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This article is about the Taylor Swift song. For other uses, see So It Goes (disambiguation).

"So It Goes…"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Reputation
ReleasedNovember 10, 2017
Studio
  • MXM (Los Angeles, California and Stockholm, Sweden)
Genre
Length3:52
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
  • Oscar Görres
Audio
"So It Goes…" on YouTube

"So It Goes…" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). Swift wrote the song with the producers Max Martin, Shellback, and Oscar Görres. A combination of trap, EDM, and synth-pop, "So It Goes…" depicts a narrator's vulnerability to a lover. Some critics highlighted the sexual nature of the lyrics, while several deemed the song insubstantial. Critics have retrospectively considered "So It Goes…" a weaker track in Swift's discography. Swift occasionally performed the track during the acoustic segment of her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour.

Background

Taylor Swift released her fifth studio album, 1989, in October 2014. 1989's synth-pop production transformed Swift's sound and image from country-oriented to mainstream pop.[1] The album was a commercial success, selling over five million copies in the United States within one year, and spawning three Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.[2] Nick Levine of the BBC asserted that the success solidified Swift's status as a global pop star.[3]

Swift was a target of tabloid gossip during the promotion of 1989.[4] Her "America's Sweetheart" reputation, a result of her wholesome and innocent image, was blemished from publicized short-lived relationships and disputes with other celebrities, including rapper Kanye West and media personality Kim Kardashian.[5][6] Swift became increasingly reticent on social media, having previously maintained an active presence with a large following, and avoided interactions with the press amidst the tumultuous affairs.[7] She conceived her sixth studio album, Reputation, as an answer to the media commotion surrounding her celebrity.[8]

Writing and composition

Swift and the Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback wrote several songs for Reputation, including "So It Goes…".[9] During a songwriting session in Los Angeles, Swift came across an instrumental track produced by Oscar Görres that Shellback played on his computer. Swift heard the track and told him, "That’s special. I haven't done anything like that. Can we do that?"[10] Swift then wrote the lyrics and composed the melody together with Martin and Shellback, and the three had a FaceTime call with Gorres to finalize the song, which became "So It Goes…". Görres recalled that it was a "strange" session for him because he had just gotten out of the shower wrapped in a towel, but he was "very thankful for that".[10] Big Machine Records released Reputation on November 10, 2017; "So It Goes…" is track number 7.[11][12] "So It Goes…" was recorded at MXM Studios, and is three minutes and 52 seconds long.[12]

"So It Goes…" is an atmospheric trap-pop,[13][14] synth-pop,[15][16] and EDM-pop[17] power ballad.[18] "So It Goes…" is a love song about reflecting on how a new love interest might help Swift out of her fixations,[19] but with concerns of fear and danger. Swift portrays herself as trapped and powerless against a greater force,[20] while singing about leaving scratches on its back.[21][22] Swift also makes confessions to the love interest in the song: "I'm so chill/ But you make me jealous." [23] The song utilises "broad, heavy' synths and sexual lyrics to convey a deep feeling of love throughout the song,[24] showing a more sensual side to Swift.[21] The title is a reference to a phrase popularized by Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).[20]

Reception and live performances

Swift, in a green jacket with lots of detailing and stickers on it, performing a song on a green guitar.
Swift occasionally played "So It Goes…" during the acoustic segment of her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour.

Taylor Maple of Bustle described "So It Goes…" as "reminiscent of a relationship that's endured despite public attention or the stresses that come along with it", connecting it to how Swift and then-boyfriend British actor Joe Alwyn met, also acknowledging its "edgier" lyrics.[25] Due to the similarity of the song's lyrics to that of her 2017 promotional single, "Gorgeous", Emily Yarh of The Washington Post also drew connections to Alwyn too.[26] Kayleigh Roberts and Samantha Olson of Cosmopolitan also drew connections to Swift and Alwyn's relationship.[27] Wendy Michaels of Elite Daily described the lyrics of the song as sexual and steamy.[28] Craig Jenkins of Vulture commended in his review of Reputation that the song "[weighs] the freedom of being single against the irresistible magnetism of a growing attraction".[29] Ashley Iasemone, writing for Billboard, compared the song to "Mirrorball", from Swift's eighth studio album Folklore, further elaborating that both songs "present a sense of illusion, and an overwhelming feeling of being caught up in a moment".[30] Chris Willman of Variety applauded the song as a "lipstick-smearing firebrand",[31] and Rob Harvilla of The Ringer finds the song "awkward and dorky".[32] Geoff Nelson of Consequence and Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times compared it to Lorde's sophomore album, Melodrama[33] and Barbadian singer Rihanna respectively.[34]

Several critics regarded "So It Goes…" as a weaker song in Swift's discography. Chris Richards of The Washington Post posted a negative review of the song, describing it as an attempt to "rap like Travis Scott".[35] Alex Hopper of American Songwriter ranked the song as nine out of ten of the least streamed songs in every Taylor Swift album, further elaborating that it is "not as powerful as [other songs on Reputation]".[36] Jamieson Cox of Pitchfork described "So It Goes..." as "replacement-level trap-pop".[14] George Fenwick of The New Zealand Herald deemed the song insignificant and cringe-worthy.[24] Hannah Mylrea of NME and Lindsay Zolatz of The Ringer considered the track "filler",[16][32] the former also called it "sleepy".[16] Jane Song of Paste criticized its "lack of catchiness",[37] and Nate Jones of Vulture wrote that the song "comes and goes without making much of an impact".[38]

Swift performed "So It Goes…" on her Reputation Stadium Tour on select dates, both as a surprise song and in place of "Dancing with Our Hands Tied".[39][40] The song was excluded from the set list for The Eras Tour, but was performed as a surprise song on the November 20, 2023 show in Rio de Janeiro.[41]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Reputation.[12]

Certifications

Certifications for "So It Goes…"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[42] Gold 35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ McNutt, Myles (2020). "From 'Mine' to 'Ours': Gendered Hierarchies of Authorship and the Limits of Taylor Swift's Paratextual Feminism". Communication, Culture and Critique. 13 (1): 79. doi:10.1093/ccc/tcz042.
  2. ^ Anderson, Trevor (October 17, 2015). "Taylor Swift's '1989' One-Year Anniversary: 13 Impressive Chart Facts for the Blockbuster Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Levine, Nick (August 21, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Lover: The struggle to maintain superstardom". BBC. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  4. ^ Ryan, Patrick (November 9, 2017). "5 things Taylor Swift's past USA Today interviews tell us about her Reputation era". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  5. ^ Puente, Maria (July 18, 2016). "Is Taylor's good-girl rep frayed by Kanye/Kardashian feud?". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  6. ^ Berman, Judy (January 28, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Miss Americana Is an Intriguing But Incomplete Sketch of an Icon in Transition". Time. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Yahr, Emily (November 15, 2017). "Taylor Swift Avoided – and Mocked – the Media with Reputation. And It Worked". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Hiatt, Brian (September 30, 2019). "9 Taylor Swift Moments That Didn't Fit in Our Cover Story". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  9. ^ Reputation (CD). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2017. p. 8. B0028815-02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ a b Carley, Brennan (August 30, 2020). "What Do Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Troye Sivan & Taylor Swift All Have In Common? Oscar Görres". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  11. ^ Shaw, Lucas (November 7, 2017). "Taylor Swift Will Keep New Album From Streaming for a Week". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  12. ^ a b c Reputation (CD liner notes). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2017. 00843930033102.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Graham, Eleanor (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift's reputation Is a Microcosm of America's Explosive Political Landscape". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Cox, Jamieson (November 13, 2017). "Taylor Swift: Reputation Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  15. ^ Cridlin, Jay (November 10, 2017). "Reputation review: Taylor Swift should know she's better than this". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Mylrea, Hannah (September 8, 2020). "Every Taylor Swift song ranked in order of greatness". NME. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  17. ^ Chatterjee, Uppy (November 11, 2017). "Review: Taylor Swift Takes A New Direction With Reputation – But Is It The Right One?". The Music. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  18. ^ Cawley, Terence (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift Reckons with Her Reputation". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  19. ^ Bruner, Raisa (November 10, 2017). "Analyzing Every Song on Taylor Swift's 'Reputation'". TIME. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Ahlgrim, Callie. "20 Taylor Swift songs with literary references you may have missed". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Fekadu, Mesfin (November 10, 2017). "Music Review: Taylor Swift's 'reputation' is pure pop magic". AP News. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  22. ^ Powers, Ann (November 10, 2017). "Review: The Old Taylor's Not Dead". NPR. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  23. ^ Battan, Carrie (November 14, 2017). "Taylor Swift's Confessions on "Reputation"". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Fenwick, George (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Reputation: A thrilling - but flawed - return". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  25. ^ "Where Did Taylor Swift & Joe Alwyn Meet? The "So It Goes" Lyrics Seem To Hint At The Answer". Bustle. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  26. ^ Yahr, Emily (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift's 'Reputation': A track-by-track breakdown of feuds, relationships and Kanye". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  27. ^ Roberts, Kayleigh; Olson, Samantha (February 26, 2024). "Every Song Taylor Swift Has Written About Joe Alwyn (So Far)". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  28. ^ Michaels, Wendy (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift's Song "So It Goes…" Is Actually Really Sexual, According To The Lyrics". Elite Daily. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  29. ^ Jenkins, Craig (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift's Reputation Fixates on Big Enemies and Budding Romance". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  30. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (August 30, 2020). "If 'Folklore' Turned You On to Taylor Swift, These Are the Deep Cuts You'll Like". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  31. ^ Willman, Chris (November 10, 2017). "Album Review: Taylor Swift's 'Reputation'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  32. ^ a b Staff, The Ringer (November 10, 2017). "The Taylor Swift 'Reputation' Exit Survey". The Ringer. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  33. ^ Nelson, Geoff (November 10, 2017). "Album Review: Taylor Swift - Reputation". Consequence. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  34. ^ Wood, Mikael (November 14, 2017). "Review: Taylor Swift's privacy is a public act on 'Reputation'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  35. ^ Richards, Chris (November 10, 2017). "It's Taylor Swift's world. The rest of us just go insane in it". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  36. ^ Hopper, Alex (October 24, 2023). "The Least Streamed Songs on Every Taylor Swift Album Ranked". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  37. ^ Song, Jane (February 11, 2020). "All 158 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Paste. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  38. ^ Jones, Nate (November 8, 2023). "All 214 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  39. ^ Farley, Rebecca (July 11, 2018). "In Washington, D.C., Taylor Swift Finally Performed "So It Goes"". Refinery29. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  40. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (November 20, 2018). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed On Her Reputation Stadium Tour B-Stage". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  41. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (February 18, 2024). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far)". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  42. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
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