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.
Big Bad John
Various Artists Lyrics
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Big John
Every mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
He stood 6 foot 6 and weighed 245
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
And everybody knew you didn't give no lip to Big John
Big John
(Big Bad John)
Big John
Nobody seemed to know where John called home
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
He didn't say much he's kinda quiet and shy
And if you spoke at all you just said, "Hi" to Big John
Somebody said he came from New Orleans
Where he got in a fight over a Cajun queen
And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
Sent a Louisiana fella to the promised land, Big John
Big John
Big John
(Big Bad John)
Big John
Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last, 'cept John
Through the dust and the smoke
Of this man made hell walked a giant of a man
That the miners knew well
Grabbed a saggin' timber and gave out with a groan
And like a giant oak tree just stood there alone, Big John
Big John
Big John
(Big Bad John)
Big John
And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
Then a miner yelled out, "There's a light up above"
And 20 men scrambled from a would be grave
And now there's only one left down there to save, Big John
With jacks and timbers they started back down
Then came that rumble way down in the ground
And as smoke and gas belched out of that mine
Everybody knew it was the end of the line for Big John
Big John
Big John
(Big Bad John)
Big John
Now they never reopened that worthless pit
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
These few words are written on that stand
"At the bottom of this mine lies a big, BIG man Big John"
Big John
Big John
(Big Bad John)
Big John
Big John
(Big Bad John)
The song “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean narrates the tale of a colossal man named John, who worked at a mine. The lyrics describe how imposing John looked – standing at 6 foot 6 inches and weighing 245 pounds. He was someone who commanded respect and nobody dared to talk back to him. John had an air of mystery surrounding him; nobody knew where he came from or where he lived. He was a quiet and shy person, and if someone spoke to him, they would usually only say "hi." However, Jimmy Dean adds a colorful story to John’s life when he tells us how someone said he was from New Orleans and got into a fight over a Cajun queen that ended with him sending a Louisiana local to the “promised land” with a blow from his right hand.
The song takes an unexpected turn when there is a cave-in at the mine. The miners are trapped, and everyone thinks their time has arrived until John's strength comes into play. The dust and smoke clear, and there is John standing like a giant oak tree, preparing to save his coworkers. John exerts his mighty strength and rescues his colleagues by pushing them towards the light that they saw above. But, as they’re escaping, the mine caves in again, and it's all over for John. The last man to leave the pit saw the marble stand at the entrance with words written on it paying tribute to the brave "Big Bad John."
Line by Line Meaning
Every mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
Every day, Big John would arrive at the mine in the morning.
He stood 6 foot 6 and weighed 245
John was a large man, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 245 pounds.
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
And everybody knew you didn't give no lip to Big John
Because John was so big, no one dared to argue with him.
Nobody seemed to know where John called home
No one knew where John came from.
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
He arrived in town with no real purpose and kept to himself.
He didn't say much he's kinda quiet and shy
John was shy and didn't speak much.
And if you spoke at all you just said, "Hi" to Big John
If you did speak to him, all you needed to say was hello.
Somebody said he came from New Orleans
There was a rumor that John was from New Orleans.
Where he got in a fight over a Cajun queen
According to the rumor, he got into a fight over a woman from Louisiana.
And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
John was said to have knocked out the other man with a powerful punch.
Sent a Louisiana fella to the promised land, Big John
The blow was so powerful that the Louisiana man died, and John earned the nickname Big John.
Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
One day, while working in the mine, something happened.
When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
A timber broke, causing chaos, with men screaming.
Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
The miners began to pray, and everyone's heart raced.
And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last, 'cept John
Everyone thought it was the end, except for John.
Through the dust and the smoke
Despite the dust and smoke from the collapsed mine,
Of this man made hell walked a giant of a man
John emerged from the mine, a giant compared to the other men.
That the miners knew well
The miners recognized him as Big John.
Grabbed a saggin' timber and gave out with a groan
John was able to lift the broken timber and groaned from the effort.
And like a giant oak tree just stood there alone, Big John
Like a mighty oak tree, John stood alone, providing support for the other men.
And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
John used all his strength to free the trapped miners.
Then a miner yelled out, "There's a light up above"
One of the miners spotted a way out and shouted to the others.
And 20 men scrambled from a would be grave
20 men were saved from what could have been their grave.
And now there's only one left down there to save, Big John
Only John remained in the mine, risking his life to save the others.
With jacks and timbers they started back down
The miners went back into the mine to try to rescue John.
Then came that rumble way down in the ground
Suddenly, there was a rumble deep within the mine.
And as smoke and gas belched out of that mine
Smoke and gas began to pour from the mine's opening.
Everybody knew it was the end of the line for Big John
Everyone knew that John would not make it out alive.
Now they never reopened that worthless pit
The mine was never reopened after the disaster.
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
Instead, a memorial was created with a marble stand at the site.
These few words are written on that stand
A few words are inscribed on the memorial.
"At the bottom of this mine lies a big, BIG man Big John"
The memorial reads, "Here lies Big John, a great man who gave his life to save others."
Contributed by Charlie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.