'We Gotta Get Out Of This Place' Songwriter Cynthia Weil Passes Away, Aged 82

Cynthia Weil, an American songwriting icon who wrote some of America’s most successful rock, pop and country hits alongside her husband, Barry Mann, has passed away at age 82.

Their daughter, TV psychotherapist Dr Jenn Mann, revealed the news to TMZ. She said in a statement, "My mother, Cynthia Weil, was the greatest mother, grandmother and wife our family could ever ask for.

“She was my best friend, confidant, and my partner in crime and an idol and trailblazer for women in music."

Mann, Weil’s husband of nearly 62 years, added, "I'm a lucky man. I had two for one, my wife and one of the greatest songwriters in the world, my soul and inspiration."

Many artists who had lyrics written by Weil and music created by Mann wound up winning Grammy Awards and found further success.

Together, Weil and Mann penned some of the most memorable songs of the 60s, 70s and beyond, including Dolly Parton's Here You Come Again, The Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin and (You're My) Soul And Inspiration, The Drifters' and George Benson's On Broadway, The Crystals' Uptown and The Ronettes' Walking In The Rain, among several others.

Australian listeners will also be familiar with The Animals’ We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place, popularised by The Angels in 1986.

“We lost the beautiful, brilliant lyricist Cynthia Weil Mann,” Carole King wrote in tribute to Weil on social media. “May the legacy of lyrics by Cynthia Weil continue to speak to and for generations to come. Rest in peace with love and gratitude.”

John Oates added on Twitter, “So sad to hear about the passing of one of the great Brill Building songwriters Cynthia Weil. She, Barry Mann, and Phil Spector wrote the massive hit "YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING" that Daryl and I covered on our VOICES album in the early 80s.”

An excerpt of Weil and Mann’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame bio reads (via The Wrecking Crew): "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."