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Middle 8 - Bridge - Question

Rainbow

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PlayPause

PlayPause 2,685

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Middle 8 and Bridge are not exactly the same thing

https://www.musicianwave.com/middle-8/

Most pop songs have a Middle 8 (the "break", the "drop", the featured artist, the instrumental section before the final chorus...)

Bridge takes a little bit more of songwriting.

One easy example is LFL :

  •  "First you love me" part = verse
  •  "Took me to heaven" part = bridge
  •  "Living for love" part = chorus
  •  "Up Up / Lord lift me up" part = Middle 8

 

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RUADJAI

RUADJAI 14,995

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4 hours ago, PlayPause said:

Middle 8 and Bridge are not exactly the same thing

https://www.musicianwave.com/middle-8/

Most pop songs have a Middle 8 (the "break", the "drop", the featured artist, the instrumental section before the final chorus...)

Bridge takes a little bit more of songwriting.

One easy example is LFL :

  •  "First you love me" part = verse
  •  "Took me to heaven" part = bridge
  •  "Living for love" part = chorus
  •  "Up Up / Lord lift me up" part = Middle 8

 

Except it's not that easy either...

  •  "First you love me" part = verse ☑️
  •  "Took me to heaven" part = bridge (Some, if not most would call this a pre-chorus)
  •  "Living for love" part = chorus ☑️
  •  "Up Up / Lord lift me up" part = Middle 8 (Maaaaybe, but the bassline and piano are the same as the pre-chorus and chorus, so In essence it isn't that different)

 

 

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PlayPause

PlayPause 2,685

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2 minutes ago, RUADJAI said:

Except it's not that easy either...

  •  "First you love me" part = verse ☑️
  •  "Took me to heaven" part = bridge (Some, if not most would call this a pre-chorus)
  •  "Living for love" part = chorus ☑️
  •  "Up Up / Lord lift me up" part = Middle 8 (Maaaaybe, but the bassline and piano are the same as the pre-chorus and chorus, so In essence it isn't that different)

 

 

I meant that the different parts are easy to notice...

"You can think of the pre-chorus as a type of bridge". cf. https://yousician.com/blog/pre-chorus

Bridge is general, pre-chorus is specific as it is a kind of bridge placed between verse and chorus in the song structure.

For the Up Up part, I agree with you about the bassline but the topline melody is quite different and it's performed mostly by the choir so it still fits the middle 8 definition imho...

As someone said in another thread (I didn't get why this topic popped suddenly, but let's go, it's interesting), songwriting is not mathematical science so there are always going to different interpretations...

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PlayPause

PlayPause 2,685

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12 minutes ago, RUADJAI said:

Is this a job listing? How much is the pay?

Exactly what I thought! That's composition analysis, experts charge big bucks for such a job : )

@Rainbowyou can check the "Composition" or "Recording and composition" segment on the Wikipedia pages of most M songs, you might find some answers, like here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Up_(Madonna_song)

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RUADJAI

RUADJAI 14,995

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4 minutes ago, PlayPause said:

I meant that the different parts are easy to notice...

"You can think of the pre-chorus as a type of bridge". cf. https://yousician.com/blog/pre-chorus

Bridge is general, pre-chorus is specific as it is a kind of bridge placed between verse and chorus in the song structure.

For the Up Up part, I agree with you about the bassline but the topline melody is quite different and it's performed mostly by the choir so it still fits the middle 8 definition imho...

As someone said in another thread (I didn't get why this topic popped suddenly, but let's go, it's interesting), songwriting is not mathematical science so there are always going to different interpretations...

Cuz @Andymad is obsessed with Bridges, and lately M has been chopping them out of her songs, for time I assume. But they are usually a section that has alot of musical power and M probably doesnt understand that. 

Yes, a Pre-chorus can be a type of bridge as it links the Verse and the Chorus, but I would argue that the actual Bridge of a song is most likely ALWAYS in the last third of a song and it happens usually only once. So a pre chorus is a "type" of bridge, but it's not "THE BRIDGE".

Its not an exact science but there are clear lines and the ambiguity isn't helping anyone who is asking the questions. 

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Prayer

Prayer 14,380

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OK but this is a good excuse to share one of my fave M's middle 8s ever and sadly quite forgotten now:

"The Look Of Love"

My conscience is clear I know right from wrong
That's a lie I know nothing except that you're gone
But there's more to learn from the look in your eyes
That a trip round this world or the stars in the sky

AMAZING pop melody and lyrics.

NOTHING can touch her 80s middle 8s. They're pop perfection. Even on album tracks:

 

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Rainbow

Rainbow 80

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15 minutes ago, Prayer said:

OK but this is a good excuse to share one of my fave M's middle 8s ever and sadly quite forgotten now:

"The Look Of Love"

My conscience is clear I know right from wrong
That's a lie I know nothing except that you're gone
But there's more to learn from the look in your eyes
That a trip round this world or the stars in the sky

AMAZING pop melody and lyrics.

NOTHING can touch her 80s middle 8s. They're pop perfection. Even on album tracks:

 

This has made my day !!!!  thank you !!!!

 

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Prayer

Prayer 14,380

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In the evidence of its brilliance...

More of her 80s middle 8 pop royalty moments, in my opinion.

Right from the start, the HOT desire of "Burning Up":

Do you wanna see me down on my knees?
Or bending over backwards, now, would you be pleased?
Unlike the others, I'd do anything
I'm not the same, I have no shame
I'm on fire!!!

Next, a fave of @Roy (and mine!):

The innocence of "Angel", a true teenage dream but in 1984:

The urgency of "Stay" - who wouldn't with that message:

Speaking of urgency, one of the most GLORIOUS middle 8s in pop history, "Into The Groove":

NOW I KNOW YOU'RE MIIIIINEEEE!!!

The haunting moment in "Live To Tell":

As @RUADJAIsaid, effin' "La Isla Bonita":

The emotion and motion of "Causing A Commotion":

And of course "Who's That Girl":

(What a terrible official upload of this video and audio, by the way, Emily, do something!)

Needless to say, "Like A Prayer" slays:

And that's all for today in Madonna's middle 8 history class. Thanks for coming.

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androiduser

androiduser 2,471

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4 hours ago, PlayPause said:

It's not only M, it's a trend in pop music of the 2020s. Shorter songs with little or no intro, and breaks or drops (programming, effects) that take the place of melodic bridges. 

and it was totally useless in M's case, the songs didn't become major hits, the radio didn't play them and she's just following a trend. She discarded one of her trademarks (amazing bridge section) for nothing.

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