Remembering Oliver Tree: Legacy of the ‘Life Goes On’ Icon, Hits, and Fans’ Mourning
By Alexander Ross
The repetitive, hypnotic cadence of "and it goes on and on and on" from the smash hit "Life Goes On" became one of the most recognized audio motifs of the 2020s. Released initially on the deluxe cut of his 2020 debut album Ugly is Beautiful, the track transformed from an irreverent breakup ballad into a planetary sonic phenomenon. By late 2021, the track soundtracked over 13 million user-created videos, pushing overall platform impressions past the 15 billion view mark.
The song's lyrical refrain captured a bittersweet paradox that ran throughout Tree's discography. Beneath the bouncing, sugary acoustic guitar riffs and hip-hop programmed percussion, the words mapped the stubborn exhaustion of cyclical relationships and emotional weariness. The infectious hook resonated equally with suburban teens venting about teenage drama and elder millennials navigating routine burnout. Tree understood acoustic cadence better than pure satirists ever did: he wrote genuine pop earworms, then disguised them behind a layer of neon irony.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
