"Nothing Ever Goes as Planned" is a song written by Dennis DeYoung and released by American rock band

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

on their tenth album '' Paradise Theatre'', as well as being the 3rd single released from the album. A chart disappointment following the first two singles off the album, it peaked at No. 54 on the U.S. pop chart in late summer 1981. It also reached No. 33 on the Canada ''RPM'' Top Singles chart in the week of September 5, 1981.

Lyrics and music

The lyrics are about the "inevitability of failure." Charlie Martin of ''The Catholic Advance'' said "The song suggests we can't count on anything, that life's somehow a losing proposition." According to DeYoung, the song was inspired by Joseph Heller's 1979 novel '' Good as Gold'' and reflects Murphy's law. DeYoung said "The song is about three characters who plan things out, then something happens." The lyrics include lines such as "Nothing ever goes as planned/Even

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...

s turn to sand" and ends with the lines "I strut around the stage like a little king tonight/But when the show is over/I've got the big star blues." ''Kansas City Times'' critic Leland Rucker said that the song has

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

rhythms and jazz changes that resemble

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

. ''Muncie Star'' critic Kim Teverbaugh noted that the song shows a newfound ability by Styx to incorporate significant horn sections into their work.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described it as a "midtempo rocker" and praised the "lead vocals, harmonies and fluid rhythmic support." ''Pittsburgh Press'' critic Pete Bishop described it as a "romping calypso-rocker." ''Kingston Whig-Standard'' critic Greg Burliuk identified "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned" as his favorite song on ''Paradise Theater'', saying that it's "the album's most effective statement of how illusory are our dreams." ''The Leaf Chronicle'' critic Tony Durr called it a "perfectly beautiful solid rock entry" that "keeps surprising you with its excellence," saying that "you cannot sit still, and the orchestration on the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

and finale flattens you with horns! horns! horns!"

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

criticized the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

Come Sail Away – The Styx Anthology ''Come Sail Away – The Styx Anthology'' is a greatest hits album by Styx, released on May 4, 2004. It is a compilation consisting of two compact discs and contains a thorough history of the band. The album encompasses many of the band's most po ...

'' for excluding this song.

References

{{authority control 1981 songs 1981 singles Styx (band) songs Songs written by Dennis DeYoung A&M Records singles