A Swiftie’s Review and Ranking of the Bridges of Taylor Swift’s Midnights
The singer-songwriter community has arguably come to be associated with Taylor Swift at its helm. Sixteen years into her career, Swift shows no signs of stopping. While her impeccable showmanship has been crucial to her success, her songwriting abilities have truly skyrocketed her to icon status; Swift has been a writer on every single song she has ever released. One particularly famous facet of Swift’s lyrical expertise (especially amongst her fanbase) has always been her particular attention to musical bridges. Swift consistently uses bridges as artful, intentional asides to the larger body of her songs, and the bridges on her newest album, Midnights, are no exception.
On October 21st at midnight sharp, Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album took to the shelves and demolished Billboard and streaming records, occupying all top ten spots on the chart. A slightly new sonic direction for Swift, the pop record features electronic and experimental production by Jack Antonoff that complements the songwriter’s famed lyricism.
Whether you are a previous fan of Swift’s or not, I believe Midnights is an album well worth your time. If its sheer popularity and critical acclaim aren’t enough to convince you, perhaps you can find your starting point amongst my rankings of each song’s bridge.
(For the sake of concision, I have decided to limit my rankings to the original 13 tracks—excluding the 3am and Target exclusive bonus tracks)
13. Labyrinth
As this track is one of my personal favorites on the album, it pains me to see
“Labyrinth” so low on a list. But in this case it is valid, as this track does not have a musical bridge. Don’t let this deter you from listening—it is an absolutely gorgeous song with a heavenly outro that highlights Jack Antonoff’s genius, dreamy production.
12. Vigilante Shit
This track is a thematic exploration of Swift’s revenge fantasies quite unlike any song she has released thus far. Its short bridge features Swift’s layered, sweeping vocals as the electronic production of the verses/ choruses drops out. Most of the song showcases Swift’s middle to lower range, but her vocals soar above this standard in the bridge section, creating a notable contrast. Though the mysterious and mischievous bridge fits in well with the sly tone of the rest of the song, it doesn’t feel integral to the overall success of the song and it is exceptionally short—just four quick lines—lacking the lyrical complexity of Swift’s most characteristic bridges.
11. Lavender Haze
The opening track of Midnights arguably features one of the catchiest bridges on the album. Soaring harmonies make up this short portion of the explosive, danceable first song. The bridge builds magnificently, creating a tension that makes the beat drop of the final chorus infinitely more satisfying. While Lavender Haze has a catchy, albeit simple, bridge, its short length allows it to get lost in the heavy production of the rest of the song.
10. Bejeweled
“Bejeweled” is the ultimate feel-good pop anthem about securing self-confidence and is a strong contender for being the most upbeat and struttable song on the album. Swift aptly carries the motif of precious stones and jewels into the bridge, as she sings “Sapphire tears on my face/ Sadness became my whole sky/ But some guy said my aura’s moonstone just ‘cause he was high.” Swift’s vocals descend into quick phrases with glittering production reminiscent of classic arcade games before she belts out “A diamond’s gotta shine” to transition to the final chorus. The bridge acts as a fun part of a fun song, but in the grand scheme of Midnights bridges, it ironically fails to outshine.
9. Anti-Hero
The album’s lead single features the most creative or perhaps outlandish bridge of the album. I highly recommend watching the music video for the track—which includes a short skit-like scene inspired by the bridge—in order to fully understand Swift’s astute comedic vision. She pokes fun at her own fears as she chants: “I have this dream my daughter in law kills me for the money / She thinks I left them in the will.” An extremely effective and lively bridge, to be sure, but certainly an acquired taste. Fans of Swift’s will understand her humored approach, but for a mainstream audience I could understand some confusion arising, which brings it to the ninth spot in my ranking.
8. Question…?
This entire song is framed as a series of questions (per the title) with a tone of spunky sarcasm that really shines in the bridge. A catchy descending melody with bold lyrics such as “Does it feel like everything’s just like/ Second best after that meteor strike?” and a final belted note layered with tasteful distortion makes the bridge to the album’s seventh track quite energetic. While “Question…?” is quite fun and another personal favorite track on the album, its bridge does not stand out as much as some others on Midnights, so it falls into my eighth spot.
7. Midnight Rain
Another track in which the bridge is deferred until the end of the song, “Midnight Rain” presents its bridge as a conclusive outro to the track. “Midnight Rain” explores a reflective and somewhat withdrawn recollection of a long past relationship where the two parties were drawn in separate directions, Swift metaphorizes this as “He was sunshine/ I was midnight rain”. Antonoff’s experimentation is apparent throughout the song with vocal distortion in the first two choruses that drops out at the bridge. This bridge, and the song in general, captures the album’s central theme quite well: “And he never thinks of me/ Except when I’m on TV/…/ And I never think of him/ Except on midnights like this.” While it falls short of many of her most famous bridges it is far from poorly crafted, a testament to Swift’s talents.
6. Sweet Nothing
Written by Swift and her long term lover Joe Alwyn (under the alias William Bowrey), this whole song can be summed up by its titular term: sweet. The bridge is no exception, as it showcases a simple piano melody with clever lyricism as Swift sings of outside forces influencing her relationship: “And the voices that implore/ ‘You should be doing more’/ To you I can admit/ That I’m just too soft for all of it”. This bridge complements the rest of the song exceptionally well—it feels like coming home to a warm fire and a great love; the tenderness of Swift and Alwyn’s relationship comes through in this dynamic collaboration and its distinct bridge.
5. Karma
Arguably the most playful song on Midnights, “Karma” is a pop banger about relishing in the universe being on your side. Its bridge is lengthy, with a musical detour from the chorus as Swift sings “Ask me what I learned from all those years/ Ask me what I earned from all those tears/ Ask me why so many fade but I’m still here” before launching into a stripped down version of the chorus featuring different, but no less enjoyable, lyrics. Swift’s smile is audible as she sings lyrics like “Karma is the guy on the screen/ Coming straight home to me.” Overall, this bridge enhances the lightheartedness and vivacity of the track as Swift refuses to take herself too seriously, aided by her personification of karma as “a queen” (amongst many other things) and her in-character lyrics about cats.
4. Snow on the Beach ft. Lana Del Ray
While Lana Del Ray’s presence on the song is initially quite subtle—she helped write the song and is featured on backing vocals—her co-writer status becomes ever more apparent in the bridge, with melodic structure and lyrics (“Now I’m all for you like Janet/ Can this be a real thing, can it?”) reflective of her distinct artistry. The bridge features a beautiful staggering of Swift and Del Ray’s respective vocals as the dreamy production and drums drop out to showcase their echoing vocals (fun fact, the drums on this song were played by Dylan O’Brien, actor and friend of Swift’s). A stunning, whimsical digression, the bridge of “Snow on the Beach” earns the fourth spot on my list.
3. Maroon
This track is exceptionally vivid in its imagery and storytelling, as Swift sings “And I wake with your memory over me/ Thats a real fuckin’ legacy to leave.” Though it is a prevalent idea throughout the whole song, the bridge in particular bottles the feeling of reminiscing after a breakup and being unable to escape the ghost of your past relationship and immerses the listener in it. The bridge also acts as a transition to a huskier, lowered-octave chorus that closes out the song with alluring conclusivity. “Maroon”’s bridge broadens the heavily emotional feeling of the song so phenomenally despite its simplicity and effectively broadens and enhances the track.
2. Mastermind
Frequent TikTok users might be familiar with the final track on the album as its chorus is featured in a new trend where creators recount the calculated ways in which they have met or attracted their current significant others. “Mastermind”’s bridge is touchingly forthright as it explores the motivations behind Swift’s mastery in her own relationship. The rich tenderness in Swift’s sweeping vocals accompany her clever and honest lyricism (“I swear/ I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian cause I care”) make the bridge of this song really stand out amongst the rest.
1. You’re On Your Own Kid
“You’re On Your Own Kid” is the fifth track on the album—a spot Swift has designated as the home for the most devastating track on each of her albums. While the entire song is beautifully written, its track-five-ness and deep melancholy are revealed in its heart wrenching bridge. The bridge stretches over the entire final minute of the track and is a true display of Swift’s strengths—consistently bringing me to tears. Swift sings of her tumultuous journey growing up in the public eye before flipping the script towards the listener, writing a musical advice column of sorts: “Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned/ Everything you lose is a step you take/ So make the friendship bracelets/ Take the moment and taste it.” An undeniably solid section of the song, this bridge propels “You’re on Your Own Kid” to its rightful place among the ranks of Swift’s track fives.