Burning Bridges

Album: How To Let Go (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The phrase "burn your bridges" was originally used in a military sense of committing oneself irrevocably to a course of action. By intentionally burning a bridge the troops had crossed, they made retreat impossible. Nowadays, the term is primarily used to mean acting in a way so unpleasantly, it damages a relationship beyond repair.

    Here, Sigrid sings of the anguish of loving somebody who is persistently "burning bridges."
  • Sigrid cares deeply about this person, but knows it's bad for her well-being and that she needs to make a clean break.

    But you gotta let them go
    Before you go down with them
    Can't love somebody who loves burning bridges


    When Sigrid premiered the club-ready song on BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds with Charli XCX, she told the presenter: "It's a song that I wanted to write because I needed one of those songs that talk about the moment where you do have to let go of something, and that can be hard, really hard. And there's a lot of emotions in this track, verse, some anger, there's relief, and I think you can hear that contrast."
  • Sigrid wrote the song in the summer of 2020 in Copenhagen with:

    Norwegian songwriter Caroline Ailin (Dua Lipa's "New Rules" and "Don't Start Now," Sigrid's "Mirror").

    Danish songwriter and producer Sylvester "Sly" Sivertsen (The Chainsmokers' "Side Effects," Jonas Brothers' "Comeback," Dua Lipa's "We're Good").

    Sigrid said: "We spent our days swimming and eating in our little studio bubble, and I guess that peaceful state of mind made it easier to dig into some really tough feelings."
  • According to Sigrid, the song is "a mix between rock and scandi-pop." She missed playing live, and "Burning Bridges" was "literally made for massive festival stages."
  • The song includes a Swedish string orchestra arranged by Henrik and Ulf Janson.
  • Several other artists have recorded songs with the title "Burning Bridges" to illustrate the intentional torching of a relationship. They include songs by Garth Brooks, Mike Curb Congregation, Information Society, Ludacris and Bon Jovi.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Second Wind Songs

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.

Bob Daisley

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.

Devo

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.