Written by Andy Partridge
Recorded by XTC

XTC’s album English Settlement is jam-packed with post-punk, post-Beatles sparkly pop gems. I count seven of those songs to feature stand-out bridges, and while Senses Working Overtime is the best-known of these songs, I’ve always most enjoyed the wintery tale of a stooge-in-love, Snowman.
 
While many XTC songs lyrically steer a bit British for my Yankee interpretations, Snowman is clear and direct. Despite the warm weather, our narrator is very cold, a result of his icy romantic relationship.   
 
It isn't even winter, but I'm freezing, freezing
This sort of feeling isn't pleasing, and what I wanna know, man
Why, oh, why does she treat me like a snowman?
 
The song doesn’t have a traditional chorus and I will instead call the “treat me like a snowman” line as a refrain. After two refrains, our narrator expands on how bad things are for him, ending the section with:
 
She treats me far too frosty
This hanging on has cost me dear
 
Then, we’re back to the verses, suffering along with our narrator, as he continues to get the cold shoulder and a face full of frozen tears. But before getting to the bridge, I want to mention how much I adore Andy Partridge’s use of broken rhymes in this song. Partridge is one of my favorite lyricists and he’s never been afraid to find new ways to rhyme. We have “snowman" and "know, man,” and “frosty" and "cost me.” I love it! Ok, back to the song.
 
The bridge begins with the “She treats me far too frosty” section but before jumping in, the song musically ascends via a perfect 4th, and emotionally it feels like the narrator has cleared his throat to announce:
 
It seems you would say I was too soft-hearted
If you made a dunce cap, I'd don it
People will always be tempted to wipe their feet
On anything with "welcome" written on it
 
In the bridge, our protagonist directly addresses her, and this is probably something he rarely does. Usually, he stands around shivering, asking his mates why she treats him like a snowman. But today, during this bridge, he expresses himself to her. He feels that rather than take responsibility for the way she treats him, she blames him - he’s too soft, he’s a pushover, and it’s not her fault that everyone treats him like a doormat.
 
Maybe she’s right because he admits he’s only too happy to play the fool and wear the dunce cap. At least she’s making the dunce cap – she’s putting in the effort to keep this unbalanced, abusive relationship healthy!
 
And even after he makes his point, he’s soon back to freezing and he still doesn’t know why she treats him like a snowman. While our narrator advises that “this sort of feeling isn't pleasing” to him, it’s quite pleasurable to me. No, I’m not a masochist, just a lover of this song and it’s icy-sweet bridge.   

-MJK

Written by Jerome Garcia and Robert Hunter
Recorded by the Grateful Dead
 
The Grateful Dead's outstanding songwriting is often lost within the popular focus on their improvisational approach to music and cultural influence. But behind all the smoke, jamming, and dancing is a large library of incredible songs and Americana. Black Peter perfectly exemplifies this - and it features one of my favorite bridges!
 
The song's protagonist narrates his last few days from his deathbed. He’s not looking for a grand send-off, just a few friends to share his last hours on earth, because “tomorrow, maybe go beneath the ground.”
 
And this is generally our protagonist’s take on his situation throughout the verses of the song. He wants to die peacefully. The laidback 7th-chord bluesy groove throughout captures the sweet sendoff of a dying man – but then comes our bridge, introduced by way of change in key. 
 
See here how everything lead up to this day
And it's just like any other day that's ever been
Sun going up and then the sun, it going down
Shine through my window and my friends, they come around
 
While his own life and impending death mean everything to this man, the earth will continue to spin as it does every day. But if we can accept that we’re mere specks of dust within the history of the universe, we can also appreciate the beauty of everything around us and our role as part of an endless thread of living and dying matter. This might be the last time he sees the sunrise and he wants to feel the warm glow in his room and spend these precious last moments with friends. Beyond his friends, he's just a poor dying man worthy of spectacle but not pity. And he joyfully accepts this. The beauty of this sentiment and the imagery of Hunter’s lyrics are, as always, matched perfectly with Garcia’s songwriting.
 
If you're playing along at home, one might wonder, which version of Black Peter should I listen to? With the Dead, that’s always a good question, as their music was built upon a guiding principle that the best version of a song is the one you’re currently creating. Additionally, they’re known as a live band and their studio versions of songs are often premature for a song’s development, overproduced, or simply uninspired. But with Black Peter, I’m confident in recommending the studio recording from Workingman’s Dead. The band is relaxed and perfectly within their element, Jerry’s vocals are sweet and heartbreaking, and the bridge gently flows back into the final verse guided by Pigpen’s mellifluous harmonica. Sadly, Pigpen’s health quickly declined in the few years following this release, and by his own choice and isolation during his final days, he was not surrounded by friends.
 
You won’t find harmonica on any live versions, but if you have the time, in addition to the studio version, you can also enjoy twenty-five years of outstanding concert performances, each one a little different than the other. So go ahead and roll on up, roll back down, and enjoy!

-MJK