What's up? Lyrics — 4 Non Blondes
Album: Bigger, Better, Faster, MoreTrying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
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, 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 from the top of my lungs
What's going on?
And I say: HEY! yeah yeaaah, HEY yeah yea
I said hey, what's going on?
And I say: HEY! yeah yeaaah, HEY yeah yea
I said hey, what's going on?
ooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh
ooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh
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 bed
Just to get it all out
What's in my head
And I, 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 from the top of my lungs
What's going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what's going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what's going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what's going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what's going on?
ooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh ooooooooooooooooh
Twenty-five years I'm alive here still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
for a destination
mmh mh
Song Overview
Personal Review
“What's Up?” is that wild-haired bolt of ’90s alt-rock lightning whose lyrics turn everyday frustration into an accidental anthem. A scruffy four-minute storm that crests on Linda Perry’s raw howl, it still makes strangers in pubs fist-pump in ragged unison.
Song Meaning and Annotations
The track welds jangly pop-rock to a loose alt-folk spine, then lets Perry ramble like a street poet at dawn. Verse one paints a Sisyphean climb – “
25 years and my life is still tryin’ to get up that great big hill of hope” – over slouchy acoustic strums. Suddenly the pre-chorus tightens; drums kick a shuffle, bass swells, and she admits to crying in bed, feeling “a little peculiar.” When the chorus finally erupts, it’s pure catharsis – a neck-vein-popping “Hey-ey-ey… what’s going on?” that slices through Nineties cynicism.
Genre-wise, think of an unruly ménage: folk phrasing, grunge-era crunch, pop hooks, and a gospel-tinged vocal climb. That blend – plus lyrics that never quite solve their own riddle – helped it travel beyond rock radio and into queer bars, college dorms, and eventually Zoom karaoke rooms.
Historical pulse & cultural touchpoints: recorded in Sausalito after Perry insisted on re-cutting a slick corporate mix, the song dropped in March 1993, smack in the belly of MTV’s alt-rock gold rush. It soon topped charts in twelve European countries and peaked at #14 on Billboard Hot 100.
“For whatever that means”
The shrug that follows “brotherhood of man” hints at Perry’s fatigue with patriarchy – a wink back to Lennon’s “Imagine,” but wearier, more sardonic.
“And I pray every single day for revolution”
That line flips hippy utopianism into a plea for systemic overhaul. Four decades later, Gen-Z TikTokers still lip-sync it while news of new protests scrolls beneath.
Verse Highlights
Verse 1
Introduces that “great big hill of hope.” Hope here isn’t lofty; it’s a grubby incline you scramble up after a rent hike and a lousy day job.
Chorus
The hook’s power lies in its non-specificity. “What’s going on?” could target personal malaise, political rot, or, honestly, Tuesday afternoon traffic.
Verse 2
Perry doubles the effort – “Oh my God, do I try” – yet the “institution” still looms. The word lands like a brick: equal parts school, church, government, and record-label boardroom.
Key Facts
- Featured: none – Perry rules every second
- Producer: David Tickle (credit) / Linda Perry (self-declared)
- Composer & Lyricist: Linda Perry
- Release Date: March 11, 1993
- Genre: Alternative rock, pop-rock
- Instruments: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drums, piano, Mellotron
- Label: Interscope / Atlantic
- Mood: yearning-turned-defiant
- Length: 4 min 55 sec
- Track #: 3 on Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
- Language: English
- Music style: loose 6/8 lilt, gritty vocal, neo-hippie chord vamp
- Poetic meter: conversational free-verse (occasional trochaic bursts)
- © Copyrights: © 1992 Warner Music Group / ℗ 1992 Interscope Records
Songs Exploring Similar Themes
While Perry screams at the sky, Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ ’Bout a Revolution” whispers revolution through acoustic urgency, reminding us that quiet protest can cut just as deep. Next up, Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” swaps societal angst for personal betrayal, yet the venom-laced vocal acrobatics echo Perry’s raw honesty. Finally, Pink’s 2006 ballad “Dear Mr. President,” co-written with Perry herself, circles back to institutional critique, offering a cleaner pop shell but the same throb of righteous frustration.
Questions and Answers
- When was “What’s Up?” released as a single?
- March 11, 1993 – seven months after the album dropped.
- Why isn’t the title phrase in the lyrics?
- Perry chose “What’s Up?” to avoid clashing with Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.”
- How high did it climb on the Billboard Hot 100?
- #14 in July 1994, a rare feat for a queer-fronted rock act at the time.
- Did it win any awards?
- It earned an MTV VMA nomination for Best Alternative Rock Video in 1994.
- Is there an official video online?
- Yes – the 2011 YouTube upload has surpassed one billion views.
Awards and Chart Positions
#1 in twelve European nations, #2 UK, #14 US, and certified Gold by the RIAA; the clip snagged a 1994 MTV VMA nomination.
How to Sing?
Range hovers from E3 up to a belted B5; keep the chest voice gritty and let vowels widen on the “hey-ey-ey” hook. Tempo sits around 84 BPM in 6/8. Breathe deep before each chorus – that long ascending phrase will chew novice lungs. Drop the jaw, ride a slight rasp, and don’t be afraid of imperfect pitch; attitude trumps accuracy here.
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