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.

Break it down
Various Artists Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Big pain burnin' now
Givin' me a cow
What you seem to be saying
Is you're patiently waiting
Like an ashtray for the butt
Well, I'm puttin' it down
When you're not picking it up
When I'm puttin' it down

But you treat me like a clown
And I don't want to be funny
Fat chance glued to the wall
Like a centerfold of an old cannonball
Will you put me inside your TV tonight
'Cause you're treatin' me like a rerun
Well, I'm puttin' it down
But you're not pickin' it up
Well, I'm puttin' it down
But you treat me like a clown
And I don't want to be funny
No no no no no
So what, I lost my job at the hut
My ass got cut
But I'll be better at kissin'
When my teeth are all missin'
And the silverware's burnt
And I'm eatin' with my fingers
And I'm puttin' it down
And you're not pickin' it up
Well, I'm puttin' it down

But you treat me like a clown
And I don't want to be funny

Overall Meaning

In the song "Break It Down," Various Artists sing about being tired of being mistreated and undervalued in a relationship. The singer feels like they are constantly putting in effort, "puttin' it down," but their partner is not reciprocating or even acknowledging their efforts, "When you're not picking it up." The pain of being ignored and feeling like a joke, "And you're treating me like a clown," is becoming unbearable.

The singer compares themselves to an ashtray, a centerfold of an old cannonball, and even burnt silverware as they feel discarded and unappreciated. However, they still hold onto hope for the relationship by asking to be "put inside your TV tonight," a metaphor for being valued and included. The lyrics also touch on the resilience of the singer despite their struggles, promising to be "better at kissin'" with missing teeth and eating with their fingers.

Overall, the song portrays the frustration and hurt of feeling like you are giving your all in a relationship, but receiving little in return. The singer wants to be taken seriously and treated with respect, not like a clown for someone else's amusement.

Line by Line Meaning

Big pain burnin' now
I am feeling intense pain at the moment

Givin' me a cow
This pain is causing me great discomfort

What you seem to be saying
It appears as though you're implying something

Is you're patiently waiting
You're waiting calmly and without agitation

Like an ashtray for the butt
You're waiting for me like an ashtray waits for cigarette butts

Well, I'm puttin' it down
I am doing my part

When you're not picking it up
But you're not doing your part

But you treat me like a clown
You are not taking me seriously

And I don't want to be funny
I do not want to be viewed as a joke or humorous

Fat chance glued to the wall
The likelihood of success is very low, like something that is stuck to a wall

Like a centerfold of an old cannonball
It's an odd comparison, but it could mean something like being stuck in the past or viewed as outdated