SHE’S GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!
Husband-and-wife duos were some of the biggest powerhouses of the Brill Building, and the pairing of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann were more than worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Goffin-King and Barry-Greenwich. Weil was initially an aspiring Broadway singer, but her music talents shone most behind the scenes and the Brill Building halls crossed her paths with Mann. The two married in 1961 (presumably, he made her fall in love with him with a serenade of “buh bomp buh bomp buh bomp”) and though their chief musical legacy would end up doomed relationship lament “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, their 62-year union was the sole Brill marriage with staying power.
They already imprinted the charts later that year with “Bless You”, one of the earliest hits for 70s schmaltzster Tony Orlando. Not every early song they churned out aged the best (the saccharine “My Dad” was a top 10 hit now forgotten for good reason), but when it hit, it hit. And often with deeper lyrics than you’d expect for early 60s fare. The Drifters brought to life Weil’s Broadway dream with Leiber and Stoller quadruple threat “On Broadway”, where Rudy Lewis keeps his chin up even as the lyrics ebb and flow from fantasy to reality. A similar sense of yearning was encased in the glimmer of the Wall of Sound with girl group hits “Walking in the Rain” for the Ronettes and the class-conscious “Uptown” and “He’s Sure the Boy I Love” for the Crystals. One of their boldest sets of lyrics was “Only in America”, a rebuke of segregation intended for the Drifters, but the censors smoothened it out like turning “Born in the U.S.A.” into what MAGAs think “Born in the U.S.A.” is, and the end result was instead a safe, forgettable hit for Jay and the Americans.
As the 60s evolved, and the idyllic Brill Building sound gave way to a more rebellious tone, Mann and Weil kept with the times. They continued to work with Phil Spector, and took inspiration from the Four Tops’ “Baby I Need Your Loving” to craft “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” for the Righteous Brothers. The monster success of the desperate masterpiece dominated radio airwaves for decades, keeping in the public conscience through everything from Top Gun to Rebecca’s aphrodisiac in Cheers. Mann and Weil could’ve retired comfortably then and there, but they weren’t done yet. They proved more than capable of writing rocking bangers, with the Animals’ restless “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” resonating immediately and Paul Revere & the Raiders’ “Hungry” and anti-drugs message “Kicks” delivering a garage rock snarl.
The 60s were easily their best decade, but Mann and Weil kept writing occasional hits, both together and with other songwriters. Together, they ushered Dolly Parton onto the mainstream charts with “Here You Come Again”, and won a Grammy with Linda Ronstadt/James Ingram An American Tail duet “Somewhere Out There”. With different collaborators, Weil supplanted 80s hitmakers such as the Pointer Sisters and Lionel Richie. The duo was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 amidst other songwriting accolades and Weil more recently ventured into penning novels. She was 82 and Touch of Grey knew she’d be gone, gone, gone, whoa-oa-oa.
Cynthia Weil
18 October 1940 – 1 June 2023, aged 82
💀💀💀💀💀💀 + 👻 = 10 POINTS