George Harrison - That's The Way It Goes

About "That's The Way It Goes"

"That's the Way It Goes" is a song by English musician George Harrison from his 1982 album Gone Troppo. Harrison wrote the song during a period when he had become uninterested in contemporary music and was enjoying success as a film producer with his company HandMade Films. Partly influenced by his extended holidays in Hawaii and Australia, the lyrics convey his dismay at the world's preoccupation with money and status, although, unlike several of Harrison's previous musical statements on the subject, he expresses resignation and acceptance.

Harrison recorded the song at his Friar Park studio in 1982. The track includes contributions from British musicians such as Henry Spinetti, Herbie Flowers and Ray Cooper, along with a deep-toned vocal part from American gospel singer Willie Greene. Indicating Harrison's enduring admiration for the song, it was one of the B-sides of the 12-inch single "When We Was Fab" in 1988, and he subsequently included it on his compilation album Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989.

Among retrospective appraisals of Harrison's musical career, several commentators have identified "That's the Way It Goes" as a highlight of Gone Troppo. In November 2002, a year after Harrison's death, Joe Brown performed the song at the Concert for George in London. Its inclusion marked a rare example of a post-1973 Harrison song being performed at that tribute concert.