A finely-crafted middle eight (aka, bridge) is a precious and rare thing of beauty, and I'm definitely a connoisseur. On the down side, nothing blows up a great song like a crappy, slapped-together bridge (and wow, there are a lot of those).
To celebrate the best that the middle eight has to offer, here are some my favorites followed by a Spotify playlist:
- Radiohead: "Creep" Perfection. This might be my favorite of all time: seamless and gorgeous in composition and execution, this bridge adds impossible amounts of power while also dramatically increasing the melancholy of the narrator. Well and truly nailed it.
- Fountains of Wayne: "Stacy's Mom" Adam Schlesinger, RIP :( I just love FoW's masterful manipulation of emotion and energy.
- SPECIAL BONUS! Robby Fulks: "Fountains of Wayne Hotline" Better if you listen to this with no explanation, just give it a go
- Sheryl Crow: "My Favorite Mistake" I really love this one because of the Hammond organ. It's so deeply sweet and soulful, and the guitar behind has enough throat to make Sheryl's plea feel urgent and real.
