It was just a teaser. Two minutes of footage. But when the first trailer for The Last of Us Part II dropped at PlayStation Experience 2016, the gaming world essentially stopped breathing. We saw a shaky hand, a blood-stained room, and then we heard it. The voice was unmistakable. Through the Valley Ashley Johnson became an overnight cultural phenomenon, not just because the song was haunting, but because of what it represented for Ellie’s journey.
Honestly, nobody expected Ellie to be a folk singer.
Shawn James originally wrote the track back in 2012. It’s a gritty, soulful piece of Americana that leans heavily on Psalm 23. But when Johnson sat down to record it in character, she didn’t just cover it. She transformed it. She turned a bluesy anthem into a desperate, hollowed-out prayer for vengeance.
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The Story Behind the Song
Most people don't realize that Ashley Johnson isn't just a voice actress; she’s a musician in her own right. She grew up playing the violin and piano. She has this natural, slightly raspy alto that perfectly captures the "old soul" energy of a kid who grew up in the apocalypse. When Naughty Dog’s creative director Neil Druckmann approached her about singing for the trailer, it wasn't a marketing gimmick. It was a character study.
The song serves as a bridge.
In the first game, Ellie is a passenger. In the sequel, she's the driver. Singing "Through the Valley" was the first time we saw her as a young adult, hardened and clearly traumatized.
Think about the lyrics for a second. "I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." In the biblical sense, it's about comfort and lack of fear. But in Ellie’s mouth? It sounds like a threat. She isn't fearing no evil because she is the evil the valley should be worried about. It’s a masterful bit of foreshadowing that many fans missed on the first watch.
Why the Cover Went Viral
The internet is a weird place. Sometimes things catch fire for no reason, but the Through the Valley Ashley Johnson version hit a specific nerve. Within days of the trailer release, the song topped the Spotify Viral 50 chart in the UK. It was everywhere.
Why?
It's the contrast. You have this beautiful, melodic voice singing about killing enemies and losing one's mind. It creates a cognitive dissonance that sticks in your brain. Plus, the production was stripped back. No heavy drums. No polished studio sheen. Just a girl and her guitar in a room full of corpses.
Impact on the Music Industry
Shawn James actually saw a massive career boost because of this. He’s been very vocal about how grateful he is for the exposure. Usually, when a giant corporation like Sony uses an indie artist's song, the original gets buried. Not this time. Fans tracked down the original, and both versions now live side-by-side in thousands of gaming playlists.
There's a specific rawness in Johnson's performance that you can't fake. You can hear her breath. You can hear the slight imperfections. In an era of Auto-Tune, that kind of vulnerability feels like a punch to the gut. It’s why people are still talking about it years after the game's release.
Breaking Down the Performance
Let’s get technical for a minute. If you listen to the way Ashley handles the lower register in the opening lines, she’s using a lot of chest voice. It sounds heavy. It sounds tired. As the song progresses and she hits the line "I can't walk on the path of the right because I'm wrong," there’s a slight tremor.
That’s acting.
She isn't just hitting notes. She’s telling us that Ellie knows she’s losing her soul. Musicians call this "vocal characterization." It’s what separates a singer from a storyteller.
The Guitar Factor
Can we talk about the guitar? Ellie’s relationship with the guitar is the emotional spine of The Last of Us Part II. It’s her last connection to Joel. When she plays Through the Valley, she’s using the skills he taught her.
It’s heartbreaking.
Every time she picks up that instrument, she’s trying to hold onto a ghost. The song is the first piece of that puzzle. It established the guitar as a gameplay mechanic, too. Naughty Dog actually built a fully functional guitar rhythm system into the game because the response to that initial trailer was so overwhelming. They realized that the music wasn't just window dressing—it was the heart of the experience.
Common Misconceptions
People often think this song was written specifically for the game. Nope. As I mentioned, Shawn James had it out for years. Another common myth is that Ashley Johnson had a body double for the guitar playing in the motion capture. Actually, she learned the fingerpicking herself. The developers tracked her hand movements to make sure the in-game character's fingers matched the actual chords being played.
That’s the level of detail we’re dealing with here.
Some fans also debate whether Ellie is literally "evil" because of the lyrics. That's a bit of a stretch. The song is an expression of her internal state, not a literal confession. She’s struggling with her "wicked ways," but the game is all about the gray areas of morality. The song fits perfectly into that "cycle of violence" theme without making her a cardboard cutout villain.
The Cultural Legacy
Look at YouTube. You’ll find thousands of covers of Ellie’s version of the song. People aren't covering the Shawn James version as much as they are trying to replicate the Through the Valley Ashley Johnson vibe. It sparked a resurgence in "dark folk" or "Gothic Americana" within the gaming community.
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It also set a high bar for video game trailers. Now, every major studio wants a "haunting acoustic cover" of a song. We’ve seen it with Gears of War, Dead Space, and even Battlefield. But none of them quite captured the lightning in a bottle that The Last of Us did.
Maybe it’s because Ashley Johnson has spent over a decade inhabiting this character. You can’t manufacture that kind of connection.
How to Appreciate the Song Today
If you’re looking to dive back into this piece of gaming history, don’t just watch the trailer. Listen to the official soundtrack version. Compare it to the original Shawn James track. Look at the lyrics of "Wayfaring Stranger," which is another song Johnson performed for the game.
You’ll start to see a pattern.
The music in The Last of Us is about travel, loss, and the hope—or lack thereof—for a world beyond the one we see. Through the Valley is the darkest of the bunch because it’s the one where the protagonist accepts her descent into darkness.
Actionable Ways to Engage with the Music
- Check out the "Lost in the Valley" documentary shorts. These little snippets often float around fan circles and show the behind-the-scenes recording sessions at Sony's studios. Seeing Johnson in the booth helps you appreciate the physical effort that goes into a vocal performance like this.
- Learn the Chords. If you play guitar, the song is surprisingly accessible. It’s mostly centered around Em, G, and B7. Playing it yourself gives you a different perspective on the rhythm and the "dirge" feel of the melody.
- Explore the Genre. If the vibe of this song resonates with you, look into artists like Colter Wall, The Dead South, or even early Johnny Cash. This is the world Ellie’s musical taste lives in.
- Listen for the Callbacks. When you replay The Last of Us Part II, pay attention to the ambient hums and the way the guitar mini-game allows you to noodle around. You can actually play the melody of Through the Valley using the touchpad on the controller. It’s a nice little Easter egg for the die-hard fans.
The impact of this performance can’t be overstated. It moved the needle for what we expect from voice actors. It proved that a song could be just as powerful as a high-octane action sequence. Most importantly, it gave Ellie a voice that felt real, flawed, and devastatingly human.
When you hear those opening chords, you aren't just hearing a song. You’re hearing the start of a journey that changed gaming forever. Ashley Johnson didn't just sing a cover; she gave a soul to a digital girl who was about to lose everything. It remains one of the most hauntingly beautiful moments in the medium’s history.
To fully grasp the musical evolution of the series, your next step should be listening to the full The Last of Us Part II soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla. He uses a ronroco—a traditional Andean string instrument—to create the atmospheric tension that perfectly complements Johnson's vocals. Following that, compare the "Through the Valley" trailer to the final scene of the game; the contrast in Ellie's voice and demeanor across those two points provides the ultimate insight into her character's tragic arc.