For those who don’t know what I am talking about, check the Wiki link provided.
Here are some of mine:
[ul]
[li]“Light My Fire”- The Doors[/li][li]“Radar Love”- Golden Earring[/li][li]“Inna Godda Davida”- Iron Butterly[/li][li]“Frankenstein”- Edgar Winter Group[/li][li]“Tom Sawyer”- Rush[/li][li]“Dazed and Confused” - Led Zeppelin[/li][/ul]
I should also mention that I absolutely HATE it when radio stations cut the bridge short when playing these songs. It’s enough to ruin the whole song for me, but I’ll save my vitriol on this for another thread.
Hah, I stopped listening to radio the day I got my first ipod. Light My Fire was the first thing I was going to say.
Speaking of Frankenstein, I love the They Might Be Giants version of it that they perform live now and then, complete with the drum and ACCORDION solos (subbing for the guitar part of the bridge).
Yeah, I was gonna reply, but I did not understand the link. Is bridge a musicians thing? When I sing Karaoke all I know is “Why don’t we get drunk and screw” has a 40 second bridge. Long enough to get a hit off my beer and a hit on a chick. So really, in simple English, what is a bridge?
Here’s an easy way to identify the bridge. Find all the verses and choruses and isolate them out. What’s left is the bridge. It’s main purpose is to relieve boredom and/or provide a connection between repeating choruses. One example I’d offer of a very good bridge is in Every Breath you Take by The Police. The bridge starts when Sting sings, “Since you’ve gone, I’ve been lost without a trace.” It’s not like the rest of the song.
I have to go with the Lone Justice Live version of “Sweet Jane .” I can’t play that in the car because the foot goes to the floor and tunnel vision ensues.
Patty Griffin’s song “Chief” has an incredible bridge. Actually, a lot of her songs have really good bridges. It’s kind of refreshing given that many artists’ bridges sound like afterthoughts. An exhilarating one can be transcendental; a crappy one makes the whole song feel tedious.
How could I possibly forget the greatest bridge in the greatest country & western song ever. David Allen Coe singing the Steve Goodman song: You Never Even Call Me by my Name
Smashing Pumpkins - Galapagos
Probably the best of all time. The quiet guitar harmony by itself qualifies, but then he tacks on the powerful resurgence and I’m in heaven.
Blues Traveler’s “Hook” has a fairly lengthy bridge, starting with a magnificent harmonica solo followed by the lightning-fast “Suck it in suck it in if you’re Rin Tin Tin or Anne Bolynn [sp?]” section. I’ve heard the song hundreds of times already and I still have to stop and appreciate the beauty of the whole thing.
It’s also the same melody as the verses in “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2”. A few years ago I pointed this out to my sister. She had never noticed it until I mentioned it to her.
Somewhat obscure, to the extent that any Elvis Costello song can be, I like the bridge with the guitar solo in “Pidgin English” from Imperial Bedroom. You know, the one where Elvis sings, “Take it to the bridge, she sighs…” right before the bridge.
