Aimee Mann Covers Leonard Cohen’s “Avalanche” For HBO’s New Docuseries I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

Two time Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominated Aimee Mann creates her version of Leonard Cohen’s 1971 song “Avalanche” to be used as the theme song for HBO’s new docuseries I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. The original version was from the late Canadian’s third album, Songs of Love and Hate, which was based on a poem Cohen had previously written. The song contains Cohen’s signature syncopated flamenco classical guitar patterns he called his “chop“.

Mann’s version of “Avalanche” is a shorter, softer and better produced version of the original, however it doesn’t appear to have been released anywhere other than on HBO. The 50 second cover is dark and serves as good theme song for the series which covers the crime spree of the Golden State Killer during the 1970s and 1980s. I’ll Be Gone In The Dark Episode 1  covers the entire first episode of the HBO series, however you can locate the song beginning at the 1:50 mark.

Mann’s connection to the HBO series goes beyond writing the theme song for the series. Mann was good friends with Michelle McNamara, the late crime author of the book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, from which the HBO series is based. Mann’s musical connection with McNamara also goes beyond writing the theme song for the series, Mann sang for McNamara at her wedding. McNamara died in 2016 from an accidental overdose. She was married to stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt, who serves as the executive producer for the series.

Mann is best known as the singer for ‘Til Tuesday and their 1985 song “Voices Carry” from their debut album Voices Carry. The song hit number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and climbed into the top twenty in Canada and Australia. She has been continuously been active since 1982. In 2019, she was featured in the duet “Static on the Radio” which was featured on the Netflix movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.