Songs with good/bad bridges

[Jay Reynolds]

Admirable bridges:
"Monk's mood" (Thelonious Monk)

Does the B section in a strophic form really count as a bridge?

[;ivlunsdystf]

I think the 2nd movement in Bartok's 2nd piano concerto should count as the most badass bridge ever, if we're being so permissive in our definition of 'bridge' as to accuse Bartok of getting by without them.

[sears]

Ultravox made some of the best bridges. Their bridges unlock the rest of the song.

[lysander]

If Peter Gabriel ever writes another III-IV bridge he should hang it up.

[Jay Reynolds]

I think the 2nd movement in Bartok's 2nd piano concerto should count as the most badass bridge ever, if we're being so permissive in our definition of 'bridge' as to accuse Bartok of getting by without them.

What about Varese. Forget the bridge, where the hell is the verse?

[madtho]

good:
En Vogue My Lovin' (never gonna get it)
I think the producers (Foster & McElroy) wrote it.

I just love that song to death.

[germaniac]

Any bridge by Aimee Mann succeeds about 100% of the time. At any rate, when in doubt, go to the relative minor.

[Jay Reynolds]

good:
En Vogue My Lovin' (never gonna get it)
I think the producers (Foster & McElroy) wrote it.

I just love that song to death.

I remember reading in another magazine whose name rhymes with Fix that the bridge to that song was added after the mix was finished. Flown in via Sonic Solutions, I think?

[AstroDan]

I'm gonna have to be a lame-o and overlook the last 35 years of popular music and say the old standards had the best bridges; you know, the 'B' in the A-A-B-A format. Ellington, Gershwin, Carmichael, etc...

It was nice, simple and economical.

Then the fucking Beatles came in and made some really good songs with more parts...and now at band practice we all have to come up with "a cool third part right here" when we know we don't really want to.

[percussion boy]

Neil Young has written some good bridges. "Walk On", for one.

Cool, he's not an idiot savant then.

I think the 2nd movement in Bartok's 2nd piano concerto should count as the most badass bridge ever, if we're being so permissive in our definition of 'bridge' as to accuse Bartok of getting by without them.

We're not being that permissive. Control yourself, sir.

[;ivlunsdystf]

Four words: welcome to the jungle. That is an epic bridge, right up there with fool in the rain.

Almost forgot: pink floyd's money. It pops into even time and the tension from all those bars of sevens blows wide open. Very nice.

Note that none of the examples given so far suck. Original poster, wtf? Give us an example of a bad bridge already! According to your ststistic there should be many to list!

[percussion boy]

Admirable bridges:
"Monk's mood" (Thelonious Monk)

Does the B section in a strophic form really count as a bridge?

I've always heard the B in an A-A-B-A jazz or show tune referred to as the bridge. What else would you call it?

Admittedly, the original post may have a narrower definition in mind, i.e., the "C" section in, eg., an A-B-A-B-C-A-B pop tune.

Seems like it's okay for them both to be bridges though, since they serve the same function (a section that temporarily changes mood/key etc. to provide a different perspective on things).

Which is one definition . . .

. . . This would mean Mr. Bartok could write bridges after all. Except he's dead.

[Jay Reynolds]

Admirable bridges:
"Monk's mood" (Thelonious Monk)

Does the B section in a strophic form really count as a bridge?

I've always heard the B in an A-A-B-A jazz or show tune referred to as the bridge. What else would you call it?

In my experience, it gets called "the B section" just as often as "the Bridge". Esp. when you're looking at songs like "All The Things You Are" and "Invitation" where your form is AABC or ABCAD.

[;ivlunsdystf]

I refer you back to my post earlier in this thread: "Define 'bridge'". Nobody has done that yet. Also, the original poster has not come back to defend his statement that 70% of bridges are bunk. I'm not going to let this go.

Reading back over this, I guess I pretty much like every bridge.

[AstroDan]

I know a bridge I don't look forward to is Elvis Costello's 'Veronica', co-written by Paul McCartney. Very awkward. That should be top drawer bridge writing. You throw in Burt Reynolds and Sinatra expecting miracles and you get 'Cannonball Run II'. That's the way it is.