When to establish that Bridge section

[Kelil]

So here is a topic that interests me. In a lot of my songs I struggle to insert something that breaks away from the already established structure and melody, to create a little surprise. Now here is something to discuss. Does every song NEED that bridge section/middle 8 with lyrics included in order to keep a song interesting? I personally think it would make all our songs boring to have to repeatedly do this.

So here is the question again to bring it home a little and make myself more clear... How does one keep it interesting by just having Intro, Verse One, Chorus, Verse Two, Chorus and Outro? All I'm thinkin is...insert Instrumental breakdown using the same chords as the chorus after the second chorus of the song but....is that enough? Do you try to create more surprise when it comes to the production of the song along with how you phrase your vocal? I'm beginning to sound very confusing now so have fun responding

Stephen

[Ellwood]

I dunno!! you have me corn-fused bro!!!!

[mojobone]

There are tons of ways to do that; most have to do with the arrangement and instrumentation, having different instruments or vocalists take up the melody, bringing harmony parts or counter-melodies in and out, making changes to the underlying rhythm (increasing or decreasing the density of percussion parts) even stretching/compressing the tempo.

[DonaldM]

There's no "right" or "wrong" way here. Most often I find that the music itself will dictate what needs to happen. If it feels like there ought to be a bridge, then put one in. But not all songs need that. How many great ballads don't have a bridge per se?
Blowin' in the Wind barely had a chorus...2 lines. Sometimes I find the lyrics will dictate the need for a bridge of some sort...because there's a break in the story line of the song, or a counter to the story line. (think of Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" as an example of that) But other times, it is not needed.

[jrkocian]

Depends on your genre.
Film/TV is different than radio. There are a few varying techniques.

The standard is v1, crs, v2, crs, br, crs

I want success in the established, universally accepted format before I break the rules.

Check out Robyn Frederich's books on songwriting.

[NeilEbanks]

If you're writing mainstream music (pop, rock, R&B),I would stick to the ABABCB format, too, unless you really just think a bridge would hurt the song. Mainstream has programmed listeners to expect that departure from the established melody/rhythm/arrangement. Listeners are actually waiting for it (whether consciously or unconsciously) and if you don't provide it, it may come across as lacking. That said, a bridge doesn't necessarily have to follow a designated length (ala. 8 measures) or lyric setup. Sometimes a musical bridge without lyrics works. Often a one or two liner deviation, followed by a stripped down low-key chorus, then of course followed by a full on power chorus, might work. Maroon 5 Moves Like Jagger uses Christina Ag's entrance as the deviation, coupled by the big drums dropping out (EQd down) but the melody stays the same. In Adele's Rolling in the deep, she drops everything out except the drums and vocals / BGVs, with no melody departure. As long as you create a major change that keeps the song interesting, the A.D.D listeners will stay focused.

You may feel like you're selling out if you follow the current "genre standards" that may not be as original as you want to be, but there's a reason "Give me everything" by Pittbull has 148 Million views on Youtube and it's not because of his shiny bald head or the hot chicks in the video.