What's Up

Album: Bigger, Better, Faster, More (1992)
Charted: 2 14
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  • Twenty-five years and my life is still
    Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
    For a destination
    And I realized quickly when I knew I should
    That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
    For whatever that means
    And so I cry sometimes
    When I'm lying in bed
    Just to get it all out
    What's in my head
    And I am feeling a little peculiar
    And so I wake in the morning
    And I step outside
    And I take a deep breath and I get real high
    And I scream at the top of my lungs
    What's going on?
    And I say, hey hey hey hey
    I said hey, what's going on?
    Ooh, ooh ooh
    And I try, oh my god do I try
    I try all the time, in this institution
    And I pray, oh my god do I pray
    I pray every single day
    For a revolution
    And so I cry sometimes
    When I'm lying in bed
    Just to get it all out
    What's in my head
    And I am feeling a little peculiar
    And so I wake in the morning
    And I step outside
    And I take a deep breath and I get real high
    And I scream at the top of my lungs
    What's going on?
    And I say, hey hey hey hey
    I said hey, what's going on?
    Twenty-five years and my life is still
    Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
    For a destination Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 35

  • Nick Taru from Liberty Lake, WaI see all these comments bashing this song and I don't understand it. I wasn't a fan of 4 Non Blondes when this came out, but I was a 17 year-old kid who knew it all.
    Now that I'm a breath away from 50 and the father of a strong, smart woman, I realize how little I actually know about anything, and I enjoy the song and think the lyrics are pretty bad ass.
  • Oliver Clothesoff from Over ThereListening to this song is the equivalent of giving your ears a root canal.
  • Pierre Henri from Paris -franceTo me, the whole meaning of the song is given by this sentence "And I realized quickly when I knew I should that the world was made up of this brotherhood of man" meaning a patriarchal society giving women no space despite their efforts.
    And the song is about women frustration and desperation ... as nothing is going on to change this ...
    and that's a beautiful song. PH
  • Linda Zelle from MoI think it's an amazing song. A bit quirky but that's what gets people to listen to it over and over again trying to figure out "what's going on"?
    Linda Perry has an amazing voice with incredible vocal control. That in itself blows my mind! She's quite the song writer as well. From the posts I've seen on YouTube she's stumped an awful lot of people all over the world who love this song yet still have no clue what it's about. How cool is that!?
  • Armin from Dallas/fort WorthThis song is a good marker of when music went off the cliff in the 90s. I still can't get that tuneless, shrieking, grating chorus out of my head (HEYAYAY-HEYAYAY).
  • Nick from NycThis has to be the most annoying song EVER. Maybe the 2nd most annoying after ‘What I am’ by that awful Edie Brickell group.
    More like 4 Non-talents.
  • Hnibor Namlesna from Ycart, AcI love this song , it took me many listening to see what it meant to me. You are wrong to say it means nothing. I truly love it. Thank you.
  • JoshRecently hit a billion views on YouTube
  • Adrian from Joe Mama’sNever heard anybody say they got high and screamed Hey what’s going on? Song is horrible. It’s the only song I heard from them bc of Walmart and don’t want to hear anything else from them
  • Emyr Tomos from CarmarthenFantastic song which I never tire of. Linda's voice is amazing.
  • Seventhmist from 7th HeavenAnd I say, hey hey hey hey, I said hey, what's up with them naming the song "What's Up" when she never sings "what's up?"
  • Chris from VirginiaFirst time I heard this song, I did not pay attention to the first two stanzas, you know just driving along and then boom, Linda is screaming "whats going on?" And I am thinking WTF is that? so I turn up the radio a little bit more, and she is yelling out the word "revolution!" And I am thinking "holy shiit!" And then I am turning it up a bit more. So I am asking myself "what is going on?" Very driving melody and rock riffs driving the song forward. I hope they remaster this album to audiophile quality from the original masters.
  • Camille from Toronto, Oh To YourMom from Here, FL: Alanis Morrisette's "You Ought to Know" is raw and it rocks!
  • Camille from Toronto, OhI will unabashedly proclaim my love of this song. If it comes on the car radio, I love to crank it up and sing very loudly along with it. So, Rebecca from Wolverhampton, England, I can understand why you love it so much as a karaoke tune. I was in my mid-thirties and just becoming a mom when it came out. Twenty years later, I think it still stands the test of time. Love hearing of Linda Perry's songwriting success. The only thing about this song is the title is confusing and somehow, I wish they could have given it a better name. However, "Bigger, Better, Faster, More" has to be one of the very best album titles ever.
  • Yourmom from Here, FlI can understand that art is a matter of taste, but some of the comments being posted here are a bit harsh. Anyone can be a critic, and claim they can play the music and write better lyrics, but can you? Don't tell me you can, do it. This song is very deep. It's about overcoming life's turbulent moments. I remember a lot of the music that was coming out in this period of time, even though I was pretty young... only about 8 when "What's Up?" came out. I remember when Alanis Morrisette came out with "You Oughta Know" a few years later, my parents didn't "Get it". My dad saw the music video on MTV and asked "It's a good song, but why does she have to SCREAM the lyrics?" That's the point. The lyrics are her yelling at someone who made her angry. It doesn't matter to me if Linda doesn't sing like some other singer. She sings like Linda, and that's what's important. She keeps it real, and she's herself.
  • Claude from Kingston, MaThere was some really bad music coming out at this time and this is the best example. An dyslexic dog with autism could play this song after practicing it for 15 minutes.
  • Runcil from Mumbai, India@ Adam: true it reminded me too of dat song wen I first heard it. I always picturize dis song with the visual of a very sad girl reminiscing abt her torrid past while walkin on a beach...
    at the same time, let me tell u, hear dis song wen ur alone on d beach, simply spectacular!
  • Saytunebunnyday from Newport News, VaAlways been a little dense, and after hearing this wonderful song I looked for years without success for the name of the guy who performed it....durr.
  • Adam from Zielona Góra, PolandThe melody reminds me of Bobby MacFerrin`s `Don`t worry be happy`!!! I think every song has unconcious twin melody. :)
  • Charlie from Viña Del Mar, ChileLove this song..I was 25 when it was number 1 back in 1993..."25 Years and my life is stil trying to get ...??" never understood that part
  • Pete from Pleasant Mount, PaThis is one of my favorite albums.Linda has an awesome voice.I always thought she was pretty hot too.
  • Bertrand from Paris, France"What's Up?" seemingly appeared out of nowhere becoming a neo-folkie, hippie hit first on modern rock radio stations and then crossing over to pop. Although it only reached #11 on the pop chart, it has been a fixture on pop radio stations ever since. The group 4 Non Blondes never duplicated the success of this hit, but lead vocalist Linda Perry has become a successful songwriter and producer, particularly in work with Pink.
  • Paul from Detroit, Mia girl i was dateing and i got drunk and had sex to whats up she got on top and sang it to me it was the best sex ever lindas voice the music the alcohol very good combo
  • Chenel from Salamanca, NyBLAH. What's Up with this girl? What was she thinking? My brain hurts every time I hear this song. But I do like singing it to annoy my dad because he equally doesn't like it.
  • Mjn Seifer from Not Listed For Personal Reason, EnglandYou should check out video, just to see what the singer wears...
  • Sue from WonderlandGreat song for slowdancing to at high school disco's... aah the memories :)
  • Amandass from Buckley, Wathis song will always remind me of 7th grade
  • Dee from Indianapolis, InI was listening to this band before anyone really knew of them back when I was in my last year of college. The dance version still is one of my favs!!
  • Rebecca from Wolverhampton, Englandthis song is my favourite karaoke tune
  • Maggie from Austin, TxWHATS GOING ONNNN
  • Jonathan from Natchitoches, LaAppeared in Season 1 Episode 19 of Cold Case on CBS. The name of the episode is "Late Returns."
  • Dave from Cardiff, WalesDJ Miko's dance version of "What's Up?", released just 11 months after 4 Non Blondes' original, was a transatlantic hit, but was an absolutely abysmal cover. How can you make an uplifting version of a song containing lyrics about nightmare experiences in one's life?!
  • Nick from Arlington Heights, IlPerry also wrote Christina Aguilera's hit "Beautiful"
  • Charles from Charlotte, NcIncluded in the Blender/VH1 special "The 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs".
  • Pete from Nowra, AustraliaLinda Perry great vocal range in this song , another great track from the album is "spaceman" have a listen
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