Songs with good/bad bridges

[joel hamilton]

Sometimes a simple timbre modification can act as a bridge... really like another verse with a departure in the drum sound or overall feel of the mix. That has worked for me in places where simply dropping to the relative minor just feels corny, and modulation up a full step would be a Celine dion nightmare in the context I am talking about...

Also, re-contextualizing a chorus form... like the old "break down chorus" can act as a bridge, especially when the bridge is just acting as a way to get back to the chorus without feeling redundant.

to me, the "every breath you take" example is a perfect example of a bridge that can really have incredible emotional impact and really encapsulate the gesture/sentiment/overall tone of the rest of the lyrics and song. its like a bridge acting as a synopsis, or internal dialogue. I always picture the parts in a visual way, so this works really well for gauging the relevance to the main storyline in a song...
like if you are trying to make the movie where the guy and the girl lose each other in a crowd, and you cut to a shot of a robot punching a shark in the face while unicorns shoot laser beams from their horns at a spaceship: you may lose some people, story wise even if you cut back to the main characters after only 15 seconds....

[suppositron]

to me, the "every breath you take" example is a perfect example of a bridge that can really have incredible emotional impact and really encapsulate the gesture/sentiment/overall tone of the rest of the lyrics and song.

I couldn't agree more. Something about a really well done bridge just elevates a songs quality to the next level. That song is a classic example of great song writing.