Songwriting | Bridges | Counter Arts

Crossing that Bridge when You Come to It

So you can add it to your song

Photo by Charle$ on Unsplash

Did you know songs have bridges, too? Not the kind you walk or drive on, but they do function as bridges that take you from one place to another.

Bridges in songs function as transitions, allowing you to add a new direction to the song you’re writing. I didn’t use to know this, but when I discovered bridges in a musical theater group class, I became obsessed with them. I started listening for bridges in every song I heard.

Why are bridges put into songs, anyway? I can only answer that with a question. Do you want to hear the same verses and chorus over and over again, or do you want to take a break and listen to something new? Bridges give us a way to enjoy a new melody, instrument, mood and more. And — before I forget — the bridge is the only part of the song you hear once — as you really don’t need to repeat it.

What kinds of songs use bridges? Pop songs, rock songs, musical theater, country, pretty much any song you can name. On the other hand, there’s no law that says bridges are required— it’s really up to you to decide if you want one. I like them personally because they keep songs from sounding too repetitive — and add emotional weight or contrast to get a listener’s attention.

If you do want a bridge, the first step is to listen to a variety of them, and then figure out what kind you want to write. I tend to like bridges that change something substantial in a song. That makes me feel like the singer is getting more invested in the situation, upping their game.

Once the bridge is over, and the song goes back to the verse or the chorus, I hope we can say that bridge gave us a little more information about the singer and whatever they’re singing about. What I try to do when I’m writing a bridge is change up the number of words, so the composer knows immediately this section is going to be different.

As an example, the lyrics I wrote below are part of a song about a woman with terrible allergies who is going to meet a blind date in a park. It’s spring, and every sort of pollen is in the air. The song starts with the woman walking through the park, right after seeing the person she’s looking for:

There you are, so tall and so blonde
Here I am, so short and so dark
We said we’d meet tonight, right
We both like this pond in the park

It could be really romantic
Those gorgeous swans in this cool breeze
But somehow, when I look at you
It only makes me want to sneeze

(Chorus)
What is that you’re wearing, tell me it’s not cologne
See this hair I’m tearing while I’m trying not to moan
See the hives appearing, all along my jawline here
All I want to do is go to bed and unplug my goddamn ear

— Later on, in the song, she struggles with a full-blown allergy attack:

Honey, I can tell you, sorry,
You and me, we’re not meant to be
Nose and ears are streaming,
Itchy, I’m so very itch — y

What is that you’re wearing, tell me it’s not cologne
See this hair I’m tearing, while trying not to moan
See my hives appear, along my jawline here
All I want to do is go to bed, unplug my goddamn fear

— There are a few more verses and then, before the last chorus is repeated, I added a bridge:

I love everything green, wait all winter for the spring, I love how the air smells so fresh and so clean
If I could only meet the right person, I’d sing, and the world would stop being so ugly and mean

(spoken) In spring. Every spring.

This song isn’t done yet, btw, and of course, if the composer writes the music first, I’d want to listen to his/her bridge and come up with the right lyrics for it.

Meanwhile, where do you put that bridge? If we’re following traditional songwriting rules here (which you don’t have to) — a lot of songs follow the A-B-A-B-C-B format. If you do that, the bridge is the “C” section that keeps you from having to repeat the chorus twice at the end. But you can put your bridge wherever you like— I promise.

To change things up, you might try a couple of different ideas:

· Write a new melody or chord progression
· Change the vocal key, shifting it up or down
· Bring in new lyrics or a new instrument
· Stop using lyrics at all and just feature an instrument like piano or saxophone
· Speed up or slow down the tempo
· Change the dynamic range, either by making the song louder or softer

One more thing I wanted to share — and this is just my opinion, but I have to say it — the bridge isn’t the “star” of your song — the chorus is. So even though the bridge is important, I think its job is to reinforce your song by departing from it.

I tend to think of writing bridges as though someone is putting a different color into a painting that’s mostly monochrome. The new color will draw your attention away for a moment, and then send you back to the main color again with more interest.

Or something like that? I like writing about stuff like this because I grew up thinking of creativity as completely opposed to rules — rebellious, playful and unexpected. It’s interesting to me that while that’s all true about art, it’s also true to say there are hidden “rules” or at least maps that were drawn up for us to follow, if we want to do that.

Because Salvador Dali said he couldn’t have created the distortions in his paintings without knowing how to paint classically first; I liked it so much, I looked up his quote for you:

“Begin by learning to draw and paint like the old masters. After that, you can do as you like: everyone will respect you.”

What that tells me is the classical writers, painters and composers followed rules so they could strengthen their work, and then broke the rules later if they felt like it.

Something about that rings true, I think, and I like the idea of having rules. To break, if nothing else! Especially in songs.

Thank you for reading this! If you have thoughts on song bridges or anything else I said here, I hope you’ll share them.