Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil in 2012
Born(1940-10-18)October 18, 1940
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 1, 2023(2023-06-01) (aged 82)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Alma materSarah Lawrence College
OccupationSongwriter
Spouse
​
(m. 1961)​
ChildrenJenn Mann

Cynthia Weil (October 18, 1940 – June 1, 2023) was an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Weil and Mann were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.[1] In 1987, she was inducted with her husband into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2011, they jointly received the Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by that Hall of Fame.

Weil and her husband, both based at the Brill Building, were instrumental in shaping the sound of rock and roll in the 1960s, alongside other luminaries such as Carole King, Burt Bacharach, and Neil Diamond.[2]

Life and career

Weil was born in New York City on October 18, 1940. She grew up on the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side of Manhattan in a Conservative Jewish family.[3][4][5] Her father was Morris Weil, a furniture store owner and the son of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants, and her mother was Dorothy Mendez, who grew up in a Sephardic Jewish family in Brooklyn.[4] Weil trained as an actress and dancer, studying theater at Sarah Lawrence College, but soon demonstrated a songwriting ability that led to her collaboration with Barry Mann, whom she married in August 1961.[3][6] The couple had one daughter, Jenn Mann. Weil became one of the Brill Building songwriters of the 1960s, and one of the most important writers during the emergence of rock and roll.[2]

Weil and her husband went on to create songs for many contemporary artists, winning several Grammy Awards as well as Academy Award nominations for their compositions for film. As their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame biography put it, in part: "Mann and Weil's... [works went from] epic ballads ('On Broadway', 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'') to outright rockers ('Kicks', 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place') [and they also] placed an emphasis on meaningful lyrics in their songwriting. With Weil writing the words and Mann the music, they came up with a number of songs that addressed such serious subjects as racial and economic divides[,] 'Uptown', ...and the difficult reality of making it in the big city ('On Broadway'). 'Only in America'... tackled segregation and racism, making it rather too controversial for the Drifters, who were the intended artists. 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place' became an anthem for [the] Vietnam soldier, antiwar protesters, and young people who viewed it as an anthem of greater opportunities."[6]

In 1987, she was inducted with her husband into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1988, Weil won two awards at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards for co-writing "Somewhere Out There" from the animated film An American Tail: Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media.[7]

In 2004, Mann and Weil's They Wrote That? a musical revue based on their songs, opened in New York. In it, Mann sang and Weil related stories about the songs and their personal history.[6] Weil and Mann were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 in the Ahmet Ertegun Award category.[8] "From the bottom of my heart and with the greatest humility," Weil said in her acceptance, "I thought you guys would never ask."[9] In 2011, Mann and Weil received the Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[10]

In 2015, Weil published her first novel, I'm Glad I Did, a mystery set in 1963.[11]

Weil died at home in Beverly Hills, California, on June 1, 2023, at age 82.[2][3][12]

Songs written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Sources:[13][14]

Bibliography

  • Weil, Cynthia (2015). I'm Glad I Did. Soho Press. ISBN 978-1-61695-357-7.
  • Weil, Cynthia (2018). 806: A Novel. Tanglewood. ISBN 978-1-939100-26-9.

References

  1. ↑ "Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Blistein, Jon (June 2, 2023). "Cynthia Weil, Storied Songwriter With Decades of Hits, Dead at 82". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Williams, Alex (June 4, 2023). "Cynthia Weil, Whose Soaring Lyrics Made Baby Boomers Feel, Dies at 82". The New York Times. p. A20. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Benarde, Scott (2003). Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish stories. Hanover, NH: Brandeis University Press. p. 49.
  5. ↑ Bloom, Nate (December 15, 2011). "Jewish Stars 12/16". Cleveland Jewish News.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mann & Weil", Inductees (biography), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, archived from the original on July 27, 2018, retrieved March 16, 2010
  7. ↑ "Cynthia Weil awards and nominations". The Grammys. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Congratulations to the 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees!". Archived from the original on December 23, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  9. ↑ Jon Pareles (March 16, 2010) [March 15, 2010], "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts New Members", The New York Times, NY, p. A16, retrieved March 16, 2010
  10. ↑ "Garth Brooks, Billy Joel perform together during Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony". Sound spike. June 17, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  11. ↑ Cynthia Weil (2015). I'm Glad I Did. Soho Teen. ISBN 9781616953560.
  12. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (June 2, 2023). "Cynthia Weil Dies: 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin',' 'We Gotta Get Out Of This Place' & 'On Broadway' Co-Writer Was 82". Deadline. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  13. ↑ Songs written by Barry Mann, MusicVF.com. Retrieved August 27, 2014
  14. ↑ Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil Discography. Retrieved August 27, 2014
  15. ↑ Beatles Lyric Archived July 30, 2012, at archive.today, Jiri Wagner 1999 – 2010 at boskowan.com. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
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