Bridge or no bridge... that is the question.

[drdark]

How do you know if a song really needs a bridge? Weigh in songwriters. What do you think?

[pullsteel]

For the most part the bridge is the most forgetable part of a song. Who remembers the bridge? It's a diversionary tactic designed to give the listeners ear a break from the monotony of a weak chorus.

Name one Neil Young song that has a bridge.

[pianoman]

"Contrived" bridges are often forgetable, doc. "Inspired" bridges can deliver the most powerful or poignant lines in a song in a most dramatic fashion, though. A good one can sweep us away from the verse/chorus of a song, and return us to it with a renewed sense of excitement. When I create, I never ask myself if a song NEEDS a bridge...but rather, whether or not there simply IS one waiting to be expressed. Don't know if that makes sense...

[pullsteel]

Well said, Pianoman.
A nice bridge does come to mind from the Beatles White Album: "In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home...."

Even though Neil has a song called "The Bridge," he doesn't seem to be a fan of them...

[drdark]

Indeed the Beatles, thanks to George Martin, are the unheralded masters of the "middle eight" as he used to call it. The movement from Lennon's ethereal verse/chorus in "Day in the Life" into McCarntey's bridge (which starts out as a mundane observation of everyday activities and evolves into a hallucinogenic haze) is brilliant. Making the whole of the song much greater than its component parts.
Pianoman hit the nail on the head. A contrived bridge just muddies the water, often confusing the listener with arbitrary forays into realms unconcerned with the body of the story. Ah, but a compelling bridge can take a song mired in mediocrity and turn it into a jewel (God only Knows) by Brian Wilson is a good example.

[pianoman]

pullsteel, ur right. Neil doesn't use em! Neither does Lennon (much) or Dylan. I went down one of those "top 100 Rock Songs of All Time" lists and saw how seldom bridges are actually used. And yet...some of my favorite moments in listening to music comes from inspired, well-placed bridges. "Knocking on Heavens Door" didn't need a bridge. Nor did "Imagine". And yet, The Eagles' James Dean, or Bob Segers' Like a Rock wouldn't matter so much to me without thier bridges.

Thanks for making me revisit the topic, doc. It's important for a songwriter to know that they don't HAVE to force a third part into a song. If it's a good song...it won't need it.

[KiltyLarkin]

You don't always need a bridge to get to the other side!

[pullsteel]

It only looks like an island if you see it from the water...
(I think we're going to need a bigger boat)

[pianoman]

Well said, Chief (Brodie)

[BRC]

I don't think a contrived bridge should be written into a song to cover or "explain" a weak lyric. A weak lyric needs to be re-written until it's not. That being said a good bridge can add a lot of life and dynamic to a song. Think of Jack Johnson's You And Your Heart - "got so many lines in the sand, lost the fingernails on your hands....." , or Mat Kearney's Nothing left to loose - "and I can still hear the trains out my window, from Hobart street to here in Nashville..". These are excellent bridges that the songs would just be lacking something without.

[socalmicskills]

I agree that a bridge can "give the ear a break", it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you have a real heavy song that may seem monotonous without a change in tempo or pitch than a bridge would be in order. In "metal" we often use the bridge to slow things down for a bit, to make the ending sound radically harder, when it was really just the same as the rest of the song. So I ask you the question, what do you want out of your bridge? A solo of any sort can completely take the place of a bridge in many situations when a tempo change is not necessary. I love bridges, but I can think of many songs that could have done without them. The best bridges to me are the ones that tie the song together and really change the mood for a short while before giving the listener that last can of "whoop ass".

Pete, Vocalist, G String Stranglers

Attachments:

[useyourpinky]

Top 100 rock songs of all time? How many different lists of top 100 Rock songs of all time are there is a question too. If someone had time to do the reasearch, I would want to know the top 100 Rock Albums of all time both for sales and for just general listeners favorites each. Then out of those albums how many songs on each record had a bridge?

[socalmicskills]

Don't know but I'd put Slayer-Seasons in the Abyss at the top

[pianoman]

Pinky...great question. I'm gonna have to spend some time looking at that. But at first glance...most don't seem to have bridges. hmmmm...