'Tomorrow Is Today' and 'And So It Goes' show striking similarities, both musically and lyrically, despite being written at such different points in Joel's career. 'Tomorrow Is Today' was written on his first solo album, shortly after his notorious failure with his two-man group, Attila. On the other hand, 'And So It Goes' was written after Joel had already released nine albums since Cold Spring Harbor. The two songs reflect different events in his social life.
Musically, these songs share multiple characteristics. Both songs utilize the grand piano as the lead instrument after the vocal. The piano parts themselves are also similar. For example, the introductions to both songs mimic the vocal melody found in the choruses. Joel utilized multiple suspended chords and dissonance. 9th chords can be found in both compositions. Joel used major 7th chords in 'Tomorrow is Today' while 'And So It Goes' is filled with suspended 4th chords. Nonetheless, Joel never ceased to stray from the typical major and minor chords and venture into compositions more technical and classically inspired. Lastly, neither song utilizes any additional vocal parts, probably to keep the song as intimate and raw as possible.
Lyrically, both songs have an undertone of self-pity and powerlessness, which mirror Joel's concurrent depression. In 'And So It Goes' Joel asserts that "And every time I've held a rose it seems I only felt the thorns" whereas he states that "People tell me life is sweeter, but I don't hear what they say" in 'Tomorrow is Today'. Additionally, both songs are constructed as narrative stories, without many repeating lines. Music typical of the 1970's and 1980's utilized more repetition of choruses and verses, but Joel kept to his narrative style that can be recognized through songs such as 'Piano Man', 'River of Dreams', and 'Lullaby'.
Musically, these songs share multiple characteristics. Both songs utilize the grand piano as the lead instrument after the vocal. The piano parts themselves are also similar. For example, the introductions to both songs mimic the vocal melody found in the choruses. Joel utilized multiple suspended chords and dissonance. 9th chords can be found in both compositions. Joel used major 7th chords in 'Tomorrow is Today' while 'And So It Goes' is filled with suspended 4th chords. Nonetheless, Joel never ceased to stray from the typical major and minor chords and venture into compositions more technical and classically inspired. Lastly, neither song utilizes any additional vocal parts, probably to keep the song as intimate and raw as possible.
Lyrically, both songs have an undertone of self-pity and powerlessness, which mirror Joel's concurrent depression. In 'And So It Goes' Joel asserts that "And every time I've held a rose it seems I only felt the thorns" whereas he states that "People tell me life is sweeter, but I don't hear what they say" in 'Tomorrow is Today'. Additionally, both songs are constructed as narrative stories, without many repeating lines. Music typical of the 1970's and 1980's utilized more repetition of choruses and verses, but Joel kept to his narrative style that can be recognized through songs such as 'Piano Man', 'River of Dreams', and 'Lullaby'.