Never stray from formulas?

[jkellyjr]

Hi,Perhaps some wouldn't mind weighing in on a songwriting concern I had on one of my critiques. The listener was very nice in tone, so no problem there. But he/she used the "never" word:"Bridges are never needed til after the 2nd chorus where they provide a surprise melodic element to break up the verse/cho veerse/cho repetition. Last 2 verses are best but you need to tighten up the structure. Try dropping the piano break and just doing one chorus there and placing the other after the next verse so you don't end the song with 2 verses."As a Beatles fan, I know they used bridges all over. For example, Sgt. Pepper. Technically, VBCVB into Little Help From My Friends. It's subtle, for sure, but it's a bridging. My song is similar in verse structure: VBC-break-CVB. It was suggested to drop the piano break and use one chorus, which is actually a chorus-refrain. They suggested I not end the song with two verses, but the end isn't on a verse, but I end it on the refrain, so I'm a bit confused by the slavishness to a writing style. If somebody wouldn't mind letting me send them a copy of "This Christmastime," I'd like to know what you think, writing-wise. I fly solo, so I could get by with "A little help from my friends."