"Love Can Build a Bridge" is a song written by

Naomi Judd Naomi Judd (born Diana Ellen Judd; January 11, 1946 – April 30, 2022) was an American singer and actress. In 1980, she and her daughter Wynonna (born Christina Claire) formed the duo known as The Judds, which became a very successful country ...

, Paul Overstreet, and

John Barlow Jarvis John Barlow Jarvis (born January 2, 1954 in Pasadena, California)Paul Kingsbury, editor"The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music" 2004 is an American songwriter, composer, session pianist and recording artist. Before mov ...

, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

duo

the Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Nashville in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most success ...

. It was released in 1990 as the second single and title track from their album of the same name. It was a top-five country hit in mid-1991. The song has inspired several cover versions, including one by Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry, and Eric Clapton that topped the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1995.

Content and composition

The song is about the importance of always standing together, and was co-written by

and dedicated to the Judd family and fans as almost a goodbye, as at the time, Naomi was chronically ill with Hepatitis C and was forced to retire as it had been speculated that she had only three years left to live. "Love Can Build a Bridge" is performed in the key of B major with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 66 beats per minute in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

. The vocals span from E₃ to D₅.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Comic Relief version

A new version of "Love Can Build a Bridge" recorded by American singers Cher and Chrissie Hynde, Swedish singer Neneh Cherry, and British singer-guitarist Eric Clapton was released as 1995's official

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

single. This version topped the UK Singles Chart for one week in March 1995; it was Cher's second solo UK number-one hit, Hynde's first UK number one outside

the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

, and the only UK number-one single for both Cherry and Clapton.

Critical reception

John Robinson from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' commented, "Interesting architectural advice here from that well-known construction firm Cher, Hynde, Cherry and Clapton. This, as such an unlikely combination of talents may have already suggested, is this year's Comic Relief record — and bloody shocking it is too."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Other cover versions

The song was covered by Children for Rwanda as a charity single in aid of

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

. This version was released on August 30, 1994, and reached number 57 on the

the following month. In 1992, at the age of 10, Britney Spears performed a cover of the song on the US television show

Star Search ''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...

References

External links

Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge
at Internet Movie Database {{Authority control 1990 singles 1990 songs 1995 singles Cher songs Comic Relief singles Country ballads Curb Records singles Eric Clapton songs The Judds songs London Records singles Neneh Cherry songs Number-one singles in Scotland Pop ballads RCA Records Nashville singles Song recordings produced by Brent Maher Songs written by John Barlow Jarvis Songs written by Naomi Judd Songs written by Paul Overstreet UK Singles Chart number-one singles