It is the only Ace of Base album to feature sizable writing, production, vocal, and harmony contributions by all four band members.

The album was preceded by the singles "Beautiful Life" and "Lucky Love", which had varied levels of success.

Inspired by the band's success, Jonas penned the first song of what would become The Bridge while returning from vacation in the Canary Islands.

Jonas hoped to incorporate gospel elements into the song, which was composed retaining the band's original club-friendly beat.

In April 1994, an obsessed German fan broke into the Berggren family home and threatened both Jenny and her parents at knifepoint.

[6] Jenny would later use this experience as a source of inspiration in writing and composing the track "Ravine" for The Bridge.

[4] He also worked with Denniz Pop who had previously collaborated with the band on the hits "All That She Wants" and The Sign".

Linn worked with producers Zal and Radiant as well as previous collaborators Tommy Ekman and Per Adebratt.

Although Linn would continue to receive writing credits on the band's later release, Da Capo, The Bridge is the only Ace of Base album which features production from her.

Despite having writing and production credits on three tracks on The Bridge, Linn expressed dissatisfaction with the album.

The song was a success, reaching the top twenty in thirteen countries and the number one spot in Sweden and Finland.

To support the release, the band appeared in Canada and Mexico and performed in several Latin America countries.

An acoustic version of "Lucky Love" was released as the album's second single in North America on 6 February 1996.

It did, however, manage to become the band's third and final number one hit in a row on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Music & Media stated that "there's no denying Ace of Base knows how to write unassuming, catchy pop for the masses.

Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly believed the album had "more textured production" than The Sign.

The Bridge is certified platinum in the United States, where the album peaked at 29 and spent 29 weeks on the chart.