Every edition, they give the support classes more flexibility and resources to compensate for having to spend resources on other player’s misfortune.
Druids and clerics are strong, but when I played a wild sorcerer, I had a hard time not being jealous of the bard. He felt like a better caster based on ritual magic and spell selection alone, and had better dice-manipulation, and obviously better skills and martial combat. Bards can do everything… and often everyone.