Friday, January 31, 2020
Taylor Swift: Build Her a Bridge
Found this in my notebook dated June 11, 2017:
Taylor Swift has trouble with her bridges. Great artists often stumble here and there. “Never be afraid to make a mistake” I often tell my own daughter. “If you’re gonna fail, fail BIG!!!” is the saying Taylor Swift will tell her daughter.
Taylor Swift is really good with the hooks but bad with the bridges. It’s like how Picasso was really good at making art but he used too much blue sometimes. It’s like if Cezanne was good at painting but bad with yellow. Being a great songwriter who is bad is bridges is like if you were Shakespeare but bad at adverbs. Being bad at adjectives would doom a you, but being clunky with the adverbs isn’t a deal breaker. If you’re bad at adverbs you can still bang out a hit play.
Taylor Swift being bad at bridges doesn’t stop her from writing a catchy song. It’s not a deal breaker. And it’s not like it’s every bridge, but “Don’t say I didn’t, say I didn’t warn ya” is a bad bridge. And yeesh that Shake It Off bridge. Never be afraid to take a big swing. If you’re gonna fail, fail big. Never be afraid to make a mistake.
James Brown was great at bridges. So great, he’d call it out, “Take it to the bridge! HUH!”
What is a bridge? Let's say you’ve been playing I-IV-V-IV during the verses. After a few verses things are getting a bit stale. It might be a good time for a bridge! Finishing up your third iteration of the chorus, scream out “Take me to the bridge!!” and throw in a “HUH! If the mood strikes you. Now, instead of playing I-IV-V-IV, play V-IV a couple times before going back to the classic chord progression you established earlier.
If you don’t want to sing a bridge, you don’t have to. For instance, don’t shout “Take me to the bridge!” and then your band won’t take you there. Your band works for you. They have to do what you say.
I dunno, I guess it’s just that one song that has such a bad bridge. Most of her songs pull off the bridge just fine. Even Picasso used too much blue sometimes.
Taylor Swift has trouble with her bridges. Great artists often stumble here and there. “Never be afraid to make a mistake” I often tell my own daughter. “If you’re gonna fail, fail BIG!!!” is the saying Taylor Swift will tell her daughter.
Taylor Swift is really good with the hooks but bad with the bridges. It’s like how Picasso was really good at making art but he used too much blue sometimes. It’s like if Cezanne was good at painting but bad with yellow. Being a great songwriter who is bad is bridges is like if you were Shakespeare but bad at adverbs. Being bad at adjectives would doom a you, but being clunky with the adverbs isn’t a deal breaker. If you’re bad at adverbs you can still bang out a hit play.
Taylor Swift being bad at bridges doesn’t stop her from writing a catchy song. It’s not a deal breaker. And it’s not like it’s every bridge, but “Don’t say I didn’t, say I didn’t warn ya” is a bad bridge. And yeesh that Shake It Off bridge. Never be afraid to take a big swing. If you’re gonna fail, fail big. Never be afraid to make a mistake.
James Brown was great at bridges. So great, he’d call it out, “Take it to the bridge! HUH!”
What is a bridge? Let's say you’ve been playing I-IV-V-IV during the verses. After a few verses things are getting a bit stale. It might be a good time for a bridge! Finishing up your third iteration of the chorus, scream out “Take me to the bridge!!” and throw in a “HUH! If the mood strikes you. Now, instead of playing I-IV-V-IV, play V-IV a couple times before going back to the classic chord progression you established earlier.
If you don’t want to sing a bridge, you don’t have to. For instance, don’t shout “Take me to the bridge!” and then your band won’t take you there. Your band works for you. They have to do what you say.
I dunno, I guess it’s just that one song that has such a bad bridge. Most of her songs pull off the bridge just fine. Even Picasso used too much blue sometimes.
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