3 Classic Rock Bridges From the 2000s That Outshine the Chorus

Close your eyes and think about some of your favorite rock songs from the 2000s. What do they sound like? What are your favorite parts of the tracks? Likely, you recall the songs’ verses or their choruses or perhaps how the lead singers performed them. And that’s all well and good.

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But when we do this exercise, we think about a song’s bridge! Truly! And here below, we wanted to do just that. We wanted to highlight three rock songs and their standout bridges. Indeed, these are three classic rock bridges from the 2000s that outshine their chorus.

“Is This It” by The Strokes from ‘Is This It’ (2001)

When The Strokes hit the mainstream in the early 2000s, music shifted. The band’s brand of charming, relentless rock took over the psyche of so many. For an example of this, check out the group’s debut studio LP, Is This It. The album’s titular opening track includes a bridge on which lead vocalist Julian Casablancas croons a entreaty to another, offering, “Oh dear, can’t you see? / It’s them it’s not me /
We’re not enemies / We just disagree / If I was like him, all pissed in this bar / He changes his mind, says I went too far / We all disagree / I think we should disagree, yeah.“

“Soul Meets Body” by Death Cab For Cutie from ‘Plans’ (2005)

In the 1990s, the Pacific Northwest was known for the buzzy rock genre of grunge. But after so much tragedy struck the area, including the death of grunge star Kurt Cobain, the region changed. Enter: Death Cab For Cutie, a group that put poetry to melody. And the cerebral, solemn band’s 2005 song “Soul Meets Body” includes a bridge on which lead vocalist Ben Gibbard sings those very three words over and over, almost like a loving prayer.

“Numb” by Linkin Park from ‘Meteora’ (2003)

The 2000s nu metal rock group Linkin Park knew how to tug on your heartstrings. Their songs were big, bold, and buzzing. But at their core, they were cries for help—emotive explanations for sullen behavior. And on the track “Numb” from Linkin Park’s 2003 LP Meteora, lead vocalist Chester Bennington leans into the emotion, offering during the song’s bridge, “And I know / I may end up falling too / But I know / You were just like me with someone disappointed in you.“

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