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Lady Gaga Covers 4 Non Blondes’ ‘What’s Up’ in Vienna

Lady Gaga, 4 Non-Blondes, Cover, What's Up

We’ve all been tempted to try it in our darker, drunker moments, but even from those of us bold enough to attempt it, few karaokers in history have ever matched Linda Perry when it comes to belting out 4 Non Blondes’ era-defining (for better or worse) lone hit, “What’s Up.” But if there’s one woman who fears no entry in the Sunfly songbook, it just might be Lady Gaga, who took on the 1993 crossover hit with typical full-throated elan at her ArtRave show in Vienna over the weekend, putting an oomph into her rendition that makes even Perry herself sound uncommitted by comparison.

Gaga mopes introspectively around the stage for most of the song, as if this were the big closing number in the jukebox musical about her life, and extends the song’s runtime to a solid six-plus minutes, just to ensure she gets her absolute money’s worth with those “AND I SAID HEYYY-EE-EYYYYYs.” Even the times on the verses where she can’t quite reach the high notes, her performance is so emotionally (and physically!) invested that you can’t really be anything but awed by it.

Kudos, Stefani. Don’t take “Kiss From a Rose” from us, though, that’s our ’90s karaoke go-to. Watch Gaga’s rendition above, and test out your own inferior pipes on the original below.

//www.youtube.com/embed/6NXnxTNIWkc