What's Up? is a song by American alternative rock group 4 Non Blondes. The song was from the band's 1992 debut album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!. The song was also released as the album's second single in 1993. This song also appeared in Sense8
Writing and Background[]
While being in 4 Non Blondes' album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, the title "What's Up?" does not appear in the song's lyrics. However, the phrase "what's going on?" is prominently included in the chorus.
The title was altered to avoid confusion with Marvin Gaye's 1971 song "What's Going On."
Appearance in Sense8[]
Capheus singing along to What's Up? on the radio
What's Up? was played and sung by all eight of the main cast of Sense8 during the final act of the episode What's Going On?.
The song first started to play after Riley Blue selected the song to be played on her iPod player. Being a Sensate, the other seven in her cluster started to either sing the song to themselves and/or listen to the song within their location.
Lito Rodriguez, while in bed with a sleeping Hernando and Daniela Velasquez, began to tap his foot and sing the song to himself.
Capheus Onyango, while driving to deliver a backpack for Silas Kabaka, heard the song start to play on the radio and began to sing along.
Sun Bak, after training with her punching bag, showered while humming the song to herself.
Will Gorski, while doing research on Nomi Marks, began singing the song to himself.
Nomi, while strapped on her stretcher, sang the song to herself while the doctors and nurses was preparing for her lobotomy surgery.
Wolfgang visiting Kala while singing What's Up?
Wolfgang Bogdanow, while at a bar with Felix Berner and friends, heard the song play while on stage for karaoke and sang along with the lyrics on screen. Kala Dandekar was on the roof of her house the night before her wedding with Rajan Rasal and sang the song to herself.
While Wolfgang was singing at the bar, Kala visited him as well as he visited her on her rooftop as well as in her bedroom the next morning singing the song together.
Nomi visits Riley while singing What's Up?
With the aid of Will's ability to pick handcuffs and Amanita's nurse disguise, Nomi escaped from the San Francisco hospital and drove away in the backseat of a public taxi.
On their way back home, Nomi began to sing the song once again explaining that it was in her head all day. Unintentionally, Nomi then visited Riley, who is still on her hilltop, and began to sing What's Up? with her. Nomi continued to sing until stopping after returning back to the taxi and asking herself, "What's going on?"
Lyrics[]
- Twenty-five years and my life is still
- 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'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 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 ooh
- 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 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 hey hey hey
- I said hey, what's going on?
- And I say, hey hey hey hey
- I said hey, what's going on?
- Twenty-five years and my life is still
- Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
- For a destination
Trivia[]
- The main cast all sang What's Up? on location