4 Non Blondes - What-s Up -cdm- -flac- - Up By ... [Fresh]

You mentioned the string ending with UP BY .... In file-sharing circles, releases are tagged with a group name, e.g., UP BY GROUPNAME. No official release from Interscope Records or Atlantic ever contains such text.

Those tags come from:

Downloading a FLAC rip of the “What’s Up?” CDM from such sources is copyright infringement. More importantly, you cannot verify the integrity of the rip. Was it ripped with error correction (EAC or XLD in secure mode)? Or was it a rushed burst rip with undetected jitter or missing samples?

Legitimate FLAC files include:

Search for:
4 Non Blondes – What's Up CD single 1993 Interscope 4 Non Blondes - What-s Up -CDM- -FLAC- - UP BY ...

Once you have the disc, rip to FLAC using Exact Audio Copy (Windows) or XLD (Mac). Always enable “secure mode” and verify against the AccurateRip database.

Cost: $8–20 USD used.

I will write a comprehensive, useful, and legal article about the CD maxi-single of “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes – including its tracklisting, audio quality (CD vs. FLAC vs. streaming), rare versions, and how to legally obtain high-resolution audio.

Here is that article.

| Format | Bitrate (typical) | Quality | File size (4:55 song) | |--------|------------------|---------|------------------------| | CD (WAV) | 1411 kbps | Lossless | ~50 MB | | FLAC | ~800–1000 kbps (variable) | Lossless | ~30 MB | | MP3 320 | 320 kbps | Lossy | ~11 MB | | Spotify (Ogg Vorbis) | ~160–320 kbps (varies) | Lossy (except Spotify HiFi) | ~10 MB | | YouTube Music (AAC) | ~128–256 kbps | Lossy | ~7 MB |

For a track like “What’s Up?” – which has a wide dynamic range, acoustic guitar, cymbals, and Perry’s voice shifting from whisper to full scream – lossy compression can introduce artifacts: watery cymbals, smeared transients, and a flattened soundstage.

In FLAC, the acoustic guitar in the intro (0:00–0:15) retains its natural string attack. The bass drum at 0:48 has real punch. And at 3:22 when Perry screams “Wake in the morning and I step outside” – the distortion on her voice is preserved as the producer intended, not blurred by MP3 “pre-echo.”

If you grew up in the 90s, you remember the video: Linda Perry in a giant floppy hat, screaming her soul out in a sparse, warehouse-like setting. The song is “What’s Up” (often mistakenly called “What’s Going On”), and it’s one of those rare tracks that has somehow become louder with time, not quieter. You mentioned the string ending with UP BY

Recently, while digging through lossless music forums, I stumbled across a search string that stopped me cold: “4 Non Blondes - What’s Up - CDM - FLAC - UP BY…” (the last part likely a username or release group).

To the average Spotify listener, that string looks like gibberish. But to a music archivist or an audiophile, it tells a specific story. Let’s break down why this particular song, in this particular format, still matters.

Qobuz sells the album Bigger, Better, Faster, More! in 24-bit / 96 kHz FLAC (hi-res). This is not the CDM master, but it is a recent remaster with slightly better dynamic range than the original CD.

Cost: ~$15 USD for the album; no standalone FLAC of just “What’s Up?” except as part of album. Downloading a FLAC rip of the “What’s Up

Released in 1992 on the album Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, “What’s Up” became a global smash in 1993. It’s a song about frustration, confusion, and screaming at the sky for answers. “25 years and my life is still / Trying to get up that great big hill of hope.”

It’s been parodied (He-Man’s “Heyeyeye” meme gave it a second life in 2012), covered endlessly, and used in countless films. But beneath the meme lies a genuinely raw, blues-infused rock performance that captures a specific kind of millennial and Gen X angst.