4 Non Blondes - Whats Up?

One day in 1993 when I was a junior in high school, I actually listened to the mainstream radio and found a song I really liked. Or maybe I wasn't listening to the radio, but instead was watching VH1 when they actually played music videos like MTV once did. I don't remember the first time I heard the song. I remember hearing it in a music store in Northpark Mall while walking down the aisle by the rock-pop CDs and hearing the music come over the store's speakers. I was in that record store a lot, many times not buying a CD but just having a place to hang out, look at the CD's covers and lists of songs, and know how many albums a particular artist had.
But the song, the one that sang obnoxiously:

"And so I wake in the morning and I step outside,
And I take a deep breath,
And I get real high,
And I scream from the top of my lungs:
What's goin' on?
And I say, hey, hey, hey, hey.
I say hey, what's going on?"

It was an addictive tune: a catchy hook, line and sinker. The energy of 4 Non Blondes was infectious and I found that "What's Up?" became a song playing inside my mind constantly: while taking tests, while walking from one class to another in the busy and crowded halls, and on the ride home when Mom or Dad picked me up after school.

Twelve years later the song would hold another memory instead. I was dating Becky at the time, only two months into a three month relationship. This one evening we had gone out to the restaurant where we'd first met, Mia's. It was a Saturday evening and Betty Dylan was performing on stage like they were when we met in December. I had not eaten much earlier that day, we both had a couple of drinks, and found soon after that a combination of lack of food and Snoopy's stronger-than-usual drinks had made me sick. I had only one drink and felt ill. The bar was crowded and Becky disappeared for a while to the restroom and then closer to the band to hear them better when they sang, "Me and Bobby McGee." That is her favorite song and the lead singer of Betty Dylan does a great cover of it. A few songs later, I realized that she was still sitting up there, oblivious of how much time had passed, so I went to her and said it was time for us to go home; I felt ill. So we left. I got inside just in time to be relieved of feeling ill, and in her absentmindedness Becky put on the stereo another one of her favorite songs, "What's Up?" It was very loud and my head felt like it was suffocating. I was disappointed in her. I went into the living room, looked at her, went to the stereo, turned it off, and said I was going to bed. Afterwards we talked for a long time, nothing making much sense, but sleep came and we both felt better in the morning. Yet, the night before gave me a peek at something that I didn't like. I also decided that I didn't like "What's Up?" or 4 Non Blondes anymore.