Following the 1981 breakup of the band, bassist
Chris Squire and drummer
Alan White joined with
South African guitarist
Trevor Rabin to form a new band called
Cinema. An early version of the song "It Can Happen", sung by Squire, was written and recorded during this time. Squire, White and Rabin eventually joined forces with former Yes members
Jon Anderson,
Tony Kaye and
Trevor Horn, changing the name of their new band Cinema to "Yes" in the process. Anderson rewrote the lyrics of "It Can Happen" and it was included in
90125, with Anderson singing the verses.
Cash Box said that "starting off with a thoroughly danceable snare beat, lead vocalist Jon Anderson's smooth voice and the single’s upbeat melody are further proof of the band’s newfound knack for commercial viability" and praised the
production and instrumental performances. The Cinema version of the song was released on 1991's
Yesyears box set, and later on the remastered version of
90125. The version sung by Anderson was released as a single in 1984, and was included in several later Yes compilations, including the
In a Word: Yes (1969–) box set and
The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection. A video for the song is included in the
Greatest Video Hits DVD, and a live performance appears in the
9012Live concert video. The dialogue that can be heard under the guitar solo - about 3 minutes and 17 seconds in - on the
90125 version, is taken from
The Importance of Being Earnest by
Oscar Wilde. The lines, "...Come, old boy, you had much better have the thing out at once...." and "...that is exactly what dentists always do. Now, go on! Tell me the whole thing" are spoken by the character Algernon Moncrieff in the play. ==Charts==