Arts·Q with Tom Power

How Patrick Watson channeled Leonard Cohen without imitating his sound

The Montreal singer-songwriter joins Q's Tom Power to discuss his approach to writing the theme song So Long, Marianne, a new scripted series about the romance between Cohen and Marianne Ihlen.

The Canadian singer-songwriter wrote the theme song for the new limited series So Long, Marianne

Black and white portrait of Patrick Watson sitting in a metro station, holding a bouquet of flowers.
Patrick Watson is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Montreal. (Lawrence Fafard)

When Montreal's Patrick Watson was tapped to write music for So Long, Marianne — a new scripted series about the romance between Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen — he had to find a way to channel Cohen's music without imitating his sound. Watson ended up writing the theme song for the series and his involvement didn't end there. He joins Q's Tom Power to talk about his work on So Long, Marianne and his relationship with the late Canadian icon. 

WATCH | Official trailer for So Long, Marianne:

The full interview with Patrick Watson is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview with Patrick Watson produced by Catherine Stockhausen.