"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'ssynth-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] It incorporates trap beats and elements of 1990s electronica, resulting in a sound that Annie Zaleski describes as "chilly".[19] "So It Goes…" is a love song about reflecting on how a new love interest might help Swift out of her fixations,[20] but with concerns of fear and danger. Swift portrays herself as trapped and powerless against a greater force,[21] while singing about leaving scratches on its back.[22][23] Swift also makes confessions to the love interest in the song: "I'm so chill/ But you make me jealous."[24] The song utilises "broad, heavy" synths and sexual lyrics to convey a deep feeling of love throughout the song,[25] showing a more sensual side to Swift.[22] The title is a reference to a phrase popularized by Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).[21]
Reception and live performances
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.[26] 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.[27] Kayleigh Roberts and Samantha Olson of Cosmopolitan also drew connections to Swift and Alwyn's relationship.[28] Wendy Michaels of Elite Daily described the lyrics of the song as sexual and steamy.[29] 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".[30] 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".[31] Chris Willman of Variety applauded the song as a "lipstick-smearing firebrand",[32] and Rob Harvilla of The Ringer finds the song "awkward and dorky".[33] Geoff Nelson of Consequence and Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times compared it to Lorde's sophomore album, Melodrama,[34] and the music by Rihanna, respectively.[35]
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".[36] 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]".[37] 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.[25] Hannah Mylrea of NME and Lindsay Zolatz of The Ringer considered the track "filler",[16][33] the former also called it "sleepy".[16] Jane Song of Paste criticized its "lack of catchiness",[38] and Nate Jones of Vulture wrote that the song "comes and goes without making much of an impact".[39] On a more positive note, Zaleski regarded "So It Goes..." as one of the "most underrated" tracks on Reputation.[19]
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".[40][41] 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.[42]
