And So It Goes

"And So It Goes" is a song written by Billy Joel in 1983, though it was not released until six years later. It appeared as the tenth and final track of his 1989 studio album Storm Front. The original 1983 demo was released on the 2005 box set My Lives. Joel wrote the song about his doomed relationship with model Elle Macpherson, which began around 1983. They began dating after the divorce from his first wife, Elizabeth (div. 1982). Macpherson was about 19 years old in 1983, while Joel was around 34. Joel dated Macpherson for only a brief time, possibly up to 1984 or even 1985. During that time he also became involved with model Christie Brinkley, who would ultimately become his second wife in 1985.

The song was inspired by the Scottish ballad "Barbara Allen", and is unique for Joel as it is written in iambic tetrameter. In the original demo version of "And So It Goes", Joel sings the melody simply, accompanied by a simple piano backdrop, in a style very reminiscent of a hymn. On the 1989 album version, Joel sings and plays all the instrumentation (piano and synthesizers). The official video is from a live performance in front of a concert audience.

During the Red Carpet arrivals and interviews at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, Laverne Cox on Live From E! asked Joel to name his definitive song and without hesitation Joel said, "And So It Goes".

The song gave a title to the 2025 documentary about Joel's life called Billy Joel: And So It Goes.