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| From | "bryan" <munki100@pacbell.net> |
| Subject | Take me to the bridge -- part one |
| Date | Sun, 12 Sep 2004 10:09:38 -0700 |
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[here's an interesting article in today's L.A. Times]
POP MUSIC
Middle management
Musical bridges add intrigue and sophistication and can
change the mood quickly -- a fruitful agenda for midsong.
By Scott Timberg, Times Staff Writer
Sometimes it's the most profound part of a song, or the
moment that interrupts a narrative's confident surface.
Often, it's a backing up, a taking stock, a few seconds
of reflection, poignant or even painful.
The bridge - also known as the "middle-eight" for its
eight bars - connects a chorus to a verse; it's associated
with Tin Pan Alley and Lennon-McCartney. Arlen-Harburg's
"Over the Rainbow" ("Someday I'll wish upon a star .")
and the Beatles' "Yes It Is" ("I could be happy / with you
by my side .") have great ones, the first rueful, the other
assertive.
But its roots are far older, and the bridge has persisted as a
key songwriting structure despite the attack on convention
by punk, grunge and indie.
While some bands today reject the bridge and its formal,
polished connotations, it continues to be a key to emotionally
resonant and musically organized songwriting: Commercial
songwriters use them as elements in a formula, but a handful
of today's best musicians rely on the bridge nearly as artfully
as Cole Porter.
"I sort of regard the bridge in a magical way," says Aimee
Mann, the critically respected singer-songwriter. "It separates
the men from the boys. It's a mark of hanging in there,
finishing the job, making sure it's a real song."
Mann admires the use of bridges by songwriters such as
Jimmy Webb, Randy Newman, Jon Brion and Elliott Smith.
"I like the bridge because it's like the counterpoint, 'On the
other hand.' I think the best version of this was Lennon and
McCartney. They wrote bridges for each other's songs, so
you would have a totally different approach," both emotionally
and lyrically.
[part 2 of 3 coming up next]
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