Bridge 🌉 | 5ive Songs

In the 35^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with a BRIDGE 🌉 in some form or fashion.

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elcome to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet – no extra calories or needless fluff! There’s a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb.  Yes, it’s a playlist, but it’s a miniature playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  On the 35^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with a BRIDGE 🌉 in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

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1. The Strokes, “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus”

💿 The New Abnormal • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2020

🎵 “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” arrives as the third track on 💿 The New Abnormal, the sixth studio album by 🎙 The Strokes. The groove is ‘on 10’ to say the least.  The synths are prominent during the verses, bringing a disco, new wave vibe. The guitars dominate in the chorus, providing a stark contrast, yet remaining characteristic of the 80s-inspired sounds.

🎙 Julian Casablancas informs us he’s hearkening back to the 80s in various instances, whether it’s “And the 80s song, yeah, how did it go?” or “And the 80s bands? Oh, where did they go?” Northeast successfully covered via this New York referencing joint.

Appears in 🔻:

• United States by Region: 5ive Songs No. 3 (2020)
• Brooklyn: 3BOPS No. 12 (2021)
• 15 Compelling New York Songs

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2. Adele, “Water Under the Bridge”

💿 25 • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2015

“If you’re gonna let me down, let me down gently / Don’t pretend that you don’t want me / Our love ain’t water under the bridge.” 🎵 “Water Under the Bridge” is among the many highlights that grace the 🏆 Grammy-winning album, 💿 25.  In this gem, 🎙 Adele wants her man to take responsibility for his actions. After all, she makes it clear she has an effect on him, stating “If you’re not the one for me / Then how come I can bring you to your knees,” and, “And if you’re not the one for me / You’ve gotta stop holding me the way you do” (verse one).

Basically, Adele feels as if he’s treating her badly – ghosting in the relationship.  To her, what they have, hence, simply isn’t “water under the bridge” – it runs deeper than that.  The aforementioned lyrical excerpts from the first verse serve as evidence of such.  Even if the relationship is to end, she expects him to man up and show her some respect in breaking it off. Makes perfect sense to me!

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Songs That Go Under
• 13 Wet Songs About Water, Water, Water!

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3. Foo Fighters, “Bridge Burning”

💿 Wasting Light • 🏷 Roswell / RCA • 📅 2011

“Down crooked stars and sideways glances / Comes the king of second chances / Now throw him in the flame.” 🎙 Dave Grohl and 🎙 Foo Fighters are turned-up to the nth degree on “Bridge Burning,” the epic opener from their 2011, 🏆 Grammy-winning rock album, 💿 Wasting Light.  Arguably, Wasting Light is the band’s best rock album of the 2010s, and among the best of their entire discography.

What stands out about “Bridge Burning” specifically are the awesome guitar layers, the loud dynamics, the harmonic progression, and of course Grohl’s roaring, hella assertive vocals.  The chorus is everything:  “Your bridges are burning down / They’re all coming down / It’s all coming ‘round.” A killer bridge only adds to the sweetness, in a most hellish, rock and roll sort of way.  Also, can’t mention this Foos classic without shouting out the late, great 🎙 Taylor Hawkins!

Appears in 🔻:

• Experience the ‘Burn’ of These 11 Songs

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4. Fergie, “London Bridge”

💿 The Dutchess • 🏷 A&M • 🗓 2006

“How come every time you come around / My London London Bridge wanna go down? / Like London,  London, London; wanna go down / Like London, London, London; be goin’ down like.” Two words: “OH SHIT!” 🎙 Fergie uttered that phrase repeatedly throughout 🎵 “London Bridge” (sanitized to “oh, snap” in the music video).  Back in 2006, “London Bridge,” the first single from her debut solo album,  💿 The Dutchess, was ubiquitous.  It was also one of the silliest songs I’ve ever heard, and definitely a sexual transformation of the much more innocent children’s song.

🎛 Polow Da Don crafted an awesome backdrop for the 🏆 Grammy-winning singer, who’d experienced mega-success with 🎙 Black Eyed Peas.  Anyways, over this badass beat, Fergie asserts herself as the sugar honey iced tea.  She’s bad, baby! “I’m such a lady, but I’m dancin’ like a ho (Oh, shit!) / ‘Cause you know I don’t give a fuck, so here we go (Oh, shit!).” Her confidence is through the roof, to say the least.  Of course, thanks to the chorus, there’s no doubt in my mind that “London Bridge” is her… well, her private parts… And, of course, it involves his private parts… 👇👅🍆 … Yeah, I’ll just leave it there 😳.

Appears in 🔻:

• Fergie, “London Bridge”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 51 (2022)

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5. Josh Groban, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”

💿 Bridges • 🏷 Reprise • 📅 2018

🎙 Josh Groban is arguably classical crossover’s it boy – ‘Mr. Popera’.  For years, he’s shown off his prodigious pipes. With the release of his eighth studio album, 💿 Bridges in 2018, Groban added even more great moments to his resume, including a cover of the 🎙 Simon & Garfunkel classic, 🎵 “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.

“Bridge Over Troubled Water,” surprisingly, is the first cover to grace Bridges, arriving as the fifth track. The beloved classic never seems to get old; despite being covered by everybody and his/her brother/sister.  Josh Groban does this 🏆 Grammy-winning record justice, accentuated by a backing choir (🎙 Major Tones Music, London, directed by 🎙 Becky Thomas), as well as the strings (🎙 The London Studio Orchestra, conducted by 🎙 Gavin Greenaway).  The arrangement is incredibly successful, arranged by 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Bernie Herms, who also produces track, co-orchestrating alongside 🎼 ✍ David Hamilton.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Songs Where the Trouble is, Well, Troubling
• 13 Wet Songs About Water, Water, Water!

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Bridge 🌉: 5ive Songs No. 35 (2022) [📷: A&M, Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, Columbia, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, RCA, Reprise, Roswell, Tae Fuller]

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