What's Up (song)
Encyclopedia
"What's Up?" is a rock
song written by Linda Perry
for 4 Non Blondes
' debut album Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
(1992). It was released as the album's second single
in 1993 (see 1993 in music
). It was very successful in Brazil and in several European countries, peaking at number one in Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands.
. The title was chosen to avoid confusion with the 1971 R&B song and album "What's Going On
" by Marvin Gaye
.
's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders, "What's Up?" ranks #94. It also ranks at #16 on Blender
's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever". Similarly, it is ranked #19 on Spinner.com
's list of the "Top 20 Worst Songs Ever." Most recently, in September 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio
ranked the song at #20 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, calling it "[t]he sonic equivalent of those 'hang in there' posters with the cat on a tree limb, except much screechier."
The recording received considerable airplay success. It reached number 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
and went gold, but peaked higher throughout the rest of the world, reaching number one in Germany
and Ireland
, while reaching number two in the United Kingdom
and Australia
. The song was remixed by DJ Miko
in 1994, reaching number six in the United Kingdom.
CD maxi
Cassette
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song written by Linda Perry
Linda Perry
Linda Perry is an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer. Once best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, Perry has founded two record labels and has become a major songwriter and producer...
for 4 Non Blondes
4 Non Blondes
4 Non Blondes was an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1989. The group was formed by bassist Christa Hillhouse, guitarist Shaunna Hall, drummer Wanda Day, and vocalist and guitarist Linda Perry. Prior to the release of their first album, Roger Rocha replaced Hall on...
' debut album Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
- Personnel :* Linda Perry - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals* Roger Rocha - guitar* Christa Hillhouse - bass, vocals* Dawn Richardson - drums- Additional personnel :* Shaunna Hall - guitar* Rory Kaplan - mellotron* Suzie Katayama - cello...
(1992). It was released as the album's second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1993 (see 1993 in music
1993 in music
This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....
). It was very successful in Brazil and in several European countries, peaking at number one in Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands.
Background and writing
Despite the title, the song does not contain the phrase "what's up?" Rather, the lyric "what's goin' on?" is prominently included in the chorusRefrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
. The title was chosen to avoid confusion with the 1971 R&B song and album "What's Going On
What's Going On (song)
"What's Going On" is a song written by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye. It was the title track of Gaye's groundbreaking 1971 Motown album What's Going On, and it became a crossover hit single that reached #2 on the pop charts and #1 on the R&B charts...
" by Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
.
Covers and uses in the media
- DJ MikoDJ MikoDJ Miko is an Italian DJ. He had a hit with a cover of Four Non Blondes's "What's Up" in 1994, one year after the original...
's remix was dubbed into Jock Jams, Volume 2. This segueSegueA segue is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next.-In music:In music, segue is a direction to the performer. It means continue without a pause. It comes from the Italian "it follows". The term attacca is also used in classical music.For written music it implies a transition...
d into Happy and You Know ItIf You're Happy and You Know It"If You're Happy and You Know It" is a popular repetitive children's song, stemming from an old Latvian folk song. The song is supposed to belong to the public domain, although many of the different versions of the song are still protected by copyright law...
by Ray CastoldiRay CastoldiRay Castoldi has been the organist at Madison Square Garden since 1989. During the summer, when the New York Rangers and New York Knicks are spending their offseasons, Castoldi can be heard at the organ at New York Mets games at Citi Field . Because of this, he is the only person to play for the...
. - Pop/Rock performer PinkPink (singer)Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
performed this song live during her I'm Not Dead TourI'm Not Dead TourThe I'm Not Dead Tour was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter Pink, in support of her fourth studio album I'm Not Dead. The tour reached Europe, North America. Australasia, and Africa and Asia.-About the tour:...
. She then went on to also add it to her Funhouse Summer Carnival TourFunhouse Summer Carnival TourThe Funhouse Summer Carnival Tour is an extension of the Funhouse Tour , the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Pink. The tour supported her fifth studio album, Funhouse...
. - The 2010 video game Lips: Party ClassicsLips: Party ClassicsLips: Party Classics is a video game for the Xbox 360, and the second follow-up to the original Lips. Party Classics is being developed by iNiS and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game, like all the other titles in the main Lips series, features the use of motion sensitive wireless...
features this song. - American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
Season 9 runner-up Crystal BowersoxCrystal BowersoxCrystal Lynn Bowersox is an American singer-songwriter and actress, who was the runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol...
performed this song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Show. - Taiwanese singer A-meiA-MeiA-Mei , also known by her birth name Chang Hui-mei , is an aboriginal Taiwanese pop singer and occasional songwriter. She is also known by her aboriginal name Gulilai Amit . She was born in the rugged mountains of eastern Taiwan and is the third youngest of nine siblings. A-mei made her debut in...
covered this song in her A-mei Live in Concert 1998 Prelude album. As the name suggests, she also performed it during her 1998 tour. - Slack Circus made a techno version of the song covered by He-ManHe-ManHe-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
. The remix was entitled "He-Man's Fabulous Secret Powers". - Ukrainian singer Alena Vinnitskaya covered the song in 2004.
Critical reception and chart performances
On VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders, "What's Up?" ranks #94. It also ranks at #16 on Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever". Similarly, it is ranked #19 on Spinner.com
Spinner.com
Spinner is an AOL Music property, which bills itself as "the ultimate music blog for free MP3s, free CD listening, [and] discovering new artists."...
's list of the "Top 20 Worst Songs Ever." Most recently, in September 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
ranked the song at #20 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, calling it "[t]he sonic equivalent of those 'hang in there' posters with the cat on a tree limb, except much screechier."
The recording received considerable airplay success. It reached number 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and went gold, but peaked higher throughout the rest of the world, reaching number one in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, while reaching number two in the United Kingdom
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The song was remixed by DJ Miko
DJ Miko
DJ Miko is an Italian DJ. He had a hit with a cover of Four Non Blondes's "What's Up" in 1994, one year after the original...
in 1994, reaching number six in the United Kingdom.
Track listings
7" single / CD single- "What's Up?" – 4:16
- "What's Up?" (piano version) – 4:09
CD maxi
- "What's Up?" (edit) – 4:16
- "What's Up?" (remix) – 4:51
- "Train" – 3:47
- "What's Up?" (piano version) – 4:09
Cassette
- "What's Up?" (LP version)
- "Train" (LP version)
- "What's Up?" (LP version)
- "Train" (LP version)
Personnel
- Written by L. Perry
- Mastered by Stephen Marcussen
- Recorded, mixed and produced by David Tickle
Peak positions
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 1 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 3 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 11 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 15 |
End of year chart
| End of year chart (1993) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 50 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Platinum | September 8, 1993 | 30,000 |
| Germany | 2 x Platinum | 1993 | 1,000,000 |
| Netherlands | Platinum | 1993 | 60,000 |
| Sweden | Gold | October 4, 1993 | 10,000 |