancing? What song plays at the end of the episode? And, most importantly, what do all of these selected songs really mean?
RELATED:The Last Of Us: Episode 7 Was A Faithful Adaptation, But Is That A Good Thing?
What Song Plays When Ellie and Riley Are Dancing In The Last Of Us?
InThe Last of Us: Left Behind, a downloadable expansion that adds on to the original 2013 game, players take control of Ellie in two parallel stories. One is set during the events ofThe Last of Us: Part 1; Joel is injured and Ellie is tasked with raiding a nearby mall for medical supplies. The other is set in the past, several weeks before Ellie even meets Joel. It’s this extended flashback, featuring Ellie (Bella Ramsey) andthe teen survivor’s late best friend Riley(Storm Reid), that serves as the central focus ofThe Last of UsEpisode 7.
After disappearing from the Boston QZ’s FEDRA-run military boarding school for a few weeks, Riley reappears one night in Ellie’s room. Riley shares that she’s a freedom fighter now, working to dismantle FEDRA’s fascist ruleby aiding rebel leader Marlene(Merle Dandridge) and the Fireflies. She also asks Ellie to come on an adventure; it’s her last night in Boston as she’ll be joining the Fireflies in the Atlanta QZ. Despite being upset with Riley, Ellie agrees. The adventure leads the duo to an abandoned mall, which, by an act of fate, is hooked into FEDRA’s power grid.
Thanks to Riley’s masterful planning, the friends share the best night of their lives. Ellie learns about the joys of escalators,trades jokes with Riley, and sees what Riley dubs The Four Wonders of the Mall: a carousel, a photo booth, an arcade, and a Spirit Halloween-like store. Riley thinks Ellie’s favorite will be the Halloween store and saves it for last. While there, the two pull on latex monster masks, climb onto the store’s checkout counter, and, with the help of Ellie’s trusty Walkman, dance to music.
The ‘60s-era song Ellie and Riley dance to inThe Last of UsEpisode 7 is Etta James’ rendition of “I Got You Babe” — the same song they dance to in the source material,The Last of Us: Left Behind. Given that the dance scene culminates in Ellie and Riley sharing their feelings for one another and kissing, “I Got You Babe” is alyrically accurate choice. James sings, “People say that we don’t know/ What love is or how to make it grow/ Well, I don’t know if all that’s true/ ‘Cause you got me and baby, I got you.”
The sentiment rings true for all young lovers, but especially queer young adults. After kissing Riley, Ellie apologizes, prompting Riley to ask, “For what?” The exchange — and the fact that Riley agrees to stay with Ellie despite her dream ofjoining the Firefliesin the Atlanta QZ — really hits home the lyric, “Let them say we are wrong/ I don’t care, with you I can’t go wrong.”
This Song From The Last Of Us Episode 7 Is An Easter Egg For Part 2
When Ellie and Riley arrive at the abandoned mall, Riley tells Ellie to head through some doors and wait. Once Ellie is there, Riley flips a switch, lighting up the whole mall. Standing on the second floor,Ellie is awestruckby the neon-lit storefronts. Riley tells Ellie that there are Four Wonders to see — but, soon enough, they add a fifth to the list.
Ellie can’t get over the “moving stairs” — a.k.a. the escalators. Ellie runs up and down the escalator, tripping into Riley with excitement, and slides down the banister. It’s a moment of unadulterated child-like joy. Although they’ve had to grow up fast, Ellie and Riley are both kids, really, and the trip to the mall lets the teens have some old-fashioned fun — at least for a while. When Ellie’sclowning aroundon the escalator, “Take On Me” by A-Ha plays.
The ‘80s synth-pop hit really captures the clumsy excitement of being with a crush: “Shying away/ I’ll be coming for your love, okay?” Longtime fans of the games might also recognize “Take On Me” by A-Ha fromThe Last of Us: Part 2. The game features several moments wherein the player can strum away on Ellie’s guitar, and asone of the songs Ellie sings for Dinais “Take On Me.” A sweet nod toPart 2, the inclusion of the song in Ellie’s first love story is a fitting Easter egg.
What Song Plays On The Carousel In The Last Of Us?
It’s hard to outdo the impressiveness of escalators, but Riley manages to really wow Ellie with a ride on the mall’s merry-go-round. While the two clamber onto what Ellie refers to as “magical horses” and talk about their futures, the ride playsa particular tune— and, no, it isn’t some typical carnival fare. The carousel plays a remix of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”
Although the remix doesn’t feature lyrics, it’s certainly worth looking up the words to the late-80s indie-pop hit. “And I promise you, I promise that/ I’ll run away with you,” the speaker sings. And while the song starts off with a dizzying account of kissing the girl the singer loves, it slowly devolves into the lovers being far away from each other. In the end, the speaker is alone, missing their dream girl and holding onto the memory of her. Given the way Ellie and Riley’s ill-fated love story goes, the inclusion of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” is a case of foreshadowing. Not to mention, there’s a somewhat cheeky nod, perhaps, toEllie’s immunityin the band’s name.
The Last Of Us: What Song Plays At The End Of Episode 7?
Asfans ofThe Last of Usgamesmay know, Argentine musician and composer Gustavo Santaolalla is behind the incredible scores forThe Last of Us: Part 1,Left Behind, andPart 2. Best known for collaborating with acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, the director of films likeBirdman(2014) andThe Revenant(2015), Santaolalla has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score — one for his work on Iñárritu’sBabel(2006) and one for Ang Lee’sBrokeback Mountain(2005).
While HBO’s adaptation includes contributions from composers David Fleming, Jake Staley, Juan Luqui, Gustavo Santaolalla’s “The Last of Us” is used as the series’ opening theme. Other compositions by Santaolalla crop up in various episodes of the show, including the end of Episode 7. As viewers learn Riley and Ellie’s ultimate fate in the past, and as Ellie frantically tries to stitch up Joel’s gunshot wound in the present, “Left Behind” by Gustavo Santaolalla plays. Originally created fortheLeft Behindgame, it remains a striking composition.
The Last of Usairs on HBO, and streams on HBO Max, every Sunday at 9 PM EST through Jun 03, 2025.
More:The Last Of Us: ‘Left Behind’ Shows Why Ellie Is A Great Queer Protagonist
