4 Non Blondes тобының "What's Up?" әні туралы

1993 single by 4 Non Blondes

"What's Up?" is a song by American rock group 4 Non Blondes, released in March 1993 by Interscope and Atlantic Records as the second single from their debut album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More! (1992). The song was written by lead singer Linda Perry and produced by David Tickle. It has gained popularity in the United States and in several European countries, peaking at number one in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. The accompanying music video was directed by American film director Morgan Lawley The title does not appear in the song's lyrics, but the phrase "what's going on?" is prominently included in the chorus. A different version of the song, with lyrics and arrangement reworked by producer David Tickle, was originally recorded at Groove Masters studio as part of 4 Non Blondes' debut album, but Perry hated it so much that she complained to Interscope executives. When she was told that the song sounded fine, Perry took matters into her own hands and booked a recording session at The Plant for the band to re record her original version of the song.</blockquote>

Tickle's instrumental (over the original vocals) could be heard on Perry's episode of Behind the Music; Tickle's version was never released.

AllMusic editor Tom Demalon described the song as a "massive, neo hippie anthem" in his review of Bigger, Better, Faster, More! Rolf Edmund Lund from Norwegian Altaposten complimented Perry's voice as "incredibly good". Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "gymnastic vocals, leaping from a breathy, high range, to gravelly, bar rock blues in a single passage, front this straightforward, heartfelt rocker. Treads the line between album rock and modern rock, with the piano version favoring the former." Tom Sinclair from Entertainment Weekly described it as "funky" and added that it "is only one of the goodies in the Blondes' musical grab bag". In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton viewed it as "a wonderful piece of laid back summer rock (well, almost)". Pan European magazine Music & Media complimented it as a "strong composition", where the lyrics "are done more than justice by Linda Perry's impressive vocal touch." An Music & Media editor commented, "Toni Childs backed by a rock band playing Bobbie McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" comes closest as a description." Alan Jones from Music Week felt it is "charming" and "easily the best track" of the album. Steven Wells from NME named it Single of the Week, writing, "This has a nine foot tall titanium hook and a woman singer who does a fair bit of that Bjorkish OOOOOOEEEEEOOOEEE and seems to be demanding a revolution and is extremely pissed off about the world. Ooh, she's really getting going now. Damn, but this is good." R. S. Murthi from New Straits Times called it "anthemic" and remarked that it "is probably one of the simplest and catchiest pop songs to be produced in recent times." Carmen von Rohr from Rome News Tribune noted "the amazingly down to earth common sense lyrics" of "What's Up? ", and added that Linda Perry "sings in her rich, soulful voice about the frustrations she feels as she tries to adjust to her place in the universe." A reviewer from Sunday Life wrote that the song is "naggingly memorable". Ronny Johansen from Troms Folkeblad commented, "What a wonderful use of voice and what an irresistible song!"

The recording received considerable airplay success. It reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and went gold, but peaked higher in many other countries, reaching number one in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland while reaching number two in the United Kingdom and Australia.

"What's Up?" was ranked number 94 on VH1's "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders" and number 86 on the MuchMore "The Top 100 One Hit Wonders". Some critics disliked "What's Up?" Songwriters Carl Barât and Stuart Braithwaite named the song the worst ever. Dean Ween said: "It's as bad as music gets Everything about the song is so awful that if I sat down and tried to write the worst song ever, I couldn't even make it 10 percent of the reality of how awful that song is." In 2019, About. com featured it in their ranking of "The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s". Bill Lamb remarked that the song "seemingly appeared out of nowhere, becoming a neo folkie hit first on modern rock radio stations and then on the pop charts. Although it only reached number 11, it has been a radio fixture ever since."

A music video was produced to promote the single. It was directed by American film director Morgan Lawley and features the band, dressed in punk clothing, performing the song as they stand in a living room set decorated with paintings. In between, there is footage of the band in a park and a playground. It was nominated in the category for Best Alternative Rock Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref. (Reference)United StatesMarch 11, 1993CassetteInterscopeEuropeJune 11, 19937 inch vinyl, CDAtlantic

Italian disc jockey DJ Miko covered the song as a dance track in 1993 (retitled without the question mark) with vocals provided by British singer Louise Gard. Although the song was released as a stand alone single, it later appeared on DJ Miko's sole album, The Last Millennium, in 1999. DJ Miko's version was a modest hit in Europe in late 1993 and early 1994, reaching number five in Italy and Spain, number 13 in Finland, and number 17 in Sweden. The cover was released worldwide in mid 1994, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number eight on the Irish Singles Chart. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "What's Up" reached number 21. In the United States it reached number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 19 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. In the Australasia region, "What's Up" was popular in New Zealand, reaching number 23 on the RIANZ Singles Chart, but it was a commercial failure in Australia, reaching number 92 on the ARIA Singles Chart.