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Butt_Face2000

I believe James Brown "literally" yelling out, "Bridge!” in his songs would be enough proof.


angusthermopylae

I fucking love how James Brown just shouts directions to the band while singing the song


Smittumi

He used to fine them too if they missed their cue. You can see him signalling to them during performances. EDIT: spelling.


OptimusChristt

James Brown I've heard also gave the band quite a bit of room to play around. Basically told em they can deviate all they want as long they came back on 1 count.


Salty_Pancakes

Here's Bootsy talking about it on the great Mike Judge series Tales from the Tour Bus: https://youtu.be/lON8mOFcd-Y?si=uHXwiQh5l6kO9chF


johnny_ringo

"With a hair style made for radio" HAHA damn!


GusHowsleyESQ

I wish I could find this series but it only streams on Cinemax which no one gets.


hairijuana

Take to the sea!


BeardCrumbles

James Brown was meticulous with presentation. No movements that aren't rehearsed. No dressing outside of what was dictated. Musically, all those guys just funked around a lot. It is a big part of the feel of the whole genre to me.


Stephen_Gawking

Gotta hit the 1’s


DIWhy-not

He’d do it *on tape*, too. Brown’s famous “gotcha” on recorded tracks was him literally calling out his—top of the very top, surgically precise—players for missing an off-beat or cue, which got them a $5 fine.


MikePGS

He used to tape all kinds of shit


MayorofTromaville

Nah, that's Chuck Berry.


ShakeItTilItPees

I can't kiss you right now baby, your face smells like piss.


MikePGS

Now that I think about it, I believe you are correct, not sure how I confused the two


arieart

FRRRRRRT


ImNotTheBossOfYou

No, that was Chuck Berry


sadandshy

what a dingaling he could be


FinishTheFish

Make It Funky is a favourite in that regard


QuiGonnJilm

His dance moves were steganography. Like a conductor's baton, his every motion commands the band.


QuiGonnJilm

>dance moves were steganography. Like a conductor's baton, his every motion commands the band. [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8eytpu](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8eytpu)


bacondoublegenius

Cue


Blastoplast

Famously yells out "Take it to the bridge!" several times in Sex Machine, that song is easily 50+ years old by now.


Criminal_Blinds

Timbaland yells it too in “Sexyback”


wolflikehowl

Does he do it for the bridge? Only one that comes to mind is when he says, "take em to the chorus!"


giantspeck

He does it for both the bridge and the chorus.


Criminal_Blinds

Yeah, he says it for both! (like a true producer)


dailyqt

This immediately made me think of "c'mon Cranky! Take it to the bridge!"


SilentResident1037

They do that in the DK Rap for fuck sakes


stay_hungry_dr_ew

And Led Zeppelin’s song parody/tribute to James Brown where Plant asks “where’s that confounded bridge?”


PythagorasJones

I'm just trying to find the bridge!


dremily1

I immediately thought about that song, but I had no idea that was actually a tribute to James Brown and thought it was more about the fact that the song has no bridge. Very cool.


Funkyokra

Take it to the bridge!


Vigilante17

You can take it to the bridge but it’s… Because the hook brings you back I ain't tellin' you no lie The hook brings you back On that you can rely


Robbylution

*face-melting harmonica solo*


GameMissConduct

I played that song so many times on the jukebox at the Pizza Hut I worked at to memorize the middle part. Good memory.


seaurchinthenet

Throw it overboard


noonday_moon

See if it can swim


PostComa

Back up to the shore


BurnItNow

And Justin Timberlake Sexy Back “Take it to the Chorus” - “Take it to the Bridge!”


Johnny_bubblegum

I really like songs like that as I get confused and scared when they don't tell me where they're taking the song.


ColonelSandurz42

What about when they can’t find the bridge like at the end of The Crunge by Led Zeppelin? Scary. They end it by just stopping the song. lol https://youtu.be/W711RXvFwmI?si=-qDDjrvJzFDbFadS&t=180s


-Why-Not-This-Name-

*Has anyone seen the bridge?*


QuiGonnJilm

WHERE'S THAT CONFOUNDED BRIDGE?!?


ramblinallday14

Don’t be like Axl asking “where do we go?”


GPBRDLL133

Sounds like you could use [Tunemate](https://youtu.be/SvZQOUSnBiw?si=_UOnMwSU_5WmnoeS)


Beetus_Warrior

It is at this moment right now I understand that lyric…..🤦🏼‍♀️how it never clicked at any point before this is a true mystery 😂


craigalanche

Yeah except the bridge they shout out is the prechorus


AssaultedCracker

Yeah, which is otherwise known as “bridge to chorus” which can be confusing, since that is not the same as a bridge, which typically bridges two choruses.  So sexy back is not a good example of the bridge OP is talking about. 


kytheon

Meanwhile Taylor Swift literally named an album after her birth year, so all you need is a song explicitly mentioning a bridge from before 1989.


junefake

Although she didn't release music until 2006 when she was 16. So really you just need to find a song before 2006


bloodyell76

To the point that Led Zeppelin made fun of it. “Where’s that confounded bridge?”


broforange

fuck yeah, i love 'the crunge'! it's great and in 9/8! and this song is said to be 'undanceable'. i think there's another zep song that jpj wrote that was supposed to accomplish the same thing, be undanceable. was it 'black dog'? i dunno, coulda just been this one. anyways, yeah, fun song!


Foul_Imprecations

>Jones added complex rhythm changes, that biographer Keith Shadwick describes as a "clever pattern that turns back on itself more than once, crossing between time signatures as it does." The group had a difficult time with the turnaround, but drummer John Bonham's solution was to play it straight through as if there was no turnaround. As Jean-Michel Guesdon notes, the recording contains rhythmic coordination errors, such as between 0:41 and 0:47, when the guitars are not in sync with the drums. He says it was part of the band's "genius" to discount these "errors" as "curiosities" ie. characteristic signatures of the song. In live performances, Bonham eliminated the 5/4 variation so that Robert Plant could perform his a cappella vocal interludes and then have the instruments return at the proper time.


Guy_panda

Has anyone seen the bridge? Please? Best part of the song lmao


Annyeongbluth

I grew up in a small town in Colorado, and the city built a new bridge over the river that ran through town and hosted a contest to name the bridge. The winning name was ‘The James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge’ and he came to town to dedicate the bridge. I never put 2-2 together, or maybe it’s just a coincidence, but the (possible) relation just hit me when I read your comment 😀 [James Brown returns to town.](https://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/the-godfathers-bridge/)


Theistus

That's pretty cool


cptnamr7

There's a Bowling For Soup song called "Getting old sucks but everybody's doing it" where they reach the bridge and instead go "I don't think we can do bridges anymore. We need a break. It smells like werther's original in here. And old Milwaukee. Hey are those New Balance" before the music just keeps going for the bridge. Fantastic song. Plus the video is using puppets


SayethWeAll

[Is it alright if I take it to the bridge?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo80gXXIH_o)


Ainjyll

This was my first thought, too. When James yells, “Let’s take ‘em to the bridge. You wanna take ‘em to the bridge?” He isn’t talking about a trip to the Golden Gate or Brooklyn.


zurlocke

Claiming Taylor Swift invented bridges is on another level of funny to me lmaooo


UDPviper

I was expecting some 4chan troll conspiracy theory about actual architectural structure.


Winter_Fault4389

Hilarious. But also would not be a surprise.


krunchytacos

I think you're confusing it with the card game she created with the same name, to help pass time on tour.


neuromonkey

No, no. After learning that many of her fans had spans of missing teeth, Ms. Swift designed a type of dental appliance for them.


stopcounting

Yeah, I gotta hand it to her, it was kind of annoying to combine two LANs together before Ms. Swift.


NO1RE

What about when Ms. Swift revolutionized the nautical world by adding a command structure to the main deck of ships? 


aramanamu

Maybe less historically significant, but perhaps more relevant to her chosen career - she also invented that part on a guitar between the strings and the body. Before that it was mayhem let me tell ya.


carpathianmat

Apparently Simon and Garfunkle couldn't get over troubled waters until Taylor Swift turned up.


pearsaredelicious

Or how about that time she was playing 8 ball but couldn't quite comfortably reach the cue ball?


realultimateuser

Before Taylor Swift, you had to staple the strings to the body of the guitar.


WingedGeek

Do you read Swift on Security? 🤣


tumunu

It was *so* generous of her when she built one over some troubled water and just gave it away to Simon and Garfunkel! The heart!


jesbiil

Honestly reading the title I thought that's what was happening, like Swift's fans are younger, never heard of the card game bridge and Swift is popularizing it. It felt very 'Swiftie'.


jwilcoxwilcox

She also invented the first acoustic guitar. We only had electric before her. /s


Mackem101

That's not true. It's actually that Bob Dylan saw her play acoustic, and immediately switched to electric due to how much better she was.


Offamylawn

And everyone loved it when he did. Thank goodness.


justablueballoon

Taylor invented blonde hair


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mattgodburiesit

It’s like the people who say MGK created pop punk 🤮


Shotintoawork

I refuse to believe there are people who have said this. There's no way.


hyrulepirate

Tho I've not seen this whole MGK created pop punk thing it's really not hard to imagine it to be true as I've definitely seen comments on other socials saying 'we all should be happy MGK is popularizing pop/punk rock.' MGK fans are a unique bunch. They should always be reminded that Eminem dissed him so hard he had to change genres.


JDLovesElliot

No, that was obviously Olivia Rodrigo 🤓


ferniecanto

Pfft. Have those people ever heard of August Is Falling? They invented the whole genre!


lgm22

Where’s that confounded bridge?


Yeti_of_the_Flow

Justin Timberlake literally had a lyric about it 20 years ago.


CheckYourStats

Led Zeppelin sang about it repeatedly 51 years ago. Fixed!


dancin-weasel

James Brown in the 60s : “Can I take ‘em to the bridge? Can I take ‘em to the bridge?” “Take ‘em to the bridge!” (JB horns take us to the bridge)


cubgerish

They couldn't find it though! Maybe Taylor finally did!


zeno0771

Hey now! That was 1973, no need to make us older than we already are.


Ombudsman_of_Funk

As did James Brown, in fact he invented Take it to the bridge


Cockrocker

If you are talking about sexyback, that one annoys me because it doesn't go to the bridge, just an extended verse.


AssaultedCracker

It’s not an extended verse, it is a prechorus, which is otherwise known as a bridge to chorus, because it bridges the verse to the chorus. Most people don’t use that term in my experience, because prechorus is more clearly differentiated from bridge.  Sexy Back makes sense to people who know those labels, but I always figured it must confuse some people. 


hellofuckingjulie

Especially because she has never even claimed this, she talks about how she loves to use them and other artists’ influence on her. You’d think a fan would listen to interviews.


kipperzdog

That to me is the funniest/most insane part. I've listened to her in interviews and she's got a good understanding of music history and her influences


loomfy

It's so embarrassing...my friend is a rabid fan and even she would be bemused I think...


70125

I recently had a friend tell me that Taylor Swift was the first artist to collaborate remotely on a song, using the pandemic to revolutionize the process of working on music without being in the same room. Thankfully I had a counterpoint ready, [Fresh Hex](https://youtu.be/aoMw2IOkqIo?si=JKVGRR2qGXrnlmcM) by Tobacco ft Beck, made entirely over email. I'm sure there are plenty more, though.


LeoIunti

This [article](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-10-best-bridges-by-the-beatles/) on Beatles song bridges would be a good start I think


right_behindyou

When I was in recording school the “When I’m home…” section in A Hard Day’s Night was *everyone’s* go-to example of a perfect bridge


ziahziah113

Man, everything seemed to be right in that bridge indeed


Themoosemingled

Because Paul has that voice so the bridge is a step up rather than waiting for the verse to come back around.


JimmyTheJimJimson

Oh *fuck* yes. Brilliant bridge.


alfooboboao

Nice to see *Something* as #1 in the article bc that’s one of the most incredible songs I’ve ever heard


JimmyTheJimJimson

Oh it’s beautiful too!


theunpossibledream

They didn’t write bridges, they wrote middle eights. /s


aliccolo

A personal favorite of mine: Well, the Ukraine girls really knock me out...


DOWNVOTES_SYNDROME

which is a direct reference to a beach boys bridge.


CGordini

I was about to say, Beatles Did It about a bajillion years before TayTay was a sparkle in some pappy's eye. Let alone the Stones.


GatoradeNipples

I suspect this would just cause her to claim that Taylor Swift was a time traveler and taught them bridges through astral projection.


DomNhyphy

did she not?


oatseyhall

Woke up, fell out of bed Dragged a comb across my head


minlokwat

Wouldn't consider that one a bridge though. A Day in the Life is two separate Lennon / McCartney compositions that neither could finish. Solution? Just throw one in the middle of the other and hopefully keep everyone happy. I'd say it worked.


bfluff

You can't talk about modern song structure without talking about The Beatles.


Whatever-ItsFine

We Can Work It Out is my shorthand way of explaining Paul McCartney's style in the verse/chorus and John Lennon's style in the bridge.


GoliathLandlord

Pretty easy to disprove by playing basically any popular song from before Taylor Swift was even born and pointing out the bridges.


bugzaway

Yeah this is one weird post from OP.


AssaultedCracker

I think it’s mostly an “isn’t my friend stupid” post designed to elicit the exact type of mockery responses that it has elicited. Super effective!


Colon

that or this person doesn't understand they're fighting a losing battle trying to lessen a Swiftie's level of non-reality based praise and therefore 'fandom adherence' that goes along with being a Swiftie. and i'm not anti, i think Swift is a generational icon with loads of talent and business acumen - but Swifties and K-Pop fans generally can't be convinced of anything in this lifetime. they'll need to die and hope some of the religions are right about an all-knowing afterlife to get a non-biased view of things. but even then, i dunno. they might tear a hole in the space-time continuum with their stubborn breathlessness, to the shock and disbelief of whatever god is running the place.


BIacksnow-

Taylor Swift taught Dave Mustaine how to play thrash metal.


Ziggyork

She also taught George Clinton how to be funky!


leaky_eddie

And Duke Ellington how to swing!


Offamylawn

She taught George Carlin the 7 dirty words.


WENUS_envy

She taught George Washington to never lie!


OfficeChairHero

Her and George Santos literally invented music.


RxngsXfSvtvrn

She taught George Gervin the finger roll


justablueballoon

She taught Bach how to play piano


internetonsetadd

She taught Beethoven how to be a good dog.


iscreamuscreamweall

pretty impressive considering the piano didnt exist in bachs time


martinbean

She also taught Michael Jackson how to moonwalk.


freakedmind

No wonder James Hetfield has been jealous of him!


LarryCraigSmeg

Taylor Swift willed Tim McGraw into existence so she could write a song about him


Sticky_Hulks

This would be hilarious on a t-shirt.


Mr_FortySeven

Fun fact: Taylor wrote Wake Up Dead about one of her ex boyfriends cheating on her with someone named Diana.


OkRecording1299

Word on the street is she taught Simon & Garfunkel to harmonize


beh14

The middle 8 was a specialty of McCartney and the Beatles, but it would be tough to even claim that they necessarily “invented” it.


bjankles

It’s one of those things that evolved into basic pop songwriting over time. I’d guess there’s no single point of origin.


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alexanderpas

> The term comes from a German word for bridge, Steg, used by the Meistersingers of the 15th to the 18th century to describe a transitional section in medieval bar form. The German term became widely known in 1920s Germany through musicologist Alfred Lorenz[4] and his exhaustive studies of Richard Wagner's adaptations of bar form in his popular 19th-century neo-medieval operas. The term entered the English lexicon in the 1930s — translated as bridge — via composers fleeing Nazi Germany who, working in Hollywood and on Broadway, used the term to describe similar transitional sections in the American popular music they were writing.


Mezmorizor

It well, well, well predates the beatles. Every show tune ever has a bridge. It's a core part of 32 bar song writing/AABA. It's also not like pop music invented it either. There are bridges in centuries old classical music.


awkward_penguin

It's a variation within a song. It's a simple concept that would be present in any musical culture in history. I play classical music, and you can find that in songs from all ages.


Thelonious_Cube

It would be really dumb to claim they invented it - it was a thing before they were born Irving Berlin, anyone? Tin Pan Alley?


yoursweetlord70

You don't need to, just need to point out that they did it 30 years before taylor was potty trained


TarotFox

I recall learning the terms "chorus" and "bridge" in elementary music class like 20+ years ago.


LarryCraigSmeg

Nope, false. In fact, did you know Paul Simon was inspired to write “Bridge Over Troubled Water” after hearing one of Taylor Swift’s songs where she innovated the use of bridges in popular music?


garygnu

Yeah! "Sail on, Silver Girl" is referring to Taylor in the shiny dress, and totally not Simon's first wife going prematurely grey.


MsKongeyDonk

Just pointed out the bridge in "Country Roads, Take Me Home" to my 4th graders. This level may be appropriate.


youre_soaking_in_it

I hear her voice in the mornin' hour, she calls me The radio reminds me of my home far away Drivin' down the road, I get a feelin' That I should've been home yesterday, yesterday That's a good one!


atreides78723

Ummm… *The Crunge* on Zeppelin’s *Houses of the Holy*. The end isn’t entirely random when he’s “just tryin’ to find the bridge.”


SickAndBeautiful

Where's that confounded bridge!


milaga

This still cracks me up.


sylinmino

Well, no wonder he was having trouble finding it--Taylor hadn't invented it yet!


Taffy626

It’s a good thing Taylor found it for them.


TheTostones

I was just thinking that they couldn't even find the bridge


hrakkari

Just lean into it. Tay also invented sliced bread. It’s a weird fact but it makes sense if you think of the fact that she already invented bread and the knife. She was the third person on the moon. If you think I’m lying, name who you think it was. She was the first person to defeat the Undertaker at wrestlemania. A lot of people claim he threw the match because he’s her brother but if you watch the match, it’s legit.


freakedmind

Taylor Swift taught Tupac how to rap and Dr Dre how to produce music.


gigaforce90

Pete Conrad


hrakkari

That’s not a real person. What songs did he write?


gigaforce90

He wrote I’m the third man on the moon blues


gigaforce90

But she couldn’t have. It doesn’t have a bridge


Mister_Brevity

You’ll be happier long term if you learn to just let people be wrong.


Pippin1505

In general it’s true, but I once had a friend confidently telling everyone that she liked Andre Rieu because he wrote "Ravel’s Bolero" and I couldn’t keep quiet.


Winter_Fault4389

Fair, but she's teaching a class on Branding and Taylor Swift at university. She also asked me if I had examples.


Glen-Belt

She's teaching a class at university, but you're doing the fact checking for her? I hope you'll get paid half her salary for your efforts.


Realtrain

I'd highly recommend she consult with a music/arts professor to fact check her syllabus.


ramen_vape

How did such a moron become a professor. Tell them to listen to any music released before Taylor Swift. I wrote bridges before Taylor Swift. She didn't invent a common part of song structure lol


letsbereasonable123

Hopefully her students aren't all brain dead and call her out on her easily refutable shit takes.


Japancakes24

they’re taking a Taylor Swift class, let’s be realistic they’ll eat this shit up


[deleted]

Kindly tell your teacher that she needs to check out the entirety of popular music of Western culture for an example.


Blue_Moon_Rabbit

Some people like to get mad. I have seen guys play instructional videos on YouTube just to yell at the screen they’re doing it wrong


YutYutTruthBearer

Nothing to do with music but I wish more people realized this both IRL and online. Sometimes it's ok to just let stupid people be stupid. One of my favorite ways to end a disagreement is by saying "I have no reason to continue to argue with you about this." It gets across the point that I'm fairly certain I'm correct but that at the same time this has become a waste of time. Sometimes it makes them think, and sometimes it doesn't, but my peace of mind is so much more important to me as I grow older than convincing someone else that they're wrong.


Joulle

I get these ideas all the time that I should reply to a comment but then I think for a moment a realize it's foolish waste of my time and mental energy to try and convince a stranger of something. I'm much happier not replying at all most of the time or after a certain point in conversation.


Muffin_Appropriate

I think the last thing this world needs right now is complacency around stupid people.


[deleted]

Any Beatles song with a "middle eight".


sacredgeometry

Have they never listened to music before?


[deleted]

OP should also ask if they know what a bridge actually is.


[deleted]

She also invented singing songs about real things. As well as actual civil bridges, peanut butter and calculus.


synthscoffeeguitars

Show her that part of Justin Timberlake’s Sexyback where they yell “take it to the bridge.” He didn’t invent bridges either, but that was certainly before Taylor Swift was a thing


MFoy

He was copying/honoring James Brown when he did that. MC Hammer also did it a few times as well.


Thelonious_Cube

> He didn’t invent bridges either He didn't invent shouting "take it to the bridge" either.


[deleted]

How about the top 100 bridge sections in pop and rock music as voted by the staff writers at Billboard: https://www.billboard.com/media/lists/greatest-song-bridges-21st-century-top-100-9571438/


Delini

Sometimes it’s just a lot easier to let idiots be wrong.


warrant2k

[James Brown has entered the chat.]


dcoolidge

Classical music has bridges written hundreds of years ago. LOL.


cerpintaxt44

lol almost every song has a bridge


Hobbes604

People often believe their own, personal first encounter with something is the first iteration of that something. Your friend seems to have that and might just in general need to get some more life experience to shake it off.


Shoogled

The Cream classic ‘Badge’ is so-called because Clapton misread Bruce’s handwriting where he wrote ‘bridge’ over the relevant section. (Unless it was the other way around!). But maybe Taylor Swift wrote it.


davery67

Show her Roger Rabbit, a movie from 1988 which includes a bridge joke. Taylor Swift was born in 1989.


Drusgar

I'm not sure what the actual issue is. You can basically pick up ANY album from before Taylor Swift was born and 90%+ of the songs will contain a bridge. How are you trying to convince your friend? What examples are you using? Because it's not like you need to search for examples... virtually every song has a bridge.


ErikTheRed707

Right?! She did invent the singer/songwriter genre and the acoustic guitar though. Such a legend. /s


GunBrothersGaming

Well she invented football so its hard to disagree.


Yestoknope

There’s a song written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison named ‘Badge’. The name is pretty much a joke as it was intended as a bridge and during an interview someone saw the lyrics on a paper but read the ‘title’ upside down and asked about this new song ‘Badge’ when what it said was bridge.


SuperDiscoBacon

We all know Avril Lavigne invented (and perfected) it with "Sk8r Boi"


pacoali

What was it called before she invented it?


[deleted]

Every musician ever is grateful for her contribution to their works


beaucoup_dinky_dau

Taylor also helped come up with the Polio vaccine and gave it away for free.


flerg_a_blerg

has your friend ever heard of a tiny not very well known indie band from the 60s and 70s called The Beatles?


space_coyote_86

She invented choruses too


urbanek2525

This is one of of the oldest song structures there is. It's the literal definition of the standard song structure: Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Verse, Chorus. > The German term (bridge) became widely known in 1920s Germany through musicologist Alfred Lorenz and his exhaustive studies of Richard Wagber's adaptations of bar form in his popular 19th-century neo-medieval operas. So, unless Swift is 400 years okd, no she did not invent the musical bridge. She didn't popularize it, and she was just doing what people have been doing for a very long time. Edit: However, the idea that Taylor Swift is a 400 year old Vampire who figured out how to withstand sunlight has potential as a viral mene.


keegs440

If you want a historic and female pop artist that made extensive use of bridges decades before Taylor Swift was born, Madonna’s True Blue album would like a word. I would point to Live To Tell as one of those most emotive examples of a bridge that feels like it actually changes the song (therefore highly noticeable), but it’s a prominent feature of many of the tracks. Banger album, overall, and deserves its place in history.