WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Part II game.The trailer for The Last of Us season 2 has been released, and it uses a song that is deeply tied to the Last of Us games. After a couple of teases and TV spots, HBO has released the first proper trailer for The Last of Us season 2. Based on the popular video game series of the same name, The Last of Us has been widely praised as a pitch-perfect adaptation that honored all important aspects of the source material while still finding room to tell new stories.
The level of accuracy and respect for the source material shown in The Last of Us season 1 is back in the second season, from the casting choices to some of the story decisions teased in the latest trailer. This includes the song choice, which not only references a very important scene in The Last of Us Part II but also echoes the themes of the second game that will set the narrative for HBO’s season 2.
The Song In The Last Of Us Season 2 Trailer Is "Future Days" By Pearl Jam: Lyrics & Meaning
“Future Days” Talks About Fear Of Losing Someone And A Future That Might Never Happen
The Last of Us season 2 trailer uses “Future Days” by Pearl Jam, released in 2013 as the final song in the Lightning Bolt album. Eddie Vedder wrote the song after losing a friend in a tragic accident, which is why the lyrics talk about “stolen missing parts” and things that “may die, but in us they live on.” While the original intent behind the song was to talk about grief and a future that never happened, the lyrics welcome other interpretations, such as the fear of missing a loved one and not knowing how to move forward without them.
"If I ever were to lose you, I'd surely lose myself
Everything I have found here,
I've not found by myself
Try, and sometimes you'll succeed,
To make this man of me
All of my stolen missing parts
I've no need for anymore
I believe, and I believe cause I can see our future days
Days of you and me"
Lightning Bolt was released four months after Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us was published in 2013, but it was the sequel, The Last of Us Part II, that made “Future Days” an important part of the franchise. “Future Days” was used in The Last of Us Part II and has since become an anthem for fans of the games, having even been performed by Eddie Vedder in 2020’s online edition of The Game Awards.
"Future Days" Is Very Important In The Last Of Us Part II Game
Joel Can’t Say The Truth With Words, So He Uses Music
Before Joel told Ellie the truth about what happened at the Fireflies hospital, the best way he found to open himself up to her about his decision was through music. Toward the end of the first The Last of Us game, Joe mentioned that he liked singing and playing the guitar. Ellie teased him about it, but they agreed that he would teach her to play someday. At the beginning of Part II, we learn that Joel and Ellie’s relationship has been deteriorating due to the secret he is keeping from her.
The song helped Joel translate everything he wanted to tell Ellie but couldn’t bring himself to.
Ellie could something was off, but Joel wouldn’t tell her the truth. He did express his feelings through “Future Days,” which he sang to Ellie while playing the guitar. Joel is essentially singing about how he would lose himself if he ever lost Ellie, and that he wanted her to have a future. The song helped Joel translate everything he wanted to tell Ellie but couldn’t bring himself to. It is a very powerful scene that sets the tone for the rest of the game, especially from the perspective of the player, who knows what Joel did to save Ellie.
The Last Of Us Season 2 Trailer Suggests It's Not Changing Joel's Song Despite Timeline Issues
“Future Days” Shouldn’t Exist In HBO’s The Last Of Us Timeline
Despite its importance to the game, “Future Days” created a tricky challenge for The Last of Us. This is because the HBO show has a slightly different timeline than the game, with the apocalypse starting in 2003 rather than in 2013. In the game’s timeline, Lightning Bolt had already come out when the zombie apocalypse began, which is why Joel knew “Future Days.” However, in The Last of Us season 1, the cordyceps pandemic began in 2003. In other words, “Future Days” should not exist in the show’s universe. In 2023, Neil Druckmann said they hadn’t decided this yet.
Given that The Last of Us season 2’s trailer was not afraid of using “Future Days,” it seems that the song will be incorporated into the show regardless of the timeline issue. Druckmann mentioned that, in this alternate world, “Future Days” could have come out a decade earlier, although he noted this would be “a bit like a cheat.” It remains to be seen how The Last of Us season 2 will do justice to one of the franchise’s most important elements, but the fact that “Future Days” is used in the trailer is exciting regardless.
