4 Non Blondes had a huge hit single in 1993 with "What's Up". A year later, DJ Miko remixed the track as a dance song, and it became a hit again, on radio and in clubs. The original version of the song overshadowed the groups' other work, with them being labeled as a 'one hit wonder', but they scored significant underground success, particularly with listeners drawn to their feminist political themes.
In 1995, 4 Non Blondes contributed the song "Misty Mountain Hop" to the Encomium tribute album to Led Zeppelin. The group also covered Van Halen's "I'm The One" for the popular slacker comedy 'Airheads'. Linda Perry went solo in 1996, and the band disbanded after recording, but not releasing, their second album.
Misty Mountain Hop
4 Non Blondes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What do you, what do you think I saw?
Crowds of people sittin' on the grass with flowers in their hair said,
"Hey, Boy, do you wanna score?"
And you know how it is.
I really don't know what time it was, woh, oh,oh
so I asked them if I could stay awhile.
Really out of my mind.
Just then a policeman stepped up to me and asked us, said, "Please,hey,
would we care to all get in line, Get in line."
Well, you know, they asked us to stay for tea and have some fun; Oh, oh,oh.
he said that his friends would all drop by, ooh.
Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see,
and baby, baby, baby, do you like it?
There you sit, sitting spare like a book on a shelf rustin',
ah, not trying to fight it.
You really don't care if they're comin'; oh, oh,
I know that it's all a state of mind.
If you go down in the streets today, baby, you better,
you better open your eyes. WOAH WOAH YEAH
Folk down there really don't care, really don't care, don't care , really don't , which, which way the pressure lies,
so I've decided what I'm gonna do now.
So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains
where the spirits go now,
over the hills where the spirits fly.
I really don't know.
The first verse of 4 Non Blondes' "Misty Mountain Hop" describes the lead singer taking a stroll in the park and stumbling upon a group of hippies. They offer drugs and sex, asking if he wants to score. He loses track of time and reality, leading to a confrontation with the police. The second verse is a reflection on the state of the world and the apathy of those who live in it. The song ends with the singer deciding to leave it all behind and head to the mystical and supernatural Misty Mountains.
The lyrics of "Misty Mountain Hop" speak to the counterculture movement of the 1960s and the search for spiritual enlightenment through the use of psychedelic drugs. The Misty Mountains mentioned in the song can be interpreted as a reference to the mystical land in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit."
Line by Line Meaning
Walkin' in the park just the other day, baby,
Narrating a carefree stroll in the park on an unspecified date
What do you, what do you think I saw?
Asks the listener to guess what the singer saw while taking a walk
Crowds of people sittin' on the grass with flowers in their hair said, "Hey, Boy, do you wanna score?"
Describing a crowd of hippies offering the singer drugs
"And you know how it is."
Assumes that the listener relates to the experience described
"I really don't know what time it was, woh, oh,oh
so I asked them if I could stay awhile."
Confessing that the artist lost track of time and asked if they could hang out with the hippies
"I didn't notice but it had got very dark and I was really
Really out of my mind."
Realizing too late that they had been under the influence of drugs for too long
"Just then a policeman stepped up to me and asked us, said, "Please,hey,
would we care to all get in line, Get in line."
Telling a story of a police officer asking the group to form a line
"Well, you know, they asked us to stay for tea and have some fun; Oh, oh,oh.
he said that his friends would all drop by, ooh."
Explaining that the police officer invited the group for tea and promised more company
"Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see,
and baby, baby, baby, do you like it?"
Suggesting the listener to self-reflect and question their appearance and personality
"There you sit, sitting spare like a book on a shelf rustin',
ah, not trying to fight it."
Comparing the listener's inactivity to a decaying book
"You really don't care if they're comin'; oh, oh,
I know that it's all a state of mind."
Confirming that the listener is apathetic and emphasizing that it's due to their mindset
"If you go down in the streets today, baby, you better,
you better open your eyes. WOAH WOAH YEAH
Folk down there really don't care, really don't care, don't care , really don't , which, which way the pressure lies,
so I've decided what I'm gonna do now."
Encouraging the listener to pay attention to their surroundings and revealing that the artist made a decision
"So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains
where the spirits go now,
over the hills where the spirits fly.
I really don't know."
Announcing the singer's plan to travel to a mystical place, unsure of what to expect
Contributed by Lila Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Wayne Kelly
Linda and the whole band were straight fire the best cover of this song I have ever heard .
AndyNyle
great video too : o
Neekerbreeker
Linda’s vocals are perfect as always but the musicians in this band deserve major credit. They’re freaking awesome!
DonnyG
Awesome cover of a classic. I'm impressed at how they captured the energy of the original and still managed to make it unique.
Mark Weiss
Willie Gordon No but when 4NB toured with Aerosmith Steven Tyler would come out every night and bow down to her - -its called a statutory license - -the composer gets paid every time we buy or I guess stream this - you, too can make your own version...Linda Perry has also mentored and co-wrote and produced numerous other artists, especially females. Also, in the 1990s in SF, there were legions of female led and female co-led bands
CRAFTUS - Flute -Guitar - Vocal
What exactly is unique or different from the original besides crazy eyes.
sexobscura
this is called:
'When Karaoke Goes Wrong'
Dirty Dave
This is great version of this song. They killed it.
Levin Whitfield
Linda Perry...one of the greatest female voices on the planet.
Ted Brown
Singing with passion....where has it gone. This is a classic case of doing justice to the powerful vocals of Robert. Congrats to Four Non blondes for capturing the essence of grit