Can It Be All So Simple

"Can It Be All So Simple"
Single by Wu-Tang Clan
from the album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
B-side	"Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit"
Released	February 22, 1994 (1994-02-22)
Recorded	1993
Studio	Firehouse Studio (New York City)
Genre	East Coast hip hop hardcore hip hop
Length	4:19 (radio edit) 4:43 (album version) 6:52 (album version with "Intermission")
Label	Loud
Songwriter(s)	Wu-Tang Clan
Producer(s)	Prince Rakeem
Wu-Tang Clan singles chronology
"C.R.E.A.M." (1994) "Can It Be All So Simple" (1994) "Triumph" (1997)
Music video
"Can It Be All So Simple" on YouTube

"Can It Be All So Simple" is the third and final single from Wu-Tang Clan's critically acclaimed debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). It features production from RZA (credited as Prince Rakeem) that samples Gladys Knight & the Pips' cover of "The Way We Were".^[1] The song reached number nine on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, number twenty four on the Hot Rap Tracks chart and number eighty two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

"Can It Be All So Simple" features rapping from Ghostface Killah and Raekwon. Its lyrics deal with a glorified mafioso lifestyle. In the song, Raekwon and Ghostface discuss the hardships of growing up in New York City during the 1980s, and how they want to live a lavish and famous lifestyle to escape the hardships of life. The music video was directed by Hype Williams,^[2] with images similar to the song's content and a cameo by MC Eiht.

A remix with new lyrics can be found on Raekwon's debut album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.... Additionally, Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor" uses the break beat from "Can It Be All So Simple".

Song order

Original

• Intro: RZA and Raekwon
• First verse: Raekwon
  • Chorus: Raekwon and Ghostface Killah
• Second verse: Ghostface Killah

Remix

• Intro: Raekwon and Ghostface Killah
• First verse: Ghostface Killah
  • Chorus: Raekwon and Ghostface Killah
• Second verse: Raekwon
• Outro: Raekwon and Ghostface Killah

Track listing

A-side

1. "Can It Be All Be So Simple" (Radio Edit) – (4:19)
2. "Can It Be All So Simple" (Album Version) – (4:43)
3. "Can It Be All So Simple" (Instrumental) – (5:03)

B-side

1. "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit" (Radio Edit) – (3:36)
2. "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit" (Album Version) – (3:36)
3. "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit" (Instrumental) – (3:31)

References

This page was last edited on 26 December 2023, at 19:37