Cover Story: The Dual Form of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” in “The Last of Us”

Pandemic, military regime, bloodthirst — oh my! Beyond the surface of HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama “The Last of Us” lies a nuanced found-family relationship between two lost souls, soundtracked by both the original and a cover of “Never Let Me Down Again.”

Cover Story highlights what makes cover songs interesting in comparison to their original versions, whether they stay true to the source material or reimagine it entirely.

Written by Janie Bickerton

Image courtesy of HBO

Content warning: This article contains spoilers for “The Last of Us”

Capturing the hearts of new fans, devotees to its video game source material, and Pedro Pascal stans alike, “The Last of Us” spread as virally as the fungal brain infection that frames the premise of the HBO show. Set in a dystopian American landscape plagued by a cordyceps outbreak that turns humans into soulless, grotesque growths, protagonist Joel Miller has given up on hope and sees no good left in the world — until he is tasked with bringing Ellie, a headstrong teenager harboring a supposed cure, across the country. Originally in it for the vehicular reward, Joel accepts this epic quest but refuses to shed his shell, hardened by years as a relentless smuggler and a man who never recovered from the death of his daughter 20 years prior. However, as the pair traverses the decrepit Midwest, Joel and Ellie realize how much they need each other — and how, through each other, they have found hope in a hopeless land.

The show’s exceptional soundtrack uniquely complements Joel and Ellie’s growing interdependence. Two different versions of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” play at two pivotal moments, and the song’s dual form tracks the shifting perspectives on both the object of Joel and Ellie’s quest and what it means to survive in a terrain of devastation and despondency.

Image courtesy of Mute Records

British electronic band Depeche Mode released “Never Let Me Down Again,” an ode to escapism, as a single ahead of their 1987 album, Music for the Masses. The single’s cover art features a piece of a Soviet Union map superimposed by air horns — a depressing, subversive image that juxtaposes the song’s euphoric content. “Never Let Me Down Again” focuses on the high of materialistic dependence, where crutching on one’s so-called “best friend” causes an inescapable need and a vicious refusal to return to reality. The speaker never wants to put their “feet back down on the ground,” but their material best friend merely simulates escape and therefore prevents real happiness — a sad truth that the speaker once tasted when they were let down. Even so, the speaker cannot get enough of drug-induced escapism and continues to “fly high” until the outro reveals the fate of this toxic dependence. The fear of an incipient crash looms over the shallow bliss as the song ends with conflicting overlay: “Everything's alright tonight (never let me down).”   

Although the Soviet Union is no longer a threat in the diseased, war-torn 2023 setting of “The Last of Us,” the creators’ usage of a politically driven single parallels Joel and Ellie’s escape from a bellicose regime. In episode one, viewers discover with Ellie that “‘80s means trouble” on Joel’s radio, with songs sent as code from survivalist couple and allies Bill and Frank. After Ellie views the brutal violence that Joel is capable of, the pair (along with Joel’s smuggling partner and implied romantic interest Tess) flees from Boston QZ as the industrial-like synths of “Never Let Me Down Again” play, foreboding “trouble” and epically soundtracking their long journey ahead. This first instance of Depeche Mode’s hit serves multiple purposes. It functions as a codified warning, but it reveals the characters’ emotional state after the first episode. Joel is desensitized to violence and is in dire need of trust. Ellie is quick-witted and fierce, but underneath the bravado, she is alone and afraid. Both Joel and Ellie are in need of a “best friend,” which they very well may find in each other as they watch “the world pass [them] by” on their odyssey.

Over the course of their journey, Ellie slowly cracks Joel’s tough shell with bad jokes and stories of her past, both gaining his respect and encouraging him to share his own history. After losing Tess to clickers, Ellie and Joel find strength through each other as the pair makes allies along the way and subsequently loses them to violence and disease. This growing interdependence makes episode six a devastating culmination of their relationship. The episode leaves viewers in a tear-stricken shock as the camera pans away from a desperate Ellie begging for a critically-wounded Joel to stay alive. The end credits once again roll with “Never Let Me Down Again,” but this time its synths are stripped and a female voice sings the familiar lyrics.

Photo courtesy of Jessica Mazin

Jessica Mazin’s cover of “Never Let Me Down Again” spotlights Ellie’s perspective through sullen sonics and emphatic lyrical despair. In its second appearance, Mazin, the daughter of the show’s screenwriter Craig Mazin, sings the melody of the original’s synth intro and packs more punch into the song’s first line: "I'm taking a ride with my best friend." She veers away from Depeche Mode’s original sentiment of “best friend.” Rather than crutching on drug euphoria, Mazin reimagines Depeche Mode’s idea of dependence through Joel and Ellie’s relationship. Six episodes in, Joel has become Ellie's best friend, and she can’t imagine a life without him. Mazin lingers on each lyric, alters the inflections, and sings only accompanied by piano and occasional strings, forcing listeners to confront the lyrics and apply them to Joel and Ellie’s narrative. “I hope he never lets me down again” is a direct plea from Ellie for Joel to never leave her side. She has realized her strengths through her time with Joel, but she still has a lot to learn. Joel is literally “taking [her] where [she] wants to be,” as Ellie knows that her immunity, once harvested by the rebel Fireflies in Utah, can save millions. But in this moment, Ellie realizes that where she wants to be is with Joel, and she would be utterly lost without his guidance and protection.

Mazin’s balladic version cuts Depeche Mode’s lyrically overlaid outro because it does not connote Ellie’s sheer despondency — the stars are not “shining bright,” and everything is not “alright tonight.” Although the cover conveys Ellie’s fears at a devastating cliffhanger, it also reflects their journey thus far, as Ellie and Joel find themselves through each other and learn to endure their past and present hardships together. Ellie knows “who’s wearing the trousers” in their dynamic, but she also proves that she can pull her own weight when she saves Joel in episode four, earning her both Joel’s respect and a handgun. By removing the synths and false shimmers of hope in the original, Mazin augments the sadness of “Never Let Me Down Again” by giving a voice to Ellie’s distress as she frantically reflects on their journey and reckons with her future — whether it be with or without Joel. 

The transformation of “Never Let Me Down Again” from ’80s electronic pop to a somber piano ballad tracks Ellie and Joel’s development from two scarred products of an abysmal world to an interdependent team, looking out for each other through each challenge they face. “The Last of Us” is not your typical post-apocalyptic drama. Instead of driving every episode with a climactic zombie attack or fanservice (The Last of Us has fewer clicker encounters than expected), it tackles nuanced themes of trust, the inherent morality of mankind, and at its center, finding connection against all odds. Through the two versions of “Never Let Me Down Again,” listeners, along with Joel and Ellie, learn what it means to live and not merely survive.