We lost one of the real architects of rock this month. Songwriter Cynthia Weil passed away on June 1st, 2023 at the age of 82.
Weil teamed up with husband Barry Mann to write so many of the songs that made growing up in the 60s great, including “On Broadway,” “Kicks,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “Uptown,” “Walking in the Rain,” “Only in America” and, of course, “(You’ve Lost) That Lovin’ Feelin’.”
Often grouped with other husband-wife combos Gerry Goffin & Carole King and Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich, Weil became known as part of the “Brill Building” school that dominated rock between its original early rocker phase (Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, etc.) through the beginnings of the British Invasion.
While many of the rockers who followed in the wake of the Beatles wrote their own material Mann & Weill continued to crank out hits for those singers who relied on others for their material. In fact, the duo composed “Somewhere Out There” for the movie An American Tail, which became a huge hit for Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram and earned the couple two Grammy awards.
Along with her husband, Weil has been inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
She is survived by her husband, Barry Mann, and daughter, Jenn Mann.