Earworms are weird. You’re sitting there, maybe scrolling through TikTok or Reels, and suddenly a hook grabs you. It isn’t even a full song most of the time. It’s a snippet. A vibe. Specifically, that "and it goes like this" song—or rather, the dozens of tracks that use that exact lyrical pivot—tends to trigger something primal in our collective digital brain.
It happens fast.
One minute you're watching a "Get Ready With Me" video, and the next, you've spent three hours down a rabbit hole of various creators using the same audio transition. Musicologists and casual listeners alike often struggle to pin down exactly why these specific phrasings work. It's the "drop." That moment of anticipation where the lyrics promise a payoff, and the beat delivers.
The Viral Architecture of the "And It Goes Like This" Hook
When people search for the "and it goes like this" song, they aren't usually looking for one single track. They’re looking for a feeling. Or a specific remix. Usually, they're thinking of "The Business" by Tiësto.
Let's be real: Tiësto knew exactly what he was doing. The song released in late 2020, right when everyone was stuck inside and losing their minds. The vocal, provided by James "YAYO" Bell, is almost hypnotic. It’s sparse. When the line "Let’s get down, let’s get down to business" hits, followed by that rhythmic "and it goes like this," the listener is essentially being given a roadmap for the dance floor—even if that dance floor is just their kitchen.
But it isn't just Tiësto. We've seen this phrasing pop up in everything from mid-2000s club anthems to modern hyper-pop. The phrase acts as a bridge. It’s a linguistic signal that the "meat" of the song is about to arrive. In technical terms, it’s a pre-chorus transition that functions as a psychological primer. It tells your brain to start releasing dopamine because the "beat" is imminent.
Honestly, the simplicity is the point.
If you look at the Billboard charts over the last decade, the songs that stay in the Top 40 for more than 20 weeks almost always have a "trigger phrase." This is a concept explored by researchers like Dr. Vicky Williamson, who studies the psychology of music. These phrases are easy to memorize, easy to repeat, and they provide a clear structure. When a creator uses it in a video, they are using a "sonic meme."
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Why Tiësto's Version Won the Internet
Tiësto’s "The Business" reached over a billion streams for a reason. It wasn't just the melody. It was the timing. The song became the unofficial anthem of the "glow up" transition. You know the one. Someone starts the video looking like they just rolled out of bed, the lyrics say "and it goes like this," the beat drops, and suddenly they’re in full glam.
The syncopation matters here. The gap between the word "this" and the first note of the bassline creates a micro-moment of silence. That silence is where the magic happens. It’s a "tension and release" mechanism.
Other Contenders: It's Not Always Tiësto
Sometimes, users are actually looking for "If You’re Over Me" by Years & Years. Olly Alexander sings a similar line, though the energy is entirely different. It's more synth-pop, less dark-club. Then there’s the classic "The Hum" by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, which uses a rhythmic chanting style that serves the same purpose.
The internet has a short memory, but it also has a weirdly specific one.
You might also be thinking of some obscure EDM track from 2014 that you heard in a gym once. That’s the problem with these lyrical hooks; they are ubiquitous. They are everywhere and nowhere at the same time. This is what music critics sometimes call "functional music." It isn't necessarily meant to be a lyrical masterpiece. It's meant to move a crowd or transition a video. It's a tool.
The Psychology of the "Drop" Transition
Why do we crave that specific phrasing? It's basically a Pavlovian response at this point.
We’ve been trained by years of festival culture and short-form video content to recognize these cues. When a song says "and it goes like this," it’s making a promise. If the beat that follows is weak, the song fails. If it’s heavy, the song goes viral. It's a high-stakes gamble for a producer.
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Think about the way we consume media now. Our attention spans are basically non-existent. We need a "hook" within the first three seconds. A song that announces its own intention is a perfect fit for the TikTok era. It tells the listener exactly what to do and when to do it. There's no ambiguity.
The Evolution of the Sonic Meme
Music used to be about the whole album. Then it was about the single. Now, it's about the "sound bite."
Label executives at places like Atlantic Records or Universal actually look for these "clip-able" moments when signing new artists. If a song doesn't have a 5-to-10 second window that can be used for a transition, it’s considered a harder "sell" in the current market. That "and it goes like this" moment is the ultimate product. It’s a literal instruction manual for content creation.
I've talked to producers who admit they sometimes write the "drop" first and then work backward. They create the "meme-able" moment and then try to build a song around it. It's a bit cynical, sure. But it's how the industry works in 2026.
How to Find "That One Song" When You Can't Remember the Name
We’ve all been there. You have three words stuck in your head and no artist name.
If you are searching for the "and it goes like this" song, start with these specific steps to narrow it down:
- Identify the Genre: Was it dark and heavy (EDM/Tiësto), or was it upbeat and poppy (Years & Years/Dua Lipa vibes)?
- Check the Transition: Did the song "drop" into a heavy bassline or a vocal melody? If it was a bassline, you're almost certainly looking for "The Business."
- Hum to Search: Use the Google App's "hum to search" feature. It’s surprisingly accurate for EDM tracks because it focuses on the frequency of the melody rather than just the lyrics.
- Look at TikTok Audio Names: Most people don't realize that the "Original Audio" name on TikTok is often different from the actual song. Look for the "contains music from..." tag at the bottom of the screen.
The Impact on Modern Songwriting
This trend has changed how music is mixed. Vocals are being pushed further back, while the "hook phrase" is being compressed to sound as loud as possible on phone speakers. When "and it goes like this" hits, it needs to pierce through the background noise of a busy coffee shop or a loud gym.
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It’s also led to a resurgence of "sampled" hooks. Producers are digging through old 90s house tracks to find that perfect transition phrase. They know that nostalgia plus a modern beat is a winning formula. It’s why you’ll hear a song from 1994 suddenly trending again because someone put a drill beat under a 2-second vocal clip.
Actionable Insights for Music Discovery and Creation
Whether you're a listener trying to build a playlist or a creator looking for the next viral sound, understanding the structure of these hooks is key. These aren't just random words; they are structural pillars of modern digital culture.
- For Curators: If you’re making a workout or "hype" playlist, look for tracks with a BPM between 120 and 126. This is the "sweet spot" where the "and it goes like this" transition feels most natural to the human heartbeat.
- For Content Creators: Don't just use the trending version of a song. Look for the "sped up" or "reverb" versions. These often carry a different emotional weight and can help your video stand out from the thousands of others using the standard radio edit.
- For the Curious: Check out the "WhoSampled" database. If you find a version of the song you like, plug it in there. You’ll often find that the "and it goes like this" line was actually taken from a completely different genre thirty years ago.
The reality is that "the song" isn't just one song. It's a recurring motif in pop music that bridges the gap between the artist's intent and the listener's expectation. It's the ultimate musical "here we go."
Next time you hear it, pay attention to what happens right after the line. That's where the real craftsmanship—or the real marketing—lives. You'll start to hear the patterns everywhere. And honestly? It's kind of fascinating once you realize how much our brains love being told exactly when to dance.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on "SoundCloud" charts rather than just Spotify. The "and it goes like this" style tracks usually bubble up in the underground dance scene months before they hit the mainstream. By the time it's a "trending audio," the next version is already being mixed in a bedroom studio somewhere in Berlin or London.
Stop looking for the "perfect" song and start looking for the perfect "moment." That’s what these tracks really provide. They give us a clear, defined instant where everything else drops away, and the only thing that matters is the next beat. It’s simple, it’s effective, and it’s why we’ll be hearing different variations of this same hook for the next twenty years.