1992 was a year of radical and amazing change in music. And I was alive and living through it, aware and amazed. I actually remember exactly where and with who I was the first time I ever heard What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes; the sales floor of Chess King in the South Shore Mall with Joe Albury. It didn’t seem like such a pivotal moment in my life then, but as the days and weeks progressed and the song became the behemoth it was, it was easy to remember the moment. I had witnessed, as one can with one’s ears, the birth of greatness. There’s something signature about a ballad-like song that turns into an anthemic rock hymnal. It’s mellow but important. It’s both soft and loud. Its impact was about to usher in a flood of songs that paled in comparison but still determined the voice of the decade. And then there are the lyrics. An allegory of helplessness about the state of just everything. The angst of a generation. Confusion. Borderline despair. Hope.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: December 2, 2018. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.