It is part of "The First Ten Years" CD single series released in 1990 to commemorate the band's tenth-year recording anniversary. Each CD single in the series contains two original singles with their B-sides and artwork
 
"Can I Play with Madness"
"Black Bart Blues"
"Massacre"
It also includes "Listen With Nicko! Part IX", a spoken-word track where drummer Nicko McBrain recounts the band's histor
 
Behind the Main Single
It was a ballad: The song was originally written by Adrian Smith as a ballad with the title "On the Wings of Eagles". Bruce Dickinson changed the title and helped rework it, but the instrumental passage in the middle, added by Steve Harris, reportedly caused "a big row" because Adrian Smith "absolutely hated it".
Monty Python appearance: The music video for "Can I Play with Madness" features a prominent appearance by Monty Python legend Graham Chapman as an angry professor who falls into a catacomb. This was one of his last on-screen appearances before his death in October 1989.
Album connectivity: The song is integral to the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son concept album, which tells a story of a clairvoyant character. The album itself was inspired by the novel Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card.
Facts About the B-Sides on This CD
This "First Ten Years" CD single is notable because its B-sides are difficult to find elsewhere.
"Black Bart Blues": This B-side track is a comedy song about a suit of armor named "Black Bart" that actually rode in the back lounge of the band's tour buses. The track includes silly, self-referential vocals and even features an "answering machine" sound effect with drummer Nicko McBrain.
Thin Lizzy cover: The CD also includes a cover of the Thin Lizzy song "Massacre". This cover was actually excluded from the band's later Best of the 'B' Sides compilation album, making this single a primary source for the track.
"Listen with Nicko!": Every CD single in "The First Ten Years" series included a unique spoken-word track where drummer Nicko McBrain humorously recounted the band's history related to that single.