Warning! Deleting this artist may remove other artists and scrobbles from y… Read Full Bio ↴Warning! Deleting this artist may remove other artists and scrobbles from your library - please handle this with caution! Note: You can view albums tagged as 'Various Artists' in your library here.

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.

Ben
Various Artists Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you my friend will see
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
Ben, you're always running here and there

You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's something you should know
You've got a place to go
You've got a place to go
I used to say, I am me
Now its us, now its we
I used to say, I am me
Now its us, now its we
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they were trying to
I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
A friend
Like Ben

Like Ben
Like Ben.

Overall Meaning

The song "Ben" is a tribute to a rat as the lyrics outline the special bond between a boy and his pet rat. The song starts with the boy telling his rat friend that they no longer have to search for a friend because they have found each other. He talks about how he will never be alone as he has his friend by his side, and emphasizing the mutual platonic love and support that they have for each other by telling Ben, "You've got a friend in me."

The second half of the song focuses more on Ben and his feelings of insecurity and not feeling wanted in the world. The boy reassures Ben that he does have a place to go and that he will always be there for him. "Most people would turn you away/ I don't listen to a word they say/ They don't see you as I do/ I wish they were trying to/ I'm sure they'd think again/ If they had a friend like Ben." The song conveys the message that true friendship is unconditional and that it can be found in the most unexpected places.

Line by Line Meaning

Ben, the two of us need look no more
We have found what we were searching for, so we don't need to look anymore.

We both found what we were looking for
We have found what we were searching for.

With a friend to call my own
Having a friend makes me feel less alone.

I'll never be alone
Having a friend means I will never feel lonely.

And you my friend will see
You will eventually see.

You've got a friend in me
You have a friend in me.

Ben, you're always running here and there
You always seem to be moving quickly from place to place.

You feel you're not wanted anywhere
You feel like no one wants you around.

If you ever look behind
If you ever look back at your past.

And don't like what you find
And don't like what you see there.

There's something you should know
You should know that.