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Grand Theft Auto 6‘s announcement trailer used the 1989 Tom Petty song “Love Is A Long Road,” and that song has, unsurprisingly, seen a massive uptick in streams on Spotify this week.
According to IGN, Spotify said streams of the tune on its platform rose by 36,979% compared to this time last week. This is to say nothing of the growth in streams across all the other music services, in addition to anyone who might have bought the song or the album outright.
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Now Playing: Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA VI) Trailer Breakdown
Petty died in 2017. His estate said on social media that it was an “honor” to have Rockstar use “Love Is A Long Road” in the GTA 6 trailer. This wasn’t the first Petty song used in a GTA game, as Petty’s “Running’ Down A Dream” was featured in GTA: San Andreas.
Rockstar is known to hide clues in its trailers, and many are wondering if the use of “Love Is A Long Road” might have a special meaning for GTA 6. The lyrics mention a woman trying to “make the world as it should be,” which fans believe is a reference to one of the main characters, Lucia. The lyrics also talk about giving her “one more chance to try and save my soul,” which some are connecting to the seemingly romantic relationship between Lucia and the other main character.
GTA 6 is set in the fictional state of Leonida, which is based on Florida. Petty was born in Gainesville, Florida in 1950, so the song works on multiple levels for GTA 6.
This kind of thing has happened before in video games, as Linda Rondstadt’s “Long Long Time” saw a massive uptick in streams after it was featured on an episode of HBO’s The Last of Us. Before that, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” saw a massive growth in popularity after it was featured on Stranger Things.
GTA 6’s trailer was supposed to debut on December 5 but Rockstar released it a night early after it leaked. The impressive trailer provided a first look at Leonida and Vice City, which is a stand-in for Miami, while it also set the tone and mood for what to expect. There are still numerous unknowns about GTA 6, and more details should emerge in the time before the game releases in 2025 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer Breakdown: Easter Eggs, References, And Teases
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