The Bridge

Rock · 1986 · 5 tracks

The Bridge

A high-gloss 1980s collision of urban anxiety, big-band jazz, and synth-pop. Joel grapples with domesticity and city life through a lens of digital precision.

It's Billy Joel's 80s 'city anxiety' record with Ray Charles and Cyndi Lauper stopping by for the ride.

A high-tension blend of urban restlessness and domestic yearning wrapped in glossy 80s production.

The Bridge · vs · Billy Joel

Anxious+2.9σ

Anxious saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

Tracklist · 5 Tracks

01

Running on Ice

3:14

06

Big Man on Mulberry Street

5:24

07

Temptation

4:12

08

Code of Silence

5:13

09

Getting Closer

4:59

Moments Worth Waiting For

The frantic, syncopated piano rhythm on 'Running on Ice' that perfectly mimics the feeling of a panic attack.

Ray Charles and Billy Joel trading soulful, gravelly ad-libs during the climax of 'Baby Grand'.

The way the arrangement shifts into a full, brassy swing during the bridge of 'Big Man on Mulberry Street'.

Cyndi Lauper's unmistakable, piercing background vocals cutting through the synth-pop layers of 'Code of Silence'.

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