I often find myself in those still hours of the night, head tipped back, staring wide-eyed at a star-studded canopy. And as the haunting melody of “What’s Up” by 4 Non-Blondes hovers around me, I feel a strange yet powerful connection to it – an inexplicable harmony reverberating through my core. I ask like the song does: “What’s going on?”
At 32, that inquisitiveness has never left me. Sure, I’ve got a handle on many things: career paths, paying bills, managing love and heartbreak, all the jazz of life. But this lingering question echoes through the chambers of my heart, the same question that Linda Perry so passionately inquires: “And so I cry sometimes when I’m lying in bed, to get it all out, what’s in my head.”
There are moments when the abyss of the unknown unnerves me, not knowing my place in the grand scheme of things, feeling small in the face of the cosmos – a speck of dust against infinity. It’s this existential frustration that steepens my yearning for connection and meaning. “And I, I am feeling a little peculiar.” Yeah, peculiar sums it up pretty well. Life unfurls an unpredictable dance, and I’m still figuring out my steps.
The “What’s Up” chorus is almost like a plea, a piercing call into the silence. And I pray, oh my God, do I pray. Every single day for a revolution. However, unlike a desire for a societal overhaul, my revolution is a call to arms within myself. It’s a fervent wish for an enlightening transformation—to understand life’s intricacies and ascertain my place and purpose in this vast universe. Because isn’t it what we all want? A sense of belonging, not feeling adrift in a sea of uncertainty.
I found comfort in the raw vulnerability exuded by Perry’s voice. And every time she crooned, “Twenty-five years of my life and still, trying to get up that great big hill of hope for a destination,” I could sense a mirror reflecting back the struggles of my existence. Sure, I’m seven years ahead of that reference, but the essence remains—the continual uphill climb, the quest for a destination yet unknown.
My apprehension starts when I find life’s manual needing more instructions on negotiating its labyrinth-like terrain. “I realized quickly when I knew I should that the world was made up of this brotherhood of man.” It’s a conundrum—a push-and-pull situation. While I appreciate the brotherhood of man and the interconnectedness of us all, there’s also an underlying frustration. Sometimes, it feels like we’re all in an unspoken competition, measuring our lives against the yardstick of societal norms and expectations. The importance of understanding oneself has become lost in a world focused on external valuation.
Our society often shies away from raw conversations about life’s chaotic and sometimes messy journey and instead presents a rose-tinted, airbrushed version of reality. Living in such a world has been bewitching and confusing. Like Perry, “And I try, oh my god, I try, I try all the time, in this institution.” But amidst this chaos, being honest about my journey has been liberating and cathartic.
Yes, there are days when I find the world overwhelming. Still, as I hum along to “What’s Up,” its profound lyrics contextualizing my existential ennui, I am reminded that it is okay not to have all the answers. After all, we wander within the nebulous realms of being, yearning for the same clarity and asking the same question—“What’s going on?”
The song serves as a poignant reminder that it’s alright not to be okay sometimes; it’s acceptable to admit our fears, anxieties, and yearning for connection and meaning. Perry sings for all who face the relentless questioning and disappointment life throws our way, and through her song, we find solace. There’s comfort in shared uncertainty, a sense of belonging amidst the tumultuous sea of existential questioning.
Ultimately, “What’s Up” isn’t just a song to me—it’s a friend who listens to my silent cries in the night, a companion amid subterranean angst. And as the last strains of the melody fade into the quiet, I breathe—feeling seen, heard, and, above all, hopeful for that elusive revolution of understanding that we all crave. Because even the cosmos had to start somewhere, right? And as I take my place amidst the stars, I await the dawn of another day, willing to listen, learn, and keep questioning—again and anew, “What’s going on?”