"Can It Be All So Simple" is the third and final single from

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

'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 Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early ...

' cover of "

The Way We Were ''The Way We Were'' is a 1973 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. Arthur Laurents adapted the screenplay from his own 1972 novel of the same name, which was based on his ...

". The song reached number nine on the

Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales The Dance Singles Sales was a record chart released weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling Dance music, dance singles in the United States. Its previous names include Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles ...

chart, number twenty four on the

Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

chart and number eighty two on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. "Can It Be All So Simple" features rapping from

Ghostface Killah Dennis David Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang ...

and

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...

. 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 A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was directed by

Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...

, with images similar to the song's content and a cameo by

MC Eiht Aaron Bernard Tyler (born May 22, 1971), better known by his stage name MC Eiht (pronounced "MC Eight"), is an American rapper. Many of his songs are based on his life in Compton. His stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One's nam ...

. A remix with new lyrics can be found on

's debut album '' Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...''. Additionally,

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

's " Ex-Factor" uses the break beat from "Can It Be All So Simple".

Song order

Original

* Intro: RZA and

* First verse: Raekwon ** ''Chorus'': Raekwon and

* 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

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

B-side

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

References

{{authority control 1993 songs 1994 singles Wu-Tang Clan songs Song recordings produced by RZA Music videos directed by Hype Williams Hardcore hip-hop songs Loud Records singles Songs written by Ghostface Killah Songs written by Raekwon Songs written by RZA