Brill Building

The Brill Building is a Manhattan office building whose music-publishing offices became a hub for professional pop songwriting, especially in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Carole King: An American singer-songwriter who wrote numerous pop hits with Gerry Goffin before building a solo career. Her partnership with Goffin produced many songs associated with the building’s songwriting scene.
Tin Pan Alley: A New York music-publishing district that became a center of American popular song production. The Brill Building continued an older New York tradition of commercially organized songwriting.
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow”: A 1960 song written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin and first recorded by the Shirelles. Its success demonstrated that sophisticated songwriting could reach the top of the pop charts.
Don Kirshner: An American music publisher and producer who co-founded Aldon Music and developed Brill Building songwriters. His publishing operation recruited writers and helped organize their work into a hit-making business.
Gerry Goffin: An American lyricist who co-wrote hit songs with Carole King and other composers. His lyrics helped define the work-for-hire songwriting practiced in the building.
Music publisher: A business that promotes songs, licenses their use, and collects royalties for songwriters and rights holders. Publishers housed in the building matched songs and writers with performers and recording opportunities.
“The Loco-Motion”: A 1962 dance-pop song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and first recorded by Little Eva. The song shows writers creating a hit tailored to a particular performer and dance craze.
Al Nevins: An American musician and music publisher who co-founded Aldon Music with Don Kirshner. His partnership with Kirshner created one of the building’s central publishing companies.
Barry Mann: An American songwriter who wrote pop hits, often in partnership with Cynthia Weil. His collaborations with Weil made them one of the era’s prominent songwriting teams.
Songwriting team: A partnership or group that collaboratively writes songs, often dividing musical and lyrical tasks. Teams such as King and Goffin supplied a steady stream of songs to publishers and performers.

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