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.
Black Or White
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you can't see his blood
It's nothing but some feelings
That this old dog kicked up
It's been raining since you left me
Now I'm drowning in the flood
You see I've always been a fighter
Now I can't sing a love song
Like the way it's meant to be
Well, I guess I'm not that good anymore
But, baby, that's just me
And I will love you, baby, always
And I'll be there forever and a day, always
I'll be there 'til the stars don't shine
'Til the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme
And I know when I die,
You'll be on my mind
And I'll love you always
Now your pictures that you left behind
Are just memories of a different life
Some that made us laugh, some that made us cry
One that made you have to say goodbye
What I'd give to run my fingers through your hair
To touch your lips, to hold you near
When you say your prayers, try to understand
I've made mistakes, I'm just a man
When he holds you close, when he pulls you near
When he says the words you've been needing to hear
I'll wish I was him 'cause those words are mine
To say to you 'til the end of time
Yeah, I will love you, baby, always
And I'll be there forever and a day, always
If you told me to cry for you
I could
If you told me to die for you
I would
Take a look at my face
There's no price I won't pay
To say these words to you
Well, there ain't no luck
In these loaded dice
But, baby, if you give me just one more try
We can pack up our old dreams and our old lives
We'll find a place where the sun still shines
And I will love you, baby, always
And I'll be there forever and a day, always
I'll be there 'til the stars don't shine
'Til the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme
And I know when I die,
You'll be on my mind
And I'll love you, always
The lyrics to "Black or White" by Various Artists are about a man who is deeply in love with a woman who has left him. The first stanza talks about how he is bleeding emotionally, but no one can see it. His pain is a result of the feelings he has that were stirred up when the woman left him. He explains that he's always been a fighter, but without her, he gives up. He's unable to sing love songs anymore, and he knows that he's not as good as he once was.
The chorus is about his undying love for the woman, no matter what happens. He promises to love her always and be there for her forever, even if the stars don't shine, the heavens burst, and the words don't rhyme. He confesses that when he dies, she will be on his mind and that he will love her always.
The second stanza touches on their past together and the memories they shared. The man reminisces about the laughter and tears they had, including the time when they said goodbye. He longs to touch her and be close to her once again. The man admits to making mistakes and being human. He recognizes that he may not be perfect, but his love for her will never diminish, even when someone else is holding her close. He wishes he could be the one to say the words she needs to hear because they belong to him.
Overall, the song is a beautiful and poetic tribute to a love that has been lost but will never be forgotten.
Line by Line Meaning
This Romeo is bleeding
The singer is in pain, though it may not be visible
But you can't see his blood
The singer's pain is internal and not physically apparent
It's nothing but some feelings
The pain is emotional and not caused by any physical injury
That this old dog kicked up
The pain is due to past experiences or mistakes that the artist has made
It's been raining since you left me
The artist has been heartbroken and upset since their partner left them
Now I'm drowning in the flood
The singer feels overwhelmed and unable to cope without their partner
You see I've always been a fighter
The singer has faced adversity in the past and has always been able to overcome it
But without you I give up
Without their partner, the artist feels defeated and unable to continue fighting
Now I can't sing a love song
The artist has lost the ability to express their love for someone through music
Like the way it's meant to be
The artist can no longer create music that conveys the true emotion behind love
Well, I guess I'm not that good anymore
The singer believes their skills have diminished due to their heartbreak
But, baby, that's just me
Regardless of their shortcomings, the artist is still the same person their partner fell in love with
And I will love you, baby, always
The singer's love for their partner is unending and permanent
And I'll be there forever and a day, always
The singer will always be present for their partner, no matter what happens
I'll be there 'til the stars don't shine
The singer's love is eternal, even beyond what can be seen in the night sky
Til the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme
The artist's love will continue even if the world as they know it is destroyed or altered
And I know when I die,
Even after death, the artist's love will persist
You'll be on my mind
The singer's partner will always be remembered and thought of fondly
Now your pictures that you left behind
The singer is reminiscing about their time with their partner
Are just memories of a different life
Those memories are from a time that feels like a distant memory
Some that made us laugh, some that made us cry
The memories with the artist's partner evoke both happiness and sadness
One that made you have to say goodbye
The relationship ended despite the good memories
What I'd give to run my fingers through your hair
The singer misses their partner and wants to feel close to them again
To touch your lips, to hold you near
The artist longs for physical contact with their partner
When you say your prayers, try to understand
The singer hopes their partner will be able to forgive them and understand their mistakes
I've made mistakes, I'm just a man
The singer acknowledges their flaws and imperfections
When he holds you close, when he pulls you near
The singer imagines their partner finding love again
When he says the words you've been needing to hear
The artist hopes their partner's new love can provide them with the support and love they need
I'll wish I was him 'cause those words are mine
The artist wishes they could still provide their partner with comfort and love
To say to you 'til the end of time
The singer wishes they could tell their partner they love them forever
If you told me to cry for you
The singer is willing to show their emotions and cry for their partner
I could
They will do whatever it takes to show their love and devotion
If you told me to die for you
The artist is willing to sacrifice everything for their partner
I would
They will do whatever it takes to prove their love
Take a look at my face
The singer is asking their partner to see the sincerity of their love
There's no price I won't pay
They are willing to do anything to win their partner back
To say these words to you
The singer wants to express their love and devotion to their partner openly and honestly
Well, there ain't no luck
The singer believes that their fate and love life is not determined by luck
In these loaded dice
Their love life is instead determined by their choices and actions
But, baby, if you give me just one more try
The artist pleads for their partner to give them another chance
We can pack up our old dreams and our old lives
The artist is willing to let go of the past and start anew with their partner
We'll find a place where the sun still shines
The singer is optimistic that they can find happiness together again
And I will love you, baby, always
The singer's love is like a constant, never-ending flame
And I'll be there forever and a day, always
Their devotion to their partner is permanent and unwavering
I'll be there 'til the stars don't shine
The artist's love will last beyond anything in the observable universe
Til the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme
Their love will last through any kind of catastrophic, world-changing event
And I know when I die,
Their love will last through their passing
You'll be on my mind
The artist will always think of their partner, even after death
And I'll love you, always
The singer's love is eternal, never-ending, and unchanging
Contributed by Elliot V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@SleepyMatt-zzz
I'm not a music guy myself, but I do study art history. Similar phenomena can be seen within modernist art history, such as how many artists such as Picasso drew inspiration by appropriating black/African art, which was called "primitivism".
Even today people will also try making a living off copying indigenous art, or even more egregiously (as seen in my own community) people such as white wood carvers and painters will fake their indigenous status to paint art resembling indigenous art. Last year my wife did work for the city cataloging public artworks around the city, and we were stumped by how many white artists got away with being "pretendians" and making knock-off indigenous art.
A couple years ago a white woman (of the Island hippy variety) that I used to be acquainted with was heavily criticized for painting a very large mural of a truck using indigenous iconography during the Truck "Protests" in Toronto. She claimed indigenous heritage to avoid criticism, but she couldn't even identify what band she was from, and subsequently no band around our territory has acknowledged that she belonged to their groups, and the indigenous people I do know absolutely HATE the mural. A lot of people want to speak up, but are afraid to do so because:
A. The obfuscation of her race made people reluctant to speak about the issue out of fear of being called racist.
B. She has the backing of wing-nuts who harass anyone who even negatively speaks about the mural.
This is made further complicated that this mural was never sanctioned by the city, however the city also refuses to do anything about it, let alone acknowledge the issue. To me this present a pretty serious ethics issue given what the Truck Convoy protests represented at the time, and the real harm they caused to local residents and economically. Ironically there is a section at the bottom of the mural that is there to written on for "free speech", but it constantly gets painted over by the artist and her affiliates. I wonder why?
Those are just small examples, but this can also expand into topics relating to street art and graffiti as well. I guess what you can take away from this is that cultural appropriation can be used water down existing cultures, and even worse, be used for profit and political purposes.
@voxextremos22
I know these aren't well known WHite rappers who are well respected
El-P
Brother Ali
Aesop Rock
Sage Francis
Slug (Atmoaphere)
Kno (Cunninlynguits)
R.A The Rugged Man
Cage
Dessa
Sims
Vinnie Paz
Apathy
Escoteric
PremRock
Yes none of them are as popular as EM but like EM they have the respect of Hip Hop Culture. I agree white people have a terrible history of stealing from black artists. Vanilla Ice, Slim Jesus and Asher ROth are horrid examples of people who don't respect the culture or the history of the genre but proffit from them
@yeasstt
Personally a big fan of Frank Sinatra, who actually cared about black people. Unlike many other examples of white musicians in black music, he actually fought for civil rights and was openly against racism throughout his life.
He had some weird choices in who to support after JFK died though
@lostinthemasses
"This should legitimately count as a hate crime" lol
@dominoeharlee4454
Just found your channel and immediately subbed after this video! Good stuff, keep up the work <3 As a black woman, I never heard the original of Hound Dog and didn't recognize the artists name.. That made me incredibly sad because I make it a point to know my history and culture. Either way, I know now and will never forget.
@heianalien132
that miku hoodie is peak fashion
@sarahcivilization9905
Real
@comcat8524
Woah! This guy doesn't have any melanin! Im bumping this right now!
@1andonlydango
bro what? ☠️
@sarahcivilization9905
@1andonlydango it's I'in the video
@TheGrandAtheist
As a piano player I nearly threw up 😢 when I heard Pat's version of Blueberry Hill. Ooohh it's so revolting to my ears that I had to listen to Fats Domino straight after. I feel much better now 😊
@jurassicsmackdown6359
The fact that it surprised me to learn that rock n roll is black music when i always imagined the likes of Keith Richards and ZZ Top just bums me out
Like, we'd think we'd know more about the original pioneers of certain genres