I feel so bad for my friend who always listens to me talk about Taylor Swift and her music, so I asked her to tell me about my top 18 Taylor Swift bridges. At first, I was nervous that they would all get shot down, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. First are my opinions about each one, then there are her first impressions.
- The Other Side of the Door (Taylors Version), Fearless (Taylors Version)
This song is one of my favorite songs on Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and has my favorite bridge on this album. There is so much intensity in the words and the background vocals and music really help get it hyped up. Here’s what she had to say:
“It seems very basic. Like there’s not much to it. I feel like bridges are usually, like, they have something cool about it. And I don’t think there’s anything cool about it.”
- Sparks Fly, Speak Now
Sparks Fly was the first song I ever listened to on the Speak Now album, and the intensity of this bridge is out of this world; the guitar hitting each beat, her powerful vocals, and the lyrics make it so intense
“I like the guitar in the back. This one’s nice. It gets me pumped up. It’s my favorite part of the song.”
- Dear John, Speak Now
Dear John got me through some tough stuff and hit a little closer to home for me. Each time I listen to this song, I get a new rush and it’s too exciting. Comments on this song:
“Ok. I like that part (never impressed by me acing your tests) but overall it’s just plain. I’m hating on Swift. *laughs* The thing is, her songs are very slow and calm and all that. That part was cool (shining like fireworks) but the songs are really like classic swift. The vocals are hard so I’ll give her that. I liked that part (the VOCALS)”
- Back to December (Acoustic), Speak Now (Deluxe)
When I first discovered the acoustic version, I knew I would never be able to listen to the original ever again. This statement remains true. Lyrically, this song is the definition of perfection, and there is nothing to complain about.
“Oh, I know this song. I like this one. It’s also very simple, but it fits.”
- Babe (Taylor’s Version)[From the Vault], Red (Taylors Version)
Keeping my comments short. It’s too relatable in the lyrics for me and the vocals are perfect.
“Oh? I like this one. I like that it has, I don’t know what about it, but I like this one.”
- All Too Well (10 Minute Version)(Taylors Version)[From the Vault], Red (Taylors Version)
As I will be eventually writing an entire article dissecting this song, I will keep these comments short and sweet. There is nothing to complain about and nothing bad to say about it. It is the only song she has ever written that can’t have a single negative thing said about it.
“Oh, do I know what the bridge is? Oh yeah, I really like this. Maybe we got lost in translation. *sings to it* It’s good, I like it. I think it’s the only real really really good part of All Too Well. *sings more* see this is what I mean. It’s, ah, I don’t know how to explain it. The rest of the songs don’t usually have it (a build-up). *sings more* I like this too. Know it, love it, great”
- Out of the Woods, 1989
Yo, this one’s good. Out of the Woods has two vibes: there’s the regular version, but also a piano version which really helps to show her vocals. She did a piano performance during the NPR tiny desk concert and it is my favorite performance of hers because her voice is so exposed in the bridge. It’s so powerful and gets to the point and is so intense but has magic to it.
“Oh this song, okay. This just sounds like it’s another verse. Yeah, that one was very plain boring. I didn’t like it.”
- This Love, 1989
Although this song is super sweet and sad, I personally think it is beautifully written because it really gets into her feelings with her emotions (if that makes sense) and it’s so easy to get lost in the harmonies and background music and not focus on the main vocals.
“It was very plain, nothing cool. She has no cool bridges. They’re very simple and I don’t know, I feel like a bridge is supposed to make you feel a certain way and I don’t feel like it.”
- Don’t Blame Me, Reputation
#1 shower song right here. I know she likes this song. The first time I listened to it I had the most intense goosebumps and had the chills. It’s so isolated and restricted, but all of the harmonies give it the hardcore aggressive vibe.
“Ah, this is the one you showed me in this room! I like this one. This one has good, has a very nice, yeah she did that really well. That one is very good. I like that one. It’s my favorite for now.”
- King of My Heart, Reputation
It wasn’t until recently that I got into this song, but the jumping off her voice feels so natural, where anyone else doing it may have a hard time.
“Oh? This is just very different from her really cool vibe. I definitely didn’t expect it to be like that”
- Dress, Reputation
Ok, so this song hit’s a little too close. “Flashback when you met me, your buzzcut and my hair bleached. Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me” For more details about this one, look at my other article about dating apps.
“I like how it’s mainly just her voice with no music in the background. It’s very ~raw~.”
- Cruel Summer, Lover
This bridge gives me the feminine urge to go to Holiday House and SCREAM this bridge at the top of my lungs on the beach. But my non-swiftie friend thinks otherwise…
“I like that, just the isolated little bit.”
- Death By A Thousand Cuts, Lover
Perfection. No hate. Nothing bad to say. Lyrical genius. Miss. Blondie knows what’s up.
“Again, it’s very not what I expect her vibe to be and I like it. I feel like people don’t like when she branched out. But yeah, I like when she goes out of her comfort zone”
- Afterglow, Lover
This one hits a little close and I have an association to a person with it, but this bridge is so delicate and gets straight to the point, and the comments were good for this one…
“So I know this one. SO I guess it’s good because I know it.”
- Daylight, Lover
SO PERFECT, majestical, elegant, innocent. For me, it’s how she then goes back and relates it to red. “I once believed love would be ‘burning red’, but it’s golden.
“I like this one”
- august, folklore
Although August is really good and has no flaws, it is not my FAVORITE bridge of all time. But it’s the song you listen to with the windows down at night driving on the highway. The vibes are good, but the song is probably an 8/10.
“I like that part (you were mine to lose) but I don’t like the rest of it. It’s really simple.”
- this is me trying, folklore
I don’t think I’m allowed to say certain world here, but this song gets me so messed up. This bridge is the song version of what it feels like to be a second choice and get dumped. I know for me personally, this bridge (and song as a whole) is so tough to listen to because of the lyrics, but if you can look past it, it is creatively one of the best songs she has ever written.
“That was cool. I like the build-up to it. I like the build-up to it though”
- champagne problems, evermore
It took me a long time to get into evermore, but this song hits toooooo good sometimes. She’s so creative when she is making associations and reminiscing memories, The comments of this one:
“Eh. *laughs* it’s so plain. I can’t explain it I don’t know. Here’s the thing. You’re paying attention to the words. I’m paying attention to the words and how it goes musically. Because of that, it just doesn’t go.”