Will 'The Last Of Us' Make A Current Hit Out Of A 1987 Depeche Mode Single?

Fans of HBO/Fox Showcase's new drama, The Last Of Us, based on the zombie apocalypse video game of the same name, premiered to keen fans yesterday. Television critics are lapping it up already, and fans of the game seem happy with its first-ever TV adaptation.

The premiere ended with Joel (Pedro Pascal), Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Tess (Anna Torv) exiting the Boston quarantine zone as a radio flickered and began playing a song. That song was Depeche Mode’s 1987 single, Never Let Me Down Again, from their sixth album, Music for the Masses. 

Depeche Mode fans are beginning to wonder: will the iconic English group experience the same success as The Cramps after the Netflix hit Wednesday spun Goo Goo Muck? Or the level of success Kate Bush and Metallica had after the needle dropped on Stranger Things to Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) and Eddie Munson shredded Master Of Puppets?

Thanks to The Last of Us, there’s so much Depeche Mode over my TikTok FYP. And even if the best thing that comes out of TLoU is more young people getting into Depeche Mode, that’s a win for the greater culture.

— julia alexander (@loudmouthjulia) January 16, 2023

According to Google Trends, it seems like HBO's The Last of Us is doing for Depeche Mode what Stranger Things did for Kate Bush

Which is good, because Depeche Mode rules pic.twitter.com/PaIJJ1LXhK

— BusterSwordBoy (BSB) (@BusterSwordBoi) January 16, 2023

Depeche Mode needle drop in The Last of Us pic.twitter.com/W6zjFXHb4f

— Erika (@hogdotwater) January 16, 2023

The first episode of The Last of Us has a needle drop that’s “Never Let Me Down Again” by Depeche Mode? My heart is won. (It’s my favourite song by any band, ever)

— Caitlin H. (@criseyde) January 17, 2023

Never Let Me Down again reached #22  in the UK, # 2 in West Germany, and the top 10 in several other European countries - in Australia, the song peaked at #82.

Originally, Goo Goo Muck was an obscure 1962 single written and recorded by Ronnie Cook And The Gaylords; however, in 1981, The Cramps covered it for their second studio album, Psychedelic Jungle, via I.R.S. Records and turned it into a classic. This version was also featured in the 1986 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, but it didn't quite stir up the type of hype they've been getting these last few weeks. With Goo Goo's feature in Wednesday, it's quickly becoming an adored favourite of an entirely new generation. A timeless song, despite its very distinctive 60s sound.  

Now, Depeche Mode may accomplish the same feat with some listeners hearing the song for the first time. We're not the only ones wondering what kind of success The Last Of Us will have over their needle drops; We've Got This Covered are pondering the same. Here's hoping the HBO series will feature an Aussie song - maybe John Butler Trio's Only One? It even has zombies in the music video!