Threadlines: The Disappearing Bridge

Olivia Rodrigo's Drivers License, fun's We Are Young, and Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone all have one thing in common - that they feature memorable, epic bridges.

In modern music, the bridge refers to the section of music typically placed after the second chorus where the artist introduces new musical material, continues a storyline, or extends a metaphor.

For example, in Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, throughout the song's choruses, she sings over and over again that she "goes back to...".
It isn't until the bridge that she finally finishes the thought, singing "Black".

While a song's choruses and verses often get the most attention, the bridge of the song - if done well - can become the most iconic section.

Look to highly memorable bridges such as Mumford and Sons' Little Lion Man, Dexys Midnight Runners' Come On Eileen, and Katy Perry's The One That Got Away.

At its best, a bridge not only completes the ideas of the song but enhances the entire picture and leads into a satisfying final chorus.

A discussion of bridges would not be complete without mentioning how Taylor Swift has used the bridge to its fullest throughout her career.
Love Story, Betty, and All Too Well all feature bridges that are not only iconic but in some cases have eclipsed the rest of the song in recognition and renown.

Bridges have been used across almost all genres - hip-hop, folk, country, rock 'n roll - but they are perhaps most memorable in their appearance throughout the pop world.

Throughout the years, pop artists have used bridges as a metaphor in songs to represent a variety of different concepts, from crossing over from one state of being to another, to overcoming obstacles and reaching a new level of understanding.

However... bridges are rapidly disappearing from popular music. A cursory look at some of the top songs from 2023 on Spotify shows this trend. Morgan Wallen's Last Night, Ice Spice's Boy's a Liar Pt. 2, Rema and Selena Gomez's Calm Down, Lil Uzi Vert's Just Wanna Rock, and Drake and 21 Savage's Rich Flex, all lack a bridge.

Instead, pop songs are either cutting the bridge completely or replacing it with more repeats of the hook.

But why?

One reason is due to apps such as TikTok. Modern short-form video apps demand instant catchiness and memorability, current pop songs are more hook-oriented than ever.
It's a common occurrence nowadays to hear only 10 seconds of a song at a time while scrolling through TikTok.

The chorus is the most important part of a song to hook a listener, and a bridge is not as conducive to the quick appeal that TikTok demands.
A good bridge needs room and time to breathe in the song, which is less appealing to the modern music consumer.

Kuya Magik, a producer and DJ notes that “If you go to a club and you watch people dance, they only dance to the 15 seconds of a song that’s famous on TikTok… for the rest of it, they just sit there.”

Another contributing factor is the trend toward shorter song lengths. In 2023's streaming-dominant music landscape, artists are trying to figure out how to maximize replayability.
The shorter the song, the easier it is to loop it and juice up those sweet, sweet pay-by-play streaming numbers. In 2021, hit songs are nearly a minute shorter on average compared to 15 years ago, with the average length dropping from around 4 minutes to around 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

If you're an artist trying to cut length from your song, you'll likely see the bridge as the least necessary part of a song.
In a verse and chorus song, you need verses and you need choruses.
Bridges could be seen as just 'filler' and then are left on the cutting room floor as the artist tries to get their song under 3 minutes and pack in more repeats of their hook.

It's not to say this is all negative - increasingly, artists across the musical spectrum are experimenting with interesting and different song structures.
As artists are experimenting more, they are not following the more clear-cut formula of verse-chorus-bridge-chorus.

This innovation is a good thing, allowing artists who are breaking the mold to let their personalities and musicality shine through.

But... I do find this trend unfortunate. I love a good bridge. It can musically tie the song together, expand on the song's story, or be used as a powerful metaphor before transitioning to the final chorus.

Bridges in songs have been used throughout history to convey a range of emotions and ideas - moving from oppression to freedom, tragedy to triumph, support to wonder, and more. But, bridges - at least in the pop world - may be increasingly a thing of the past.