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.
Blue Monday
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you've laid your hands upon me
And told me who you are
I thought I was mistaken
I thought I heard your words
Tell me, how do I feel?
Tell me, now, how do I feel?
How should I feel
Tell me how does it feel
To treat me like you do
Those who came before me
Lived through their vocations
From the past until completion
They'll turn away no more
And I still find it so hard
To say what I need to say
But, I'm quite sure that you'll tell me
Just how I should feel today
I see a ship in the harbor
I can and shall obey
But if it wasn't for your misfortunes,
I'd be a heavenly person today
And I thought I was mistaken
And I thought I heard you speak
Tell me, how do I feel?
Tell me, now, how should I feel?
Now I stand here waiting
I thought I told you to leave me
When I walked down to the beach
Tell me how does it feel
When your heart grows cold (grows cold, grows cold)
How does it feel
How should I feel
Tell me how does it feel
To treat me like you do
How does it feel
How should I feel
Tell me how does it feel
To treat me like you do
How does it feel
How should I feel
Tell me how does it feel
To treat me like you do
The lyrics to "Blue Monday" by Various Artists explore the feelings of being mistreated and manipulated by a lover. The singer questions how their partner can treat them in such a cold and callous way, laying their hands upon them and telling them who they are. The singer is left confused and unsure of their own emotions, asking their partner to tell them how they should feel. The song also references previous generations who lived through their vocations and turned away from their true desires. The singer is still struggling to express themselves, but they believe their partner will tell them how they should feel.
The song conveys a sense of isolation and waiting for something to happen, while also acknowledging the singer's own agency and ability to obey or disobey their partner. The lines "I see a ship in the harbor / I can and shall obey" suggest a willingness to follow orders, but the singer also asserts themselves by telling their partner they told them to leave them at the beach. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the sense of confusion and desperation the singer experiences, wanting to understand their partner's motivations and how they can continue to stay in a relationship where they are mistreated.
Line by Line Meaning
How does it feel to treat me like you do?
How does it make you feel to treat me the way you do?
When you've laid your hands upon me
When you have touched me
And told me who you are
And revealed your identity to me
I thought I was mistaken
I believed I was wrong
I thought I heard your words
I thought I heard what you said
Tell me, how do I feel?
Can you tell me how I am supposed to feel?
Tell me, now, how do I feel?
Please tell me how I should feel, now
Those who came before me
The people who existed before me
Lived through their vocations
Found fulfillment in their jobs/careers
From the past until completion
From start to finish of their lives
They'll turn away no more
They will not ignore me any longer
And I still find it so hard
And I still struggle to
To say what I need to say
To express what I want to say
But, I'm quite sure that you'll tell me
But I am certain you will instruct me
Just how I should feel today
How to feel today
I see a ship in the harbor
I notice a ship in the harbor
I can and shall obey
I can and will follow orders
But if it wasn't for your misfortunes,
But if it wasn't for your unlucky circumstances
I'd be a heavenly person today
I would be a great person today
And I thought I was mistaken
And I believed I was mistaken
And I thought I heard you speak
And I thought I heard you talk
Tell me, how do I feel?
Please explain how I am meant to feel
Tell me, now, how should I feel?
Tell me immediately how I am required to feel
Now I stand here waiting
I am presently standing here waiting
I thought I told you to leave me
I believed I instructed you to leave me alone
When I walked down to the beach
When I went for a walk on the beach
Tell me how does it feel
Please describe how it feels
When your heart grows cold (grows cold, grows cold)
When you become emotionless and uncaring
How does it feel
What is the sensation like?
How should I feel
What is the correct way to feel?
Tell me how does it feel
Please describe what it feels like
To treat me like you do
To behave towards me in that manner
To treat me like you do
To behave towards me in that manner
To treat me like you do
To interact with me like that
Contributed by Lincoln B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.