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"My Favorite Dress" (https://youtu.be/qiEIEYONbhY?t=115) by The Wedding Present has what is easily my favorite middle 8.

What say you?

One of the songs that made it to my '80s playlist.

"Ya Hey (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-BznQE6B8U)," @ around 3:37. Actually there's not a VW middle 8 I haven't met and loved.

Around 1:50 for this song, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcmlshqyQ_s

Difficult----at least I'm having great trouble thinking of a decent Beefheart middle 8...

How about this extraordinary one from The Band (here at 2:33)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_7q9_EJYvE
 

tons.

This:    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JReRSTzYrXw

Not available to me for some reason. Pity.

Love the change in key for the middle 8 of this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L87X8k2IWK4   

Billy Joel had the best bridges, the one in Uptown Girl for instance is fantastic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCuMWrfXG4E

Great site breaking down the whole song's genius:

https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/billy-joel/uptown-girl?node=6.642.4

 The one in River of Dreams will break your neck, too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSq4B_zHqPM

(coincidentally he's standing on a bridge for most of the video)

The one in "The Longest Time" is very good as well

https://youtu.be/a_XgQhMPeEQ?t=120

It just goes on and on with him, all his songs have nice bridges.


I love it when one of these modern pop divas or somebody you wouldn't suspect throws in a good bridge in something too, shows they've got the chops.

For instance:

Pink "Don't Let Me Get Me"

https://youtu.be/asaCQOZpqUQ?t=130

or

Britney Spears - "Toxic"

https://youtu.be/LOZuxwVk7TU?t=140


Now you might think that's just a variation of the verse, but if you listen to it, it serves the exact purpose a bridge or middle 8 traditionally does; it moves you away from the monotony of the verse and chorus and then when your brain is so far away from where you want to be, it slams you back into the chorus... and your heart goes "thank you".  I just think it's fascinating to see these pop singers who don't appear to have much talent.... actually construct some pretty decen t strong structure from time to time. 



My favorite Beatles one is probably "Lady Madonna".  It's the same trick Neil Sedaka uses in "Laughter in the Rain", they do this weird thing where they change the key, but it uses a note (I believe) on the switch that's in both keys. 

https://youtu.be/r9LJp39-lDE?t=61

Of course they also do it three times in the song which you don't see too often.

Really almost all of the Beatles songs had great bridges.  Just timeless stuff that really worked well, check out the awesome one in "I wanna hold your hand".  That was right near the beginning, and they were already great. 

https://youtu.be/jenWdylTtzs?t=50

Listen how the girls start freaking out, then it builds back into the verse... you kind of expect it to go to the chorus, but it goes to the verse again so there's a little bit of a soft resolution, and they get to work the verse back into the fantastic chorus.  Since that worked so well... they do the WHOLE THING OVER AGAIN!  Bridge again... verse, final chorus.  They play the girls in the audience about three different times.  MASTERFUL songwriting, and that's one of the songs nobody thinks is even very good.  They were F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C.

Yes indeed. Billy J. and The Beatles certainly delivered in the bridge department.

My favourite Beatles bridge is actually a middle 4 and comes from "The Word", an extraordinary song in my book. Four chords over an unchanging four-note riff----amazing!

Beatles for Sale has some great Middle 8s: No Reply, Baby's in Black, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party

Stevie Wonder - Creepin'

Yes!  That's a great one.  Sadly I think John Lennon said he hated that song but I always liked it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZBKFoeDKJo

/thread

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/52684612/Drops-Mic.jpg)

Back to topic. A fascinating subgenre is that of bridges in the same key as the song.

The Crystals' "There's No Other Like My Baby" has something of the sort, a 4-bar passage towards the end.

(I have a better one in my head but I haven't been able to identify the song yet.)

Here's another with a same-key middle 8 (starting at 1:10), although the chord structure is different:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2sH6h0ViDg

This brilliant song has an awesome bridge, sung by Mr Townshend no less.

With thanks to kds at the PS Forum for the heads up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr92gsj31nM

In terms of Who bridges, I always thought this bridge was one of Townshend's finest moments, vocally and musically.

https://youtu.be/Ka_pPf7OqiE?t=1m47s (https://youtu.be/Ka_pPf7OqiE?t=1m47s)

Yes indeed. What an album!

Local moscovites Beary Qoot Band have a song "Disneyland rider" - the middle 8 is snippets of radio jingles.
The Unrelated Segments, 60s garage band - Where you gonna go
The Who - Pictures of Lily ("Lily, oh Lily..." + cool guitar solo)
Poco - Hurry up

Couple immediately spring to mind

The Temptations - Just my imagination (What a harmony blend!)
Weezer - Say it aint so