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.
America
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the flag's been flyin' low
And a lot of people sayin'
That America's fixin' to fall
Well speakin' just for me
And some people from Tennessee
We've got a thing or two to tell you all
This lady may have stumbled
And if the Russians don't believe that
They can all go straight to hell
We're gonna put her feet back
On the path of righteousness and then
God bless America again
And you never did think
That it ever would happen again
In America, did you
You never did think
That we'd ever get together again
We damn sure fooled you
Yeah, we're walking real proud
And we're talkin' real loud again
In America
You never did think
That it ever would happen again
From The Sound up in Long Island
Out to San Francisco Bay
And everything that's in between them
Is our home
And we may have done a little bit
Of fightin' amongst ourselves
But you outside people best leave us alone
'Cause we'll all stick together
And you can take that to the bank
That's the cowboys and the hippies
And the rebels and and the yanks
You just go and lay your hand
On a Pittsburgh Steelers' fan
And I think you're gonna finally understand
And you never did think
That it ever would happen again
In America, did you
You never did think
That we'd ever get together again
We damn sure fooled you
Yeah, we're walking real proud
And we're talkin' real loud again
In America
You never did think
That it ever would happen again
And you never did think
That it ever would happen again
In America, did you
You never did think
That we'd ever get together again
We damn sure fooled you
Yeah, we're walking real proud
And we're talkin' real loud again
In America
You never did think
That it ever would happen again
The lyrics of "America" by Various Artists describe the resilience and unity of the American people. The song acknowledges the challenges that the country has faced, such as the eagle flying slow and the flag flying low, but asserts that America will not fall. The singer, speaking for themselves and people from Tennessee, declares that they have "got a thing or two to tell you all," indicating a sense of pride and determination.
The song then goes on to describe the diversity of America, but emphasizes that despite internal differences and disagreements, the country is united and will stand together against external threats. The line "you outside people best leave us alone" warns potential adversaries not to underestimate the strength and solidarity of the American people. The song closes with a repetition of the sentiment that America will never fall and will continue to walk confidently and speak loudly.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the eagle's been flyin' slow
The nation's progress has been slow and steady.
And the flag's been flyin' low
The nation's morale has been low.
And a lot of people sayin'
Many people are voicing their concerns.
That America's fixin' to fall
That America is on the verge of collapse.
Well speakin' just for me
Speaking solely from one person's perspective.
And some people from Tennessee
Representing a specific group of people from a specific region of the country.
We've got a thing or two to tell you all
We have some insights to share with everyone.
This lady may have stumbled
America has faced some challenges and setbacks.
But she ain't never fell
But the nation has never completely failed or collapsed.
And if the Russians don't believe that
If other countries doubt America's resilience,
They can all go straight to hell
they can go away.
We're gonna put her feet back
We will restore America's good standing.
On the path of righteousness and then
On a path of doing what is right and just.
God bless America again
May God continue to bless the nation.
And you never did think
You never expected
That it ever would happen again
That the nation would recover and thrive again.
In America, did you
Did you ever think it would happen in America?
We damn sure fooled you
We have proven doubters wrong.
Yeah, we're walking real proud
We are confident and proud.
And we're talkin' real loud again
We are speaking out and asserting ourselves.
From The Sound up in Long Island
From the shore of Long Island Sound.
Out to San Francisco Bay
All the way to San Francisco Bay.
And everything that's in between them
And all the regions in between.
Is our home
All those regions are our country.
And we may have done a little bit
We may have had some disagreements and conflicts.
Of fightin' amongst ourselves
Fighting among our own people.
But you outside people best leave us alone
But outsiders should not interfere in our affairs.
'Cause we'll all stick together
Because we will unite and support each other.
And you can take that to the bank
That is a fact that you can count on confidently.
That's the cowboys and the hippies
That includes people from all walks of life and backgrounds.
And the rebels and and the yanks
Including rebels and Yankees.
You just go and lay your hand
If you test our unity,
On a Pittsburgh Steelers' fan
Harming a fan of a Pittsburgh football team.
And I think you're gonna finally understand
You will learn a lesson the hard way.
Writer(s): Stephen Sondheim
Contributed by Julian B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.