[link to original on tumblr]
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First, I discovered that there's an ascending chromatic phrase in the chords:
(A, C, E)
(E, G, B)
(F, A, C)
(Bb, D, F)
(D, F#, A)
(G, B, D)
The bridge is the optimistic part of the song, looking forward to change ("You've gotta treat me in a different way"), and that rising chromatic phrase seems to confirm that musically.
But then I realized that it starts with an A minor chord. I think this is a fairly common feature of songs - the bridge goes to the relative minor. In this case, it goes from C major to A minor. So it's weird that the major sections (the verses) have the sad parts ("I've been hurt like this before," "I've cried like this before," et cetera), and the minor section (the bridge) has the optimism.
It's worth noting that the other chromatic phrase I found in the song is a descending phrase in the verses
