And So It Goes
Encyclopedia
- For the Nick LoweNick LoweNicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
song, see So It GoesSo It Goes (Nick Lowe song)"So It Goes" is a song written and recorded by Nick Lowe in 1976. The single was Nick Lowe's debut following his departure from Brinsley Schwarz and was the first single released on Stiff Records....
"And So It Goes" is a ballad written by Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
in 1983, though it wasn't released until six years later. It appeared as the tenth and final track of his megahit album Storm Front
Storm Front (album)
Storm Front is the 11th studio album by Billy Joel. Released in 1989 , the album featured one of Joel's three #1 hits, "We Didn't Start the Fire", a fast-paced song, mentioning some of the major historical events that took place in his time, and "Leningrad", Joel's take on the end of the Cold...
. The original 1983 demo was released on the 2005 box set My Lives
My Lives
My Lives is a box set compilation of demos, outtakes, B-sides, soundtrack cuts, live recordings and album cuts by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel. It was released on November 22, 2005...
. Joel wrote the song about a doomed relationship with model Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
. Their relationship was dramatic, as Macpherson was only a teenager while Joel was reaching his mid-30s. Joel dated Macpherson for a brief time shortly before becoming involved with model Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...
, who would ultimately become his second wife. In the original demo version of "And So It Goes," Joel sings the melody simply and almost humbly, accompanied by a simple piano backdrop. The single peaked at #37 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #5 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart in 1990. It has been covered by many subsequent artists (see "Cover Versions" below). The King’s Singers and others have developed several vocal harmony arrangements of the song, which are often performed by high school and college choirs.
The song was featured at the end of the Boston Legal
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
episode "Son of the Defender."
On November 16, 2010, during an interview on the Howard Stern show on Sirius Radio, Billy Joel was asked what song is his best work that is least appreciated. To answer this question, he played "And So It Goes."
Cover versions
- Former New York YankeeNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
Bernie WilliamsBernie WilliamsBernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
covered the song on his jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album, The Journey WithinThe Journey WithinThe Journey Within is the debut album by Bernie Williams, who at the time of its release was still an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Released on July 15, 2003 through GRP Records, Williams played both lead and rhythm guitar on the album and also composed seven of the album's songs...
. - The band Marianas TrenchMarianas Trench (band)Marianas Trench is a Juno-nominated Canadian pop punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 2001. They have released three full length albums, the most recent titled Ever After, released on November 21, 2011...
has covered the song live and they recorded the song for the "Director's Cut" edition of their album Masterpiece TheatreMasterpiece Theatre (Marianas Trench album)Masterpiece Theatre is the second studio album by Canadian rock group Marianas Trench. It was released on February 24, 2009 in Canada. The album was available for preview at MuchMusic's website before the release...
. - AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bagpiperBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
Jori ChisholmJori ChisholmJori Lance Chisholm is an American professional bagpipe player and teacher who lives in Seattle, Washington. He has played with the six-time Grade One World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band since 1998 and has been a featured solo performer for the band on multiple occasions...
covered the song on his debut solo album, Bagpipe Revolution. - Singer and former American Idol competitor Carmen RasmusenCarmen RasmusenCarmen Rasmusen is a Canadian-American country music artist who ranked sixth on the second season of American Idol in 2003. Rasmusen also plays piano and guitar.-Early life:...
has covered the song previously. - Singer Sara Gazarek covered it on her album, Return to You.
- The King's Singers covered it on their album, Good Vibrations.
- David ArchuletaDavid ArchuletaDavid Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
performed the song for the American Idol season 7 final three showAmerican Idol (season 7)The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges...
. - Independent singer/songwriter Kevin Wong covered it on his album, The Pink in the Grey.
- Jennifer WarnesJennifer WarnesJennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...
covered the song on her 2001 album The Well - Karrin AllysonKarrin AllysonKarrin Allyson is an American jazz vocalist. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, and has received positive reviews from several prominent sources, including The New York Times, which has called her a "singer with a feline touch and impeccable intonation."-Career:Allyson grew up in...
covered the song with cello accompaniment on her 2009 album By Request: The Best of Karrin Allyson (compilation). The cello part was written by Bill Mclaughlin.
Chart positions
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
30 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
37 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Hot 100 Airplay The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard... |
57 |
The expression
- In the 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt VonnegutKurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
used the phrase "So it goes" as a transitional phrase to another subject, as a reminder, and as comic relief. Generally the phrase was used after every time someone's (or something's) death is described or mentioned in the novel.
- From 1982 to 1983, NBC News produced NBC News Overnight with anchors Linda EllerbeeLinda EllerbeeLinda Ellerbee is an American journalist who is most known for several jobs at NBC News, including Washington, DC correspondent, host of the Nickelodeon network's Nick News, and reporter and co-anchor of NBC News Overnight, which was recognized by the jurors of the duPont Columbia Awards as...
, Lloyd DobynsLloyd DobynsLloyd Allen Dobyns, Jr. born is a former NBC news reporter and correspondent.Born in Newport News, Virginia, he graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1957. He started his broadcasting career in his hometown, eventually serving as an anchor at WAVY television in Portsmouth/Norfolk/Newport...
. They used the phrase 'And so it goes' to transit from one news story to the next.