I'm not sure when I first heard today's feature. What drew me in was the catchy, melodic tune, but what hooked me was the chorus. "Whoa. What is going on?" I'm no singer, but if I'm alone in the car and this song comes up, I crank it up and scream right along with the ladies.
4 Non Blondes formed in the San Francisco Bay area in 1989. At a time when being openly gay carried a weightier stigma, the primarily lesbian group made further inroads into mainstream music than anyone before them. By comparison, The Indigo Girls top hit, "Closer to Fine", only managed to peak at 52 on the Hot 100 chart.
Lead vocalist and songwriter, Linda Perry, was the last to be signed, joining Christa Hillhouse (bass), Shauna Hall (guitar), and Wanda Day (drums) to form the original lineup. Their newly formed quartet's first rehearsal was scheduled for 17 October 1989, but was delayed - it was the day of the San Francisco earthquake. Not an auspicious start, but they regrouped and became a staple on the Bay Area music scene.
Their one and only major hit, "What's Up?", came off their only studio album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More! The album went platinum while the song topped multiple charts and was certified gold on stateside charts. The lyrics speak to universal themes of trying to find your way in the world and the struggle of dealing with a society that's not always very welcoming.
Interestingly, the track's title doesn't make an appearance in the lyrics. The song's refrain, "What's going on?" was also the name of a Marvin Gaye classic from 1971. In order to avoid confusion, the band simply called their tune "What's Up?".
Diverging pursuits among the band members led to its dissolution during the creation of their second album. Linda Perry went on to become a very much in demand songwriter, penning hits for Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, and most notably, Rock-tober alumna, Pink.
No comments:
Post a Comment