What's Up

Album

Single

Label

ZYX

Genre

Eurodance

Media Type

45s

Duration

3:45

Composer(s)

Linda Perry

Entered Chart

Jun 18, 1994

Peak Date

Jul 16, 1994

Released

1993

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

ZYX 6691

Italian disc jockey DJ Miko covered the song as a dance track in 1993 (retitled without the question mark) with vocals provided by Italian singer Maria Capri. Capri does not appear in the music video nor on stage, as British performer Louise Gard lip-synched to Capri's vocals during live performances. 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. Critical reception In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "The biggest new hit of the week comes straight from the clubs. After setting dancefloors alight for weeks, this rather pointless dance remake of the 4 Non Blondes track crashes straight into the Top 10. As a dance track it seems to work alright but of course pales in comparison with the original which made No.2 in July last year." James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update described the song as a "truly bizarre galloping cheesy Eurodisco remake of the 4 Non Blonde's strangulatedly wailed 1993 smash". Mark Frith from Smash Hits gave it three out of five, noting that "keeping the lead vocal line and adding a techno techno techno backing is an interesting experiment, and it partly works too." He concluded, "It has enough cheek and novelty value to probably be a hit

Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh
Hey, yeah, yeah
I said, hey
What's going on?
And I say
Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh!
Hey, yeah, yeah!
I said, hey!
What's going on?

And I say
Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh!
Hey, yeah, yeah!
I said, hey!
What's going on?

Twenty-five years of my life and still
I'm trying 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 lie in my bed
Just to get it all out
What's in my head
And I'm
I'm 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 lung
What's going on?

And I say
Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh!
Hey, yeah, yeah!
I said, hey!
What's going on?

And I say
Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh!
Hey, yeah, yeah!
I said, hey!
What's going on?

What's going on?
What's going on?

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 lie in my bed
Just to get it all out
What's in my head
And I'm
I'm 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 lung
What's going on?

And I say
Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh
Hey, yeah, yeah!
I said, hey!
What's going on?

And I say
Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh!
Hey, yeah, yeah!
I said, hey!
What's going on?

And I say
Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh!
Hey, yeah, yeah!
I said, hey!
What's going on?

And I say
Hey, yeah, yeah, eh, eh!
Hey, yeah, yeah!
I said, hey!
What's going on?