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

Daryl Hall

Daryl HallSongwriter Interviews

Daryl Hall's TV show is a hit, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - only one of these developments excites him.

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. JonesSongwriter Interviews

The Stax legend on how he cooked up "Green Onions," the first time he and Otis Redding saw hippies, and if he'll ever play a digital organ.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Randy Houser

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.