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

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

's critically acclaimed debut album ''

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records. Recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York Ci ...

''. It features production from RZA (credited as Prince Rakeem) that samples

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, 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 1950s. Starting out as simply ...

' 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 wrote both the novel and screenplay based on his college days at Cornell University and his ...

". The song reached number nine on the

Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales In the issue dated March 16, 1985, ''Billboard'' magazine debuted its first chart devoted exclusively to 12-inch Singles Sales. The 50-position weekly ranking joined ''Billboard''s established Club Songs chart, reduced to the same 50 positions, ...

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 stati ...

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 p ...

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

Ghostface Killah Dennis 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 (36 C ...

and

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply 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 ...

. 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 of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was directed by

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

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

MC Eiht Aaron Tyler (born May 22, 1971), better known by his stage name MC Eiht (pronounced MC eight), is an American rapper and actor. 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 singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

'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