Released July, 1987 Label RCA | Format 7", 12" | |
B-side "Ready or Not", "Heaven in Her Bed" Recorded 1987, Westside Studios, London, England Length 4:14 (Album version)
3:51 (Single version) | ||
"Bridge to Your Heart" is a song by English duo Wax from their second studio album American English (1987). In many European countries the song was released under the title "Building a Bridge to Your Heart".
Contents
The song became the group's most popular single in their home country of the United Kingdom, reaching No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and reaching the top ten in other European countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden.
Background
The release of the duo's debut album Magnetic Heaven in 1986 spawned the single "Right Between the Eyes". The song became Wax's most successful song in the United States, reaching No. 43 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song was considered a commercial failure in the United Kingdom, only reaching No. 60 on the UK Singles Chart. Several follow-up singles failed to chart.
In March 1987, band members Andrew Gold and Graham Gouldman started writing and recording songs for the follow-up to Magnetic Heaven, American English. One of these songs was "Bridge to Your Heart".
The song was later released as the album's second single in July 1987, on RCA Records. The song then debuted at No. 98 on the UK Singles Chart, and slowly rose to its peak position of No. 12 on the chart. The song instantly became their breakout hit, and the American English album became the duo's first and only album to chart in the UK, peaking at No. 59 on the UK Albums Chart. The song became their only successful hit in the UK; it was their only top 40 hit, making them a one-hit wonder there. Their only song after the release of "Bridge to Your Heart" to chart was "Anchors Aweigh", which barely scraped the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 95 on the chart.
Music and lyrics
The song opens with Gold counting from one to two, backed by drums; he then restarts the countdown, counting to four – "hold it.. NOW!". A majority of the song features Gold singing, backed by drums and pop-influenced music. The song also features a horn section, opened by Gold shouting "Horn!". The section starts after the song's final verse.
The song's lyrics talk about a failed relationship between a man and a woman, the man trying to rekindle the relationship by promising the woman a new beginning, and that he will treat her better ("I won't make you sad / but I'll be on my best behavior"). He then states on the chorus that he is "building a bridge" to the woman's heart.
Music video
The song's music video, directed by Gouldman's former 10cc bandmates Godley & Creme, was released in 1987 and featured stop-motion animation, with shifting backgrounds and some scenes with more traditional animation. These scenes follow the context of the song's lyrics.
The video received some MTV airplay, including "Weird Al" Yankovic's AL-TV special.
In popular culture
It featured on the sixth episode of the first series of Phoenix Nights, where two men known as the Singing Builders performed the song during the Talent Trek grand final.
In 1999, Hamburger Schule artist Rocko Schamoni covered the song under the title Gegen den Staat, with the refrain now being "wehre dich gegen den Staat" ("defend yourself against the state").
Formats and track listings
A "Bridge to Your Heart" – 3:51
B "Ready or Not" – 3:31
A "Bridge to Your Heart" (The Unabridged version) – 5:15
B1 "Bridge to Your Heart" (7" version) – 3:51
B2 "Ready or Not" – 3:31
A "Bridge to Your Heart" – 3:51
B "Heaven in Her Bed" – 5:36
A "Bridge to Your Heart" (The Unabridged version) – 5:15
B1 "Bridge to Your Heart" (7" version) – 3:51
B2 "Heaven in Her Bed" – 5:36