In 1983, Billy Joel wrote a song that took him six years to release and only charted at 37. He still considers it his greatest achievement

Billy Joel has said “And So It Goes” is the song he is most proud of, despite its modest chart performance. The story contrasts his affection for the understated ballad with his dislike of “We Didn’t Start the Fire”, a far bigger hit that he has called one of his weakest musical works.

Joel began writing “And So It Goes” in 1983, but waited until it suited the 1989 album *Storm Front*; released as the album’s sixth single, it reached 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. He has described its simple arrangement, evocative chords and unresolved tension as central to its effect, and said in a 2024 interview that writing it was emotional because his heart was broken.