"So It Goes…" is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her sixth studio album,Reputation (2017). Swift wrote the song with the producersMax Martin,Shellback, andOscar Görres. "So It Goes..." is apower ballad that combinestrap,EDM, andsynth-pop, over thicksynths and heavy beats. Its lyrics depict vulnerability and sexual attraction in a newfound romantic connection, with the narrator surrendering to a greater force to embrace it.
Some critics highlighted the sexual nature of the lyrics to "So It Goes...", while several others deemed the song's production 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 2018Reputation Stadium Tour.
Taylor Swift released her fifth studio album,1989, in October 2014.1989'ssynth-pop production transformed Swift's sound and image fromcountry-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 threeBillboard Hot 100 number-one singles.[2] Nick Levine of theBBC asserted that the success solidified Swift's status as a global pop star.[3]
Swift was a target oftabloid gossip during the promotion of1989.[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 rapperKanye West and media personalityKim 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]
Swift and the Swedish producersMax Martin andShellback wrote several songs forReputation, including "So It Goes…".[9] During a songwriting session in Los Angeles, Swift came across an instrumental track produced byOscar 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 aFaceTime 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 releasedReputation on November 10, 2017; "So It Goes…" is track number 7.[9][11] The track was recorded atMXM Studios in Stockholm, Sweden and Los Angeles, United States.[9]
At 3 minutes and 52 seconds long,[9] "So It Goes…" is an atmospherictrap-pop,[12][13]synth-pop,[14][15] andEDM-pop[16]power ballad.[17] It incorporates thicksynths,[18] trap beats and elements of 1990selectronica, resulting in a sound that the music criticAnnie Zaleski describes as "chilly".[19] Lyrically, "So It Goes…" is alove song about a newfound romantic connection. The narrator ponders on how it helps her get out of her fixations,[20] but she also has concerns of fear and danger. She feels trapped and powerless against a greater force,[21] and enjoys the sexual chemistry of this relationship, leaving scratches on her lover's back.[22][23] The narrator confesses that she has fallen deeply in love:[18] "I'm so chill/ But you make me jealous."[24] The title is a reference to a phrase popularized byKurt Vonnegut's novelSlaughterhouse-Five (1969).[21]
Swift occasionally played "So It Goes…" during the acoustic segment of her 2018Reputation Stadium Tour.
Reviews of "So It Goes..." generally highlighted its lyrics as showcasing a new side to Swift that is sensual and "edgy".[25][26][27][28] Craig Jenkins ofVulture commended in his review ofReputation that the song "[weighs] the freedom of being single against the irresistible magnetism of a growing attraction".[29] Ashley Iasimone, writing forBillboard, compared the song to "Mirrorball", from Swift's eighth studio albumFolklore, further elaborating that both songs "present a sense of illusion, and an overwhelming feeling of being caught up in a moment".[30] Chris Willman ofVariety applauded the song as a "lipstick-smearing firebrand",[31] and Rob Harvilla ofThe Ringer finds the song "awkward and dorky".[32] Geoff Nelson ofConsequence and Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times compared it toLorde's sophomore album,Melodrama,[33] and the music byRihanna, respectively.[34]
Several critics regarded "So It Goes…" as a weaker song in Swift's discography. Chris Richards ofThe Washington Post posted a negative review of the song, describing it as an attempt to "rap likeTravis Scott".[35] Alex Hopper ofAmerican Songwriter ranked the song as nine out of ten of the least streamed songs inevery Taylor Swift album, further elaborating that it is "not as powerful as [other songs onReputation]".[36] Jamieson Cox ofPitchfork described "So It Goes..." as "replacement-level trap-pop".[13] George Fenwick ofThe New Zealand Herald deemed the song insignificant and cringe-worthy.[18] Hannah Mylrea ofNME and Lindsay Zolatz ofThe Ringer considered the track "filler",[15][32] the former also called it "sleepy".[15] Jane Song ofPaste criticized its "lack of catchiness",[37] and Nate Jones ofVulture wrote that the song "comes and goes without making much of an impact".[38] On a more positive note, Zaleski regarded "So It Goes..." as one of the "most underrated" tracks onReputation.[19]
Swift performed "So It Goes…" on herReputation Stadium Tour on select dates, both as a surprise song and in place of "Dancing with Our Hands Tied".[39][40] She performed it again as a "surprise song" as part ofthe Eras Tour concert on November 20, 2023, inRio de Janeiro.[41]
