“Love Can Build a Bridge” by The Judds

It is not abundantly clear what the titular metaphor means per se. But what is evident is The Judds using this song as sort of a general espousement of universal love. For instance, in the first verse, the singer comes off as a selfless and dedicated personal friend. But by the time the second verse concludes, she’s rather espousing an idea like “the tribes of man” becoming one.

So it can be said , to some extent, that there’s a lot going on underneath the lines here. That is to say that using “love” to “build a bridge” is a concept that not only idealizes altruistic interpersonal friendships but also unity in general. It’s as if, more concisely put, The Judds are calling upon the entirety of mankind to love one another more. For as they see it, if all of our hearts were to become linked, there’s no limit as to what we can achieve.

“Love can build a bridge
Between your heart and mine
Love can build a bridge
Don’t you think it’s time?
Don’t you think it’s time?”

Release Date and Credits for “Love Can Build a Bridge”

January 1 of 1990 marked the official release date of this song. It has the same title as its album. Actually it was part of three singles that accompanied the “Love Can Build a Bridge” album.

“Born to Be Blue” and “One Hundred and Two”, being the album’s first and second singles, were respectively released in August 1990 and April 1991.

In the US, “Love Can Build a Bridge” (the album) enjoyed moderate success on the Billboard 200. Here, it peaked at #62.

Credits for “Love Can Build a Bridge”

This piece was written by John Jarvis and Paul Overstreet in conjunction with Naomi Judd, who worked together with her daughter (Wynonna) as the other half of the duo The Judds. Naomi died by suicide in April of 2022.

Awards

In terms of accolades, this is one of the very successful songs from The Judds’ discography. In 1992 it was honored at the Grammys with the “Song of the Year” accolade.