Elton John - The Bridge

31 years ago Elton John released an album co-written with Bernie Taupin titled Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Coming on the heels of 7 straight top 5 pop singles, the album debuted at #1 on the US album chart. It was a first in the US and a high-water mark of Elton John's pop success. The upcoming album The Captain and the Kid is a sequel to that classic. This is the first single from the project.

Listen to "The Bridge" at AOL Music

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30+ years ago in the early and mid-1970's, Elton John and Bernie Taupin composed emotional songs about difficult relationships, drugs, parties, and fantasies of cowboys and American culture. For 2 men thrust into the world of pop superstars in their early and mid 20's, these would seem understandable topics of concern. Now, as both men are approaching the age of 60, the topic is of a more eternal, transcendent nature. "Do you cross the bridge or do you fade away?"

The philosophical musings in "The Bridge" are set in a simple, stripped-down proudction focused on Elton John and his solo piano. When compared with his classic work of the 70's, Elton has acquired an intentionally more dramatic style of vocalizing which can come off as somewhat of an affectation in such a simple song as this. At their best, the inherent lyrical and musical drama of a John-Taupin classic song eliminates any need for dressing up the vocals.

This is a relatively minor quibble, however, as "The Bridge" is one of Elton John's finest songs in many years. Frequently, the lyrics and music both soar leading the target listeners, fans who have aged alongside Elton John and Bernie Taupin, to moments of reflection and consideration of the next steps ahead. John and Taupin are pulled, in the end, by a muse saying "Come risk it all or die trying."