if this were strictly on the merits of the original, I hate both of these but at least you can ignore "What I Am." However "What I Am" irritates me more lyrically, which is really saying something, because "What's Up" is not exactly Leonard Cohen. A difficult contest in which the only real fair move is self-immolation
― tight in the runs (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Monday, 5 August 2013 17:54 (ten years ago) link
The Edie is sooooo much better. Minus the Jerry Garcia envelope filter diaper-guitar solo.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 5 August 2013 17:55 (ten years ago) link
I still have love for OtR. They were not bad.
― Tottenham Heelspur (in orbit), Monday, 5 August 2013 17:55 (ten years ago) link
What's Up LyricsTwenty-five years I'm alive here stillTrying to get up that great big hill of hopeFor a destinationI realized quickly when I knew I shouldThat the world was made up of this brotherhood of manFor whatever that meansAnd so I cry sometimesWhen I'm lying in bed Just to get it all outWhat's in my headAnd I, I am feeling a little peculiar.And so I wake in the morningAnd I step outsideAnd I take a deep breath and I get real highAnd I scream from the top of my lungsWhat's going on?And I say: HEY! yeah yeaaah, HEY yeah yeaI said hey, what's going on?And I say: HEY! yeah yeaaah, HEY yeah yeaI said hey, what's going on?ooh, ooh oooooooooooooooohooh, ooh oooooooooooooooohand I try, oh my god do I tryI try all the time, in this institutionAnd I pray, oh my god do I prayI pray all sanctityFor a revolution.And so I cry sometimesWhen I'm lying bedJust to get it all outWhat's in my headAnd I, I am feeling a little peculiarAnd so I wake in the morningAnd I step outsideAnd I take a deep breath and I get real highAnd I scream from the top of my lungsWhat's going on?And I say, hey hey hey heyI said hey, what's going on?And I say, hey hey hey heyI said hey, what's going on?And I say, hey hey hey heyI said hey, what's going on?And I say, hey hey hey heyI said hey, what's going on?ooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh oooooooooooooooohTwenty-five years I'm alive here stillTrying to get up that great big hill of hopefor a destinationmmh mh
Twenty-five years I'm alive here stillTrying to get up that great big hill of hopeFor a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I shouldThat the world was made up of this brotherhood of manFor whatever that means
And so I cry sometimesWhen I'm lying in bed Just to get it all outWhat's in my headAnd I, I am feeling a little peculiar.
And so I wake in the morningAnd I step outsideAnd I take a deep breath and I get real highAnd I scream from the top of my lungsWhat's going on?
And I say: HEY! yeah yeaaah, HEY yeah yeaI said hey, what's going on?
ooh, ooh oooooooooooooooohooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh
and I try, oh my god do I tryI try all the time, in this institution
And I pray, oh my god do I prayI pray all sanctityFor a revolution.
And so I cry sometimesWhen I'm lying bedJust to get it all outWhat's in my headAnd I, I am feeling a little peculiar
And I say, hey hey hey heyI said hey, what's going on?
ooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh ooooooooooooooooh
Twenty-five years I'm alive here stillTrying to get up that great big hill of hopefor a destinationmmh mh
vs
I'm not aware of too many thingsI know what I know, if you know what I meanPhilosophy is the talk on a cereal boxReligion is the smile on a dogI'm not aware of too many thingsI know what I know, if you know what I mean, d-doo yeahChoke me in the shallow watersBefore I get too deepWhat I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?What I am is what I amAre you what you are orOh, I'm not aware of too many thingsI know what I know, if you know what I meanPhilosophy is a walk on the slippery rocksReligion is a light in the fogI'm not aware of too many thingsI know what I know, if you know what I mean, d-doo yeahChoke me in the shallow waterBefore I get too deepWhat I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what you are andWhat I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?Don't let me get too deepDon't let me get too deepDon't let me get too deepDon't let me get too deepChoke me in the shallow waterBefore I get too deepChoke me in the shallow waterBefore I get too deepChoke me in the shallow waterBefore I get too deepChoke me in the shallow waterBefore I get too deep
Choke me in the shallow watersBefore I get too deep
What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?What I am is what I amAre you what you are or
Oh, I'm not aware of too many thingsI know what I know, if you know what I meanPhilosophy is a walk on the slippery rocksReligion is a light in the fogI'm not aware of too many thingsI know what I know, if you know what I mean, d-doo yeah
Choke me in the shallow waterBefore I get too deep
What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?
What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what you are and
What I am is what I amAre you what you are or what?
Don't let me get too deepDon't let me get too deepDon't let me get too deepDon't let me get too deep
Choke me in the shallow waterBefore I get too deepChoke me in the shallow waterBefore I get too deep
― ..it would have sounded about as heavy as Talulah Gosh. (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 5 August 2013 17:55 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVK3Zo95Vhg
― pplains, Monday, 5 August 2013 17:56 (ten years ago) link
yeah I mean
Philosophy is the talk on a cereal boxReligion is the smile on a dog
that's game over in the horrible lyrics contest forever, flawless victory, none left standing, smoking pile of ash in the corner of every potential opponent. And then she goes and runs up the score with
― tight in the runs (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Monday, 5 August 2013 17:57 (ten years ago) link
if we had an open thread titled "name the worst most bad and hated song that ever charted: GO!" the answer would still be What's Up.
― resulting post (rogermexico.), Monday, 5 August 2013 17:58 (ten years ago) link
ah do yeah
― pplains, Monday, 5 August 2013 17:58 (ten years ago) link
I swear I cant think of a worse song than What's Up
― ..it would have sounded about as heavy as Talulah Gosh. (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 5 August 2013 17:58 (ten years ago) link
Mind you I cant think of a worse guitar solo than the one in What I Am
― ..it would have sounded about as heavy as Talulah Gosh. (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 5 August 2013 17:59 (ten years ago) link
I just realised this is why I hate 'what I am' and that I've never heard the original, I don't thinkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEOeClFSQ1o
As much as I love 'what's up' I've always been annoyed at "And I scream from the top of my lungs"You scream FROM the bottom of your lungs or AT the top of your lungs
Screaming from the top of your lungs would be like ~hhh eeehhhhh ehhh~ creepy shit
― kinder, Monday, 5 August 2013 17:59 (ten years ago) link
almost kinda miss these white hippie bands with like nine members. "Hey, you know how to shake the gourds? Well, we're not Camper Van Beethoven or anything, but if you were good enough for Poi Dog Pondering, you're good enough for us."
― pplains, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:00 (ten years ago) link
That Rusted Root song (dunno the name, it's in a bank commercial now or something) should've been a third poll option.
― Esperanto, why don't you come to your senses? (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:00 (ten years ago) link
xp to aero: but dog is god backwards DO YOU SEE
― THE WORINÐLVE (DJP), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:00 (ten years ago) link
yeah it was baby spices first solo song
― ..it would have sounded about as heavy as Talulah Gosh. (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:00 (ten years ago) link
tarfumes i dunno it and these 2 songs are well known all over the western world (which is why black velvet beat life is a highway)
― ..it would have sounded about as heavy as Talulah Gosh. (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:01 (ten years ago) link
even if "what's up" wasn't my least favorite song of all time (w/ "zombie" and "breakfast at tiffany's" right behind it) and even if "what i am" didn't quote popeye i'd still give it to brickell. she's capable of making steve martin laugh apparently which is something. plus there are other edie brickell songs i very passively enjoy in a shopping for produce and listening to solo natalie merchant way. otoh linda perry has actually been involved w/ a number of actually great songs. but none of them were by 4 non-blondes.
― balls, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:01 (ten years ago) link
like i couldve chosen toploader or that dodgy song but only the brits would know that
― ..it would have sounded about as heavy as Talulah Gosh. (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:02 (ten years ago) link
these are both great songs everyone is just jealous of how catchy they are!
― stefon taylor swiftboat (s.clover), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:02 (ten years ago) link
ohh yeah zombie coulda been a contender for whats up
Edie Brickell is easily explained when you realize she is super fucking stoned
Nothing can explain Linda Perry
― THE WORINÐLVE (DJP), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:03 (ten years ago) link
she's mad at grandma
― kinder, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:04 (ten years ago) link
"What's Up?" is a hideous misconception of a song from top to bottom and is only halfway listenable because the overwrought, wholly out-of-place vocal screeching"What I Am" is basically what Phish would sound like if they didn't want me to punch them in their phishy phaces― THE WORINÐLVE (DJP), Monday, August 5, 2013 12:49 PM (13 minutes ago)
"What I Am" is basically what Phish would sound like if they didn't want me to punch them in their phishy phaces
― THE WORINÐLVE (DJP), Monday, August 5, 2013 12:49 PM (13 minutes ago)
^^Truth.
― EZ Snappin, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:05 (ten years ago) link
I just keep imagining 4 Non Blondes as a band in the studio, putting down the backing tracks, and then Linda says "welp, time for me to BLOW SOME MINDS" and picks up the mic and screams into it while the anticipatory smiles on the faces of the rest of the band freeze and then become incredibly strained because they all remember what happened to Becky
― THE WORINÐLVE (DJP), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:05 (ten years ago) link
In Flight is a really nice album
― stefon taylor swiftboat (s.clover), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:05 (ten years ago) link
one thing i do really really really hate about 'what i am' though is how radio stations don't play the radio edit (probably don't have it in their library anymore) and so you have to hear brickell scat over a longer bridge leading up to that solo. tbh kinda really hate this trend of stations not playing radio edits of songs that really really worked better on the radio as radio edits (ie 'little red corvette' not 'sweet child o mine'). and despite this trend i somehow heard a radio edit of 'golden slumbers/carry that weight/the end' on the radio the other day - if you're going to play it at all why in god's name would you play an edit??? krs-one was right.
― balls, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:06 (ten years ago) link
ok this is a semi final the other one is Deep Blue Something - Breakfast At Tiffany's Vs Cranberries "Zombie"
― ..it would have sounded about as heavy as Talulah Gosh. (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:06 (ten years ago) link
The Crimes of Linda Perry is probably worth a thread.
Points in her favor for "Beautiful," America's Sweetheart, and maybe some of the Pink stuff but for the most part it's a trail of smoking craters and James Blunt.
― resulting post (rogermexico.), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:07 (ten years ago) link
song about a psychotic lady who starts screaming outside her door every morning
vs.
song about a crazy recluse pondering about the metaphysics of cereal boxes
― ⚓ (elmo argonaut), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:08 (ten years ago) link
at the end of the day, only one of these songs contains a section that goes "ooh/OOH"
― THE WORINÐLVE (DJP), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:09 (ten years ago) link
omg is there footage of Linda Perry singing "Beautiful"
― THE WORINÐLVE (DJP), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:10 (ten years ago) link
and so you have to hear brickell scat over a longer bridge leading up to that solo
oh witchy wah oh (???)
― ⚓ (elmo argonaut), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:10 (ten years ago) link
haha dan i had forgotten 'ooh/OOH'. god what an awful fucking song. all of these songs are so much worse than alannah myles and poor tom cochrane.
― balls, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:13 (ten years ago) link
dan the internet is here for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLMnV0suyZ8
― resulting post (rogermexico.), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:13 (ten years ago) link
from the comments, i learn things:
this song was meant for herself before then P!nk said she wants it but linda refused, insisting it for herself but the nXtina come along with her on the Stripped sessions and Linda let her listen to the song and then Christina want to record it too so Linda finaly let go
Religion is a smile on a dog"
OMIGOD is that what she says????
"I'm not aware of too many things" indeed
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:14 (ten years ago) link
choke these two women in shallow water
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:15 (ten years ago) link
Where was the edit in the Abbey Road medley?
Golden Slumbers always seemed to get to the chorus much faster than I remembered it, but when i listened to the album, it was like that all along.
Weird to look at radio edits - how on the album they were 4:16, but the radio edit was 3:42. I guess that's one more thirty for Sam's Transmission, but hell, was it really worth dropping that guitar solo?
http://airstre.am/dopamine72/Nicolas%20Cage%20Laugh.gif
― pplains, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:16 (ten years ago) link
Both sets of lyrics are equially fucking hideous
Only one of these songs has "horrible" music though.
― waterface, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:16 (ten years ago) link
i'm not aweer of too many things
― staind in the place where you live (crüt), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:21 (ten years ago) link
At least she admits it
― waterface, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:21 (ten years ago) link
guys
Edie Brickell and Paul Simon are still married.
Imagine what lyric writing conversations around the breakfast table are like.
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:22 (ten years ago) link
Paul probably just advises her to hire Los Lobos for sessions and then steal their material.
― Esperanto, why don't you come to your senses? (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:24 (ten years ago) link
omg Linda Perry has the dulcet tones of a sick cow
― THE WORINÐLVE (DJP), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:24 (ten years ago) link
Almost every Paul Simon song is way worse than either one of these songs
― waterface, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:25 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMLUkYUULuo
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:25 (ten years ago) link
WTF^^^^^
― waterface, Monday, 5 August 2013 18:26 (ten years ago) link
That is not OK to link asshole
this will probably be my only opportunity to say: waterface otm
― resulting post (rogermexico.), Monday, 5 August 2013 18:27 (ten years ago) link
(oops xpost so otm minus the "asshole" part but f'rills)
Imagine a Linda Perry/Steve Tyler screech duet
― DJP, Wednesday, 2 December 2020 14:18 (three years ago) link
i love that this poll is on ile
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 2 December 2020 14:20 (three years ago) link
Finally, a Tyler Perry that white people can understand.
― pplains, Wednesday, 2 December 2020 15:00 (three years ago) link
holy lol
― DJP, Wednesday, 2 December 2020 15:28 (three years ago) link
great songs both
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Saturday, March 11, 2017 12:11 PM (five years ago) bookmarkflaglink
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 6 June 2022 15:54 (two years ago) link
screaming at the top of my lungs
― Gymnopédie Pablo (Neanderthal), Monday, 6 June 2022 15:55 (two years ago) link
best “What” song from this era: Haddaway’s “What Is Love”
― butt-mooning is a polysemous word, hoss! (breastcrawl), Monday, 6 June 2022 16:25 (two years ago) link
Or Tribe's "What?"
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 6 June 2022 16:31 (two years ago) link
Whiney otm
― brimstead, Monday, 6 June 2022 19:27 (two years ago) link
Lol whoopsThe remix of “what I am” with the soul2soul/“loaded” beat rules
― brimstead, Monday, 6 June 2022 19:29 (two years ago) link
assumed bump was for https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/06/linda-perry-non-blonde-pink-christina-aguilera-dolly-parton-gwen-stefani-courtney-lovelooking at the Guardian took me a few times to not read it as Legendary Hat Maker
― maf you one two (maffew12), Monday, 6 June 2022 19:42 (two years ago) link
I have What's Up stuck in my head this morning and I want to die
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Wednesday, 31 August 2022 14:37 (one year ago) link
^fav Nirvana b-side
― and the worms, they entered his ass (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 31 August 2022 17:31 (one year ago) link
4 Non Blondes - What's Up (Official Music Video)1,373,815,500 views
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Wednesday, 31 August 2022 17:40 (one year ago) link
grocery store last night, place is basically two big rooms/areas and i guess they have two different sound systems. "What's Up?" was coming out of the speakers in the frozen/meat room; near the front, by the juice bar, another speaker was pumping out something where the lyrics got muffled out by the aisles of canned goods, but this chunky, thunky beat was coming through --- the kind of thing that 90s Yamahas keyboards would include as a "rap" or "hip-hop" beat, like bassy RZA drums with no spooky samples. anyway they were really locking together well, the BPM didn't synch completely so not everything worked but it sorta grounded and slowed down "What's Up?" in a way that i think really helped it a lot. maybe the best it's worked for me in years.not sure "What I Am" would be susceptible to this process, as its coffee-shop rhythm section is so much a part of the songwriting itself.
― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 17 November 2022 17:08 (one year ago) link
The unusual name of the band came from an experience the group had in the Bay Area with a blonde family. According to Christa Hillhouse, "Right next to us, there's a trash receptacle with a piece of pizza on top and the kid wanted to pick it up. The mom said, 'No, it's probably dirty, what with the pigeons and people.' And she stared right at us. We were Non Blondes."[8]
The experience and the name became a symbol that they didn't fit the California stereotype.
― omar little, Thursday, 17 November 2022 17:16 (one year ago) link
not sure "What I Am" would be susceptible to this process
just came across the existence of this thanks to an aside in David Cavanagh's Creation book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq3RJaAgh3U
― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Thursday, 17 November 2022 18:00 (one year ago) link
great find. wow the Mad Magic DJs really burned the midnight oil on that one, huh?
― Doctor Casino, Friday, 18 November 2022 12:22 (one year ago) link
hell yeah, balearic my friends
― lets hear some blues on those synths (brimstead), Friday, 18 November 2022 17:43 (one year ago) link