The 4 Non Blondes’ 1993 song “What’s Up?” made the San Francisco band a one-hit wonder in the United States.
Written by lead singer Linda Perry, the song became known for its searching lyrics, prominent acoustic-guitar foundation and powerful vocal performance. Although its title is “What’s Up?”, the phrase “what’s going on?” is repeated throughout the chorus, which has caused listeners to use the latter phrase when identifying it.
“What’s Up?” reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became an international hit. It appeared on the band’s only studio album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, released in 1992. The group broke up before releasing a second album, while Perry later became a successful songwriter and producer for other artists.
The title confusion is one of the song’s most common trivia details: it is officially called “What’s Up?” but does not use that exact phrase in its lyrics. That distinction separates it from similarly titled songs.