Taylor Swift is not a perfect person or a flawless musician -- she is, after all, quite human. But sifting through the many criticisms of her work and life choices, there's one thing I don't often see: Complaints about the quality of the bridges in even her most well-known songs.
In music -- particularly in Swift's domain, Western pop music -- the bridge is the structural point between the second and final choruses of a song. Artistically, it's also typically the moment in the song where there's a final shift. Sometimes it's a key change, or if you're looking at the story a song is telling, the moment the storyteller's viewpoint changes.
A good example of a change in storytelling perspective in one of Swift's bridges is in "The Last Great American Dynasty." The moment she sings the lyric "then it was bought by me," the story takes on a fresh viewpoint -- now we're looking at Swift having a marvelous time ruining everything, rather than the former owner of Holiday House.
Lyrically, thematically, and borderline spiritually, Swift is a literal mastermind when it comes to writing bridges. In her music, these are often the moments she -- or the character she's portraying -- finally breaks down into honest, sometimes devastating soliloquies. "Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life." "Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first." Every lyric preceding these lines slowly builds toward these emotional climaxes. You're tolerating me, and I don't know why I keep letting you. You took advantage of me, and I want that wasted time back.
Whether it's taking ownership of a mistake, reclaiming power, or communicating a moral, a Taylor Swift bridge is the final leg on the journey toward an ending. You tolerate me, but I might leave you, and maybe I will. You took advantage of me and I'm never going to let you forget it. These are just a few examples, but they stick with me because that's what they're meant to do. Even the most dedicated Swifties might not remember every single lyric, but it's difficult to forget the bridges. They are the moments meant to linger long after the song comes to an end.
Plenty of music has bridges, and Swift isn't the only modern artist who does them well. But it's hard to deny Swift's poetic skill when you look at her bridges. Put them to music, and many of them deserve awards all their own.