By Classic Oldies 
Here, Linda Ronstadt sings of her unrequited passion for a man. She tried everything she knew to make him fall for her, but he showed no interest. Ronstadt laments the love she will never experience, but will continue to love him for a “long long time.”
“Long, Long Time” was Ronstadt’s first hit as a solo artist, although she did have a hit in 1967 with “Different Drum,” attributed to her group The Stone Poneys.Despite her obvious talent, Ronstadt struggled early on, partly because of her choice of material. Her first solo album, Hand Sown… Home Grown, was released in 1969 and went nowhere. “Long, Long Time” was part of her second album, Silk Purse, and it rose to #25 in the US. But her next two albums also underperformed. It wasn’t until she teamed with producer Peter Asher for her fifth album, Heart Like A Wheel, that her chart success started to synch with her talent. Hits like “You’re No Good” and “When Will I Be Loved” followed.
The song was written by a Texas musician named Gary White. As detailed in her memoir Simple Dreams, Ronstadt found it through a friend, the guitarist David Bromberg. He took her to see White, who was playing a show at the Cafe Au Go-Go in New York City as a backing musician for Paul Siebel. After the show, she went backstage to meet White and ask about the song. He pulled out his guitar, played it for her on the spot, and Ronstadt loved it. She ended up recording it for her Silk Purse album along with another song by White called “Nobody’s.”
This was an early foray into country-style ballads for Ronstadt. She recorded it in Nashville with a group of seasoned session musicians, including Weldon Myrick on steel guitar, Buddy Spicher on violin, and Norbert Putnam on bass. It was produced by Elliot Mazer.
When this song was released, Ronstadt’s touring band included Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who would later form the nucleus of the Eagles.
Artists who have covered the song include:1976 American singer-songwriter Larry Santos. Released as a single, it reached #109 in the US1976 Country singer Lynn Anderson for her All The King’s Horses album1989 Country singer Jerry Jeff Walker for his Live at Gruene Hall album1997 Country singer Mindy McCready for her If I Don’t Stay the Night album1998 Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles for her compilation album The Very Best Of Alannah Myles
“Long, Long Time” is the title of the third episode of the 2023 post-apocalyptic HBO series The Last of Us. The song serves as a motif for the love story between the Bill and Frank characters, who come together when each plays the song on a piano, Bill far more intimately.Craig Mazin, who wrote the episode and co-created the show, found the song after texting his friend, Sirius XM host Seth Rudetsky, for suggestions. According to Indiewire, Mazin said he was looking for a song that wasn’t totally obvious but was an “incredibly sad song about yearning for love, and never getting love, and just making your peace with the fact that you will always be alone.” The character Bill is a survivalist who had long given up on love.
Linda Ronstadt won’t make any money from the Last Of Us synch. In March 2021, Ronstadt transferred ownership of her recorded music, including royalty rights from her master recordings and partial ownership of other masters, to Iconic Artist Group, a company managed by entertainment executive Irving Azof.