The term Various Artists is used in the record industry when numerous singers and musicians collaborate on a song or collection of songs. Most often on Last.fm, compilation album tracks appear under the name of Various Artists erroneously because the individual artist is not listed in the album's ID3 information.
Compilation albums, for example.
Sometimes, single releases may be credited to Various Artists when their profits are going to charity and, usually in high-profile cases, are sometimes known by a group name. Examples include Band Aid with their releases of Do They Know It's Christmas? and USA for Africa with We Are The World.
Various Artists is also an actual performance name for Torsten Pröfrock, who runs the German DIN label. Torsten performs also as Dynamo, Erosion, Resilent, Traktor besides some others. He's a good friend of Robert Henke and since the Fall of 2004, he is a member of Monolake.
Various Artists was also a short-lived Bristol punk band formed by brothers Jonjo and Robin Key (originally from Birmingham). Other members were also simultaneously in Art Objects who went on to become The Blue Aeroplanes, the latter the Key brothers also co-wrote some songs and were involved in. When Various Artists imploded, the Key brothers went on to form Either / Or.
Various Artists also appear on tracks from musical theater soundtracks, due to the nature of having many cast members on one song, as well as an ensemble in some cases.
9 To 5
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
And yawn and stretch and try to come to life
Jump in the shower
And the blood starts pumpin'
Out on the streets, the traffic starts jumpin'
Workin' 9 to 5
What a way to make a livin'
Barely gettin' by
It's all takin' and no givin'
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
It's enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it
9 to 5
For service and devotion
You would think that I
Would deserve a fat promotion
Want to move ahead
But the boss won't seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is
Out to get me, hmmm
They let you dream
Just a watch 'em shatter
You're just a step on the boss man's ladder
But you got dreams he'll never take away
In the same boat with a lot of your friends
Waitin' for the day your ship'll come in
And the tide's gonna turn
And it's all gonna roll you away
Workin' 9 to 5
What a way to make livin'
Barely gettin' by
It's all takin' and no givin'
They just use your mind
And you never get the credit
It's enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it
9 to 5
Yeah, they got you were they want you
There's a better life
And you think about it, don't you?
It's a rich man's game
No matter what they call it
And you spend your life
Putting money in his wallet
9 to 5
Oh, what a way to make a livin'
Barely gettin' by
It's all takin' and no givin'
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
It's enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it
9 to 5
Yeah, they got you where they want you
There's a better life
And you dream about it, don't you?
It's a rich man's game
No matter what they call it
And you spend your life
Putting money in his wallet
The first verse describes the mundane routine of a typical workday. The singer wakes up early in the morning and struggles to get ready for work, drinking coffee to keep themselves awake. They then commute to work, which is exemplified by the starting of traffic. The second verse delves into the injustice of the work system. The singer works hard from 9 to 5, but receives no appreciation or reward for their efforts. They are taken for granted and not given any credit for their work. The chorus repeats the phrase “what a way to make a living” emphasizing the frustration and hopelessness of the situation. The third verse talks about the insurmountable odds of moving up in the company hierarchy. The singer wants to progress in their career but feels ignored by their boss, possibly because of their gender or race. The last verse is a message of hope; although the corporate world seems daunting, the singer has dreams that the boss cannot take away. They are not alone in their struggles, and they believe that someday things will get better.
Line by Line Meaning
Tumble out of bed
I awaken with difficulty and clumsiness
And stumble to the kitchen
I walk unsteadily to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
I make coffee to energize myself
And yawn and stretch and try to come to life
I try to wake up by stretching and yawning
Jump in the shower
I take a shower to wake myself up
And the blood starts pumpin'
My veins begin to pulsate
Out on the streets, the traffic starts jumpin'
The city comes to life
For folks like me on the job from 9 to 5
People who work all day long
Workin' 9 to 5
Working constantly throughout the day
What a way to make a livin'
This job is not a good way to make a living
Barely gettin' by
I'm struggling to survive financially
It's all takin' and no givin'
All I do is give, and I get nothing in return
They just use your mind
My superiors take advantage of my intelligence and skills
And they never give you credit
I never receive recognition for my work
It's enough to drive you
It's frustrating enough to...
Crazy if you let it
...make someone feel unstable
9 to 5
Working all day long
For service and devotion
Despite my loyalty and hard work
You would think that I
I should be rewarded, given
Would deserve a fat promotion
a significant promotion
Want to move ahead
I have aspirations for advancement
But the boss won't seem to let me
Unfortunately, my boss does not allow me to move forward
I swear sometimes that man is
I believe that my boss is
Out to get me, hmmm
purposely trying to ruin my chances for success
They let you dream
They allow you to have aspirations
Just a watch 'em shatter
Only to have those aspirations broken
You're just a step on the boss man's ladder
You're nothing more than a rung on the corporate ladder
But you got dreams he'll never take away
Despite this, you still have dreams that will go unbroken
In the same boat with a lot of your friends
You're in the same situation as many of your co-workers
Waitin' for the day your ship'll come in
Hoping for an opportunity to succeed
And the tide's gonna turn
When the situation changes for the better
And it's all gonna roll you away
Everything will fall into place and you'll be better off
Workin' 9 to 5
Working all day long
What a way to make livin'
Not a good way to make a living
Barely gettin' by
I'm barely surviving financially
It's all takin' and no givin'
All I do is give, and I get nothing in return
They just use your mind
My superiors take advantage of my intelligence and skills
And you never get the credit
I never get recognized for my work
It's enough to drive you
It's frustrating enough to...
Crazy if you let it
...make someone feel unstable
9 to 5
Working all day long
Yeah, they got you where they want you
I'm trapped and unable to leave
There's a better life
There are better opportunities out there
And you think about it, don't you?
I think about it all the time
It's a rich man's game
Success is only for those who are wealthy
No matter what they call it
Regardless of how they portray it
And you spend your life
I spend my entire life
Putting money in his wallet
Making someone else rich
Contributed by Nolan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.