What does What's Up mean?

4 Non Blondes: What's Up Meaning

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Album cover for What's Up album cover

Song Released: 1993


What's Up Lyrics

What's Up?

25 years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination.
I realised quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made for this
Brotherhood of man
For whatever that means

And so I cry...

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  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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     Apr 25th 2021 !⃝

    You do realize that the band members have openly said the song is not about being gay right? Also brotherhood of man is not a sexist phrase. Brotherhood of man is a biblical reference to human kind in general. She references God and prayer more than once in the song. The "whatever that means" in reference to the Brotherhood is more likely that people have forgotten we are a Brotherhood of man and thus the phrase has lost its meaning to us. The song basically means things are bad but she refuses to lose hope completely and faces each day with enthusiasm. You have to stop looking at the song through the modern lens of current 3rd wave feminist movement, they were still on wave 2, and the current Lgbtq+ agenda. Things have changed a lot since the song came out. First off when the song came out it was just the LGB movement. And gender identity disorder was still A DISORDER and children were of limits. There where very very few then screaming about the 'patriarchy' causing every little problem in their live up to and including making their soup not tasty and no sane person hated America. You must realize that all the music that was anti establishment in the early to mid 90s... Was during the Clinton administration. Cause back then people actually remembered that it was the democrats that opposed the civil rights bill of 68 and where actively camping to make the lives of blacks as miserable and difficult as possible after segregation ended.

  2. anonymous
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     Jan 9th 2023 !⃝

    The song is about a person, straight or gay doesn't matter, because it's not easy for anyone.
    The institution, is this life and trying to live it how other people say you are suppose to be or act.
    But every day is a new day so she takes a deep breath and gets real high and prays that today will be a better day.
    Maybe today will be the day that everyone stops telling me what I can't do or who I can't be.
    Or who I can't love.

  3. anonymous
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     Apr 15th 2020 !⃝

    This song is about all you morons and the ridiculous thoughts you all have of what you think this song is about. What it’s really about is some lady that wants to go outside In the fresh air and get high. Losers

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  4. anonymous
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     May 15th 2019 !⃝

    I believe that the variety of responses proves this can pertain to so many; so many men, women, gay, straight, you, old, pre-, or present millenials. And effing ETCETERA!!
    Patriarch is relevant but not even close to the entire point. Spreading the divide for gender equality, perhaps! I didnt catch that one because it doesn't relate (per say). To me it is frustration. End of the line, frustration. Go outside and scream at the freaking sky frustration even though you're normally 'sunshine'!

  5. anonymous
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     Feb 6th 2019 !⃝

    It's about being gay in part for sure. She tries to be "straight" and struggles with the dilemma inside that she actually likes women but it's "not acceptable" and it confuses her. The other lyrics are referring to society and the way it views things like this..she just wants to be free to feel the way she wants to

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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     Feb 6th 2019 !⃝

    It's about being gay in part for sure. She tries to be "straight" and struggles with the dilemma inside that she actually likes women. The other lyrics are referring to society and the way it views things like this..she just wants to be free to feel the way she wants to

  7. anonymous
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     Dec 9th 2018 !⃝

    I think that she is a woman with a hope to change the world.

    At this time in the world, there was TONS of sexism and discrimination towards LGBTQA+ people. That explains the lyric " I realized quickly when I knew I should
    That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
    For whatever that means "

    When the lyric " I try all the time, in this institution" comes on, the institution is the world and she tries very hard to make a difference in this world.

    In this song, the 4 Non Blondes are trying questioning the world and what's going on?

    They are an openly lesbian and queer band.


    Thanks for reading! Vote about how well you think I did!

  8. anonymous
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     Apr 21st 2018 !⃝

    To me ,it means for any choas that is going on in our lives or the world at the moment....we live in a f-upped country,we hate each other,were selfish ,we are so offended at everything ,we just suck as human beings...yes I lay in bed and cry (for my grandchildrens future)and everyday I scream whats going on.......Love God/do good...love to all

  9. anonymous
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     Feb 23rd 2018 !⃝

    25 year prison sentence and just trying to make it through. And you just want to scream. What's going on?

  10. anonymous
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     Aug 29th 2016 !⃝

    The song simply and clearly expresses the frustration of a young woman trying to get on in life.,. unsuccessfully.. due to the patriarchal nature of society.

    Aged 25, still trying to get up the ladder of hope, for some kind of destination... realising that it's a patriarchal world.. (Whatever this "brotherhood of man" means).. Crying sometimes at night just to get this stuff out.. And stepping outside in the morning and screaming "What's going on"?! ...at the ludicrous and endlessly frustrating patriarchal and misogynistic order of things!

    She tries... Oh my god yes she tries.. But is up against a patriarchal world.. in which we could take the "institution" to refer to society as a whole, or the ever male-dominated music industry in which these female musicians were striving to get ahead..

    And she prays.. Oh my god yes she prays.. For revolution.. For gender equality.. For revolutionising the sexist nature of society..

    HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON???

    HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON???

    The sexist nature of society and its constituent institutions need questioning!!!

    What the hell is going on with the prevailing sexist music industry and much of the world at large???

    Thanks to 4 Non Blondes for posing the question in such a classic song!

  11. anonymous
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     Jul 6th 2014 !⃝

    This song is about carrying on at all times, even when bad things happen. Saying 'hey' represents carrying on with your life.

  12. anonymous
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     Jul 15th 2012 !⃝

    The song is a representation of non binary gender teens realizing that something is very wrong as they get older.

  13. anonymous
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     May 10th 2012 !⃝

    The transition into adult hood from teens into young adult of 25. He is trying to become an adult but it isn't working. The institution is referring to society. He hides his feeling that it sucks to grow up.

  14. Stend.e
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     Apr 1st 2010 !⃝

    I'm quite sure this song is about a 25 year old girl who's been institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital,


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