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.
Breakdown
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Steady breakin' me on down
Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
Break break down
Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
You called yesterday
To basically say
That you care for me but
That you're just not in love
Immediately, I pretended to be
Feeling similarily
And led to believe, I was okay
To just walk away
From the one thing that's unyielding
And sacred to me
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalaunt about it
And I'm going to extremes, to prove I'm fine without you
But in reality, I'm slowly loosing my mind
Underneath a guise of a smile, gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel, and I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal, the fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise, till I go home at night
And turn down the lights and then I breakdown and cry (cry cry cry)
So what do you do, when somebody you're devoted to
Suddenly just stops loving you
And it seems they haven't got a clue
Of the pain and rejection it's putting you through
Do you cling to your pride
And sing "I Will Survive" (get control hold on, hold on)
Do you lash out and say (hold on, got to get control)
"How could you leave me this way" (hold on hold on)
Do you hold on in vain (hold on)
As they just slip away (got to get control hold on)
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalaunt about it
And I'm going to extremes, to prove I'm fine without you
But in reality, I'm slowly loosing my mind
Underneath a guise of a smile, gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel, and I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal, the fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise, till I go home at night
And turn down the lights and then I breakdown and cry (cry cry cry)
I don't wanna
Break down, break down
(Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down)
I don't wanna
Break down, break down
(Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down)
I don't wanna
Break down, break down
(Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
Better break it down
Only if you let it
Everday the situation is runnin' my mind
Tryin to break me down
But I won't let it
Forget it (forget it)
I'll be feelin like it gonna break me down
Turnin me around
Stressin me out
I'm thinkin it gonna get out
And let me
Release some stress (stress)
Don't ever wanna feel no pain (pain)
Hoping for the sun
But it looks like rain (rain, rain, rain)
Lord, I just wanna maintain
Yeah, I'm feelin pressures, yo
But never the less
Krayzie won't fall
So-ber, is headin' near (near)
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalaunt about it
And I'm going to extremes, to prove I'm fine without you
But in reality, I'm slowly loosing my mind
Underneath a guise of a smile, gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel, and I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal, the fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise, till I go home at night
And turn down the lights and then I breakdown and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalaunt about it
And I'm going to extremes, to prove I'm fine without you
But in reality, I'm slowly loosing my mind
Underneath a guise of a smile, gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel, and I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal, the fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise, till I go home at night
And turn down the lights and then I breakdown and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalaunt about it (Ah, ah ah)
And I'm going to extremes, to prove I'm fine without you (Ah ah ah ah)
But in reality, I'm slowly loosing my mind
Underneath a guise of a smile, gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel, and I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal, the fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise, till I go home at night
And turn down the lights and then I breakdown and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalaunt about it
(Ah ah ah, ah ah, ah ah)
And I'm going to extremes, to prove I'm fine without you
(Ah ah ah, ah ah, ah ah ah ah)
But in reality, I'm slowly loosing my mind
Underneath a guise of a smile, gradually I'm dying inside
(Ah ah ah, ah ah, ah ah)
Friends ask me how I feel, and I lie convincingly
(Ah ah ah, ah ah, ah ah ah ah)
Cause I don't want to reveal, the fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise, till I go home at night
And turn down the lights and then I breakdown and cry
Don't wanna break break down
The song "Breakdown" by Various Artists is a soulful ballad that explores heartbreak and the struggle to keep up a façade of strength in the face of emotional pain. The song opens with repetitive lyrics of "Break break down, Steady breakin' me on down" which sets the tone for the song. The lyrics then describe a phone call from a loved one, who tells the singer that they care but are not in love, causing the singer to pretend to also feel similarly in order to maintain a false sense of strength. The song continues to highlight the singer’s struggle with the pain of rejection and the challenge to “just walk away from the one thing that's unyielding and sacred.” The lyrics then address the complexities of dealing with a lost love, with lines such as “Do you cling to your pride and sing I Will Survive?” Finally, the song ends with a plea to avoid a breakdown.
The lyrics of "Breakdown" highlight the struggle of heartbreak, but the song itself is a masterpiece of soulful emotions. The song was co-written by Mariah Carey, who also provides background vocals on the track, and was produced by DJ Clue and Darling Nikki. The song was released as a single in 1998, and was originally recorded for Carey's sixth studio album, Butterfly. Although it was not included on the album, the song proved to be successful, peaking at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song's video features cameos by Puff Daddy and Little Kim. Overall, the song is a beautiful exploration of pain and loss, that is both musically and lyrically compelling.
Line by Line Meaning
Break break down
The pain from a breakup is overwhelming and causing emotional breakdowns
Steady breakin' me on down
The pain is consistent and causing mental and emotional distress
You called yesterday
The lover called to express their feelings
To basically say
To summarize
That you care for me but
They care for the subject but have lost romantic love
That you're just not in love
They no longer have romantic feelings for the subject
Immediately, I pretended to be
The subject tried to hide their true feelings
Feeling similarly
Feeling the same way the lover does
And led to believe, I was okay
The lover thinks the subject is okay with the breakup
To just walk away
The lover is leaving
From the one thing that's unyielding
The lover is leaving the one thing that the subject finds constant and reliable
And sacred to me
The subject values their relationship highly
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalant about it
The subject is trying to hide their true feelings and be calm
And I'm going to extremes, to prove I'm fine without you
The subject is trying hard to show that they can be okay without the lover
But in reality, I'm slowly losing my mind
The subject is struggling internally and the pain is overwhelming
Underneath a guise of a smile, gradually I'm dying inside
The subject is pretending to be happy but is actually in pain
Friends ask me how I feel, and I lie convincingly
The subject is lying to their friends about how they feel
Cause I don't want to reveal, the fact that I'm suffering
The subject doesn't want to show their friends how much they are hurting
So I wear my disguise, till I go home at night
The subject is pretending to be okay all day but breaks down at home
And turn down the lights and then I breakdown and cry (cry cry cry)
The subject can't hold back the tears and is overcome with emotion
So what do you do, when somebody you're devoted to
The subject is questioning how to deal with their breakup
Suddenly just stops loving you
The lover suddenly no longer has romantic feelings for the subject
And it seems they haven't got a clue
The lover doesn't understand how much pain they are causing
Of the pain and rejection it's putting you through
The lover is causing pain and rejection to the subject
Do you cling to your pride
Should the subject keep their pride
And sing 'I Will Survive' (get control hold on, hold on)
Should the subject be confident and say that they will survive
Do you lash out and say (hold on, got to get control)
Should the subject express their anger
'How could you leave me this way' (hold on hold on)
Should the subject express their feelings of being abandoned
Do you hold on in vain (hold on)
Should the subject hold out for their lover, knowing they will not return
As they just slip away (got to get control hold on)
The subject must come to terms with their loss and try to stay in control of their emotions
Better break it down
The subject needs to take time to process their emotions
Only if you let it
The pain will only overcome the subject if they allow it to
Everyday the situation is runnin' my mind
The subject can't stop thinking about the breakup
Tryin to break me down
The pain is attempting to overcome the subject
But I won't let it
The subject will not allow the pain to overcome them
Forget it (forget it)
The subject is trying to forget about their lover
I'll be feelin like it gonna break me down
Sometimes the pain feels too overwhelming for the subject
Turnin me around
The emotions are affecting the subject's life
Stressin me out
The pain is causing stress to the subject
I'm thinkin it gonna get out
The subject worries that the pain will take over
And let me
The subject needs a release
Release some stress (stress)
The subject needs to release the stress caused by the breakup
Don't ever wanna feel no pain (pain)
The subject doesn't want to feel the pain caused by the breakup
Hoping for the sun
The subject is hoping for a better future
But it looks like rain (rain, rain, rain)
Things don't look promising for the subject
Lord, I just wanna maintain
The subject wants to stay strong and not let the pain overcome them
Yeah, I'm feelin pressures, yo
The subject is feeling a lot of stress
But never the less
However
Krayzie won't fall
The subject will stay strong throughout the pain and not fall apart
So-ber, is headin' near (near)
The subject is trying to stay strong and sober through the pain
And turn down the lights and then I breakdown and cry
Sometimes the pain is too much and the subject needs to break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalant about it (Ah, ah ah)
The subject is still trying to hide their pain
And I'm going to extremes, to prove I'm fine without you (Ah ah ah ah)
The subject is still trying hard to prove they can be okay without their lover
(Ah ah ah, ah ah, ah ah)
The subject is trying to stay strong
(Ah ah ah, ah ah, ah ah ah ah)
The pain is still there and the subject is struggling
Don't wanna break break down
The subject doesn't want to have an emotional breakdown
Contributed by Kaelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.