From left to right: David Gates, Robb Royer, Jimmy Griffin,
and Mike Botts.
and Mike Botts.
Bread was an American Soft Rock band founded in Los Angeles in 1968. They had multiple hit songs in the 1970s, with 13 singles charting on the Billboard Hot 100.
Some of their most best-known songs include "Make It with You", "It Don't Matter to Me", "If", "Baby I'm-a Want You", "Everything I Own", "Diary", "The Guitar Man", "Sweet Surrender", "Aubrey", and "Lost Without Your Love".
Studio album discography:
- Bread (1969)
- On the Waters (1970)
- Manna (1971)
- Baby I'm-a Want You (1972)
- Guitar Man (1972)
- Lost Without Your Love (1977)
"Tropes, they're for those who sleep":
- Complete-the-Quote Title: On the Waters is both this and a Literary Allusion Title, referring as it does to Ecclesiastes 11:1 ("Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days").
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: "Everything I Own" is about the death of David Gates's father and about how much he misses him.
- Depending on the Writer: There are exceptions in both directions, but the general rule of thumb is: if it's a ballad, David Gates wrote it; if it's rock-oriented, Jimmy Griffin and Robb Royer wrote it. One reviewer even noted that the band's songs could literally be divided into "white bread" and "wheat bread".
- Edible Theme Naming: The band's name obviously comes from the food, though their debut album's cover went with a Visual Pun based on "bread" as a slang term for money.
- Hymn to Music: "Guitar Man" is about a musician and his relationship with his audience.
- Line-of-Sight Name: According to David Gates, they were discussing possible band names, and a bread truck just happened to drive by them.
- One-Woman Song: "Aubrey" is their most famous example of this. (Actress Aubrey Plaza was named for the song, incidentally.)
- Power Ballad: It was an Unbuilt Trope during their heyday, but the stately soft rock balladry of David Gates was a big influence on the style, especially "Make It With You" and "Lost Without Your Love".
- Power Pop: Not their primary orientation, but many of the Griffin-Royer songs count. Gates even tried it on occasion.
- Putting the Band Back Together: After disbanding in 1973, they reunited in 1976 for another album and tour, split up again two years later, then reunited once more for a world tour in 1996.
- Ripped from the Headlines: "London Bridge" on their debut album, inspired by the bridge getting bought and moved from England to Lake Havasu, Arizona in The '60s.
- Secret Diary: In "Diary", the singer sneaks a look at his beloved's diary, believing when she writes about her "true love" it's himself. When he discovers it's about someone else, he vows to support their relationship.
- Soprano and Gravel: David Gates' pretty boy tenor and falsetto is in constrast with Jimmy Griffin's natural baritone.
- Tenor Boy: David Gates had a lilting high-pitched voice and often took on a male Ingenue persona in his lyrics.
- Title Track: Guitar Man, Baby I'm-a Want You, and Lost Without Your Love all have title tracks.
- Vocal Tag Team: David Gates and Jimmy Griffin both share lead vocals.
