So It Goes

In this song, Nick Lowe is acknowledging the unpredictability (and, sometimes, futility) of life and the inevitability of death. "So it goes" is a recurring line in Kurt Vonnegut's 1969 novel, The Slaughterhouse Five. It is used every time a death occurs.

This was Lowe's first solo single following the split of the pub rock band, Brinsley Schwarz. It was also the first single to be released on Stiff Records, a label formed by the music managers, Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman, using a £400 ($645) loan from Dr. Feelgood front man, Lee Brilleaux. Stiff Records paid Lowe £45 ($73) to record two songs with The Rumour drummer, Steve Goulding. The result was this song and its b-side, "Heart of the City." Although "So It Goes" failed to chart, it still earned a profit for the young Stiff Records.

This features in the 1979 musical comedy, Rock 'n' Roll High School, starring The Ramones.