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.
Comfortably Numb
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?
Come on now
I hear you're feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain
Relax.
I'll need some information first.
Just the basic facts.
Can you show me where it hurts?
There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain you would not understand
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.
O.K.
Just a little pinprick.
There'll be no more, ah!
But you may feel a little sick.
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working, good.
That'll keep you going through the show
Come on it's time to go.
There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown,
The dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.
The lyrics to "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd are told from the perspective of a person who is feeling disconnected and numb from the world around them. The song starts with a series of questions, as if someone is trying to reach out and connect with the person who is feeling down. The singer offers to help ease their pain and get them back on their feet. As the song progresses, the singer describes a feeling of detachment and numbness, as if the person has become lost in their own thoughts and disconnected from reality.
The lyrics describe a feeling that many people can relate to, especially in times of stress or anxiety. The idea of becoming comfortably numb can be appealing, as it offers a way to escape from the difficulties of life. However, as the song suggests, this feeling can also be isolating and lonely, leaving the person feeling disconnected from the world around them.
Overall, "Comfortably Numb" is a poignant and introspective song that explores the complex emotions that come with feeling disconnected and numb.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello? Hello? Hello?
Trying to find out if anyone is there.
Is there anybody in there?
Asking if someone is present and aware.
Just nod if you can hear me.
Asking for a simple response to signal comprehension.
Is there anyone at home?
Checking if someone is mentally present and attentive.
Come on now
Encouraging the listener to engage.
I hear you're feeling down.
Acknowledging that the listener is not in a positive frame of mind.
Well I can ease your pain
Offering potential relief through the singer's assistance.
Get you on your feet again.
Helping the listener recover and regain confidence.
Relax.
Calming the listener down to facilitate healing.
I'll need some information first.
Requesting some basic details to better help the listener.
Just the basic facts.
Asking for specific, relevant information.
Can you show me where it hurts?
Inquiring about physical or emotional pain the listener may be experiencing.
There is no pain you are receding
Assuring the listener that any discomfort they may have had is diminishing.
A distant ship smoke on the horizon.
Providing a calming image, implying that any problems may be small in the grand scheme of things.
You are only coming through in waves.
Noticing that the listener is not fully present, possibly in a daze, and communication is intermittent.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
Not quite being able to connect with the listener or fully understand their perspective.
When I was a child I had a fever
Recalling a time in the artist's past when they were unwell, suggesting empathy and shared experience.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Describing a physical sensation of illness in a vivid way.
Now I've got that feeling once again
Feeling the same discomfort as before, relatable to the listener's current experience.
I can't explain you would not understand
Running into difficulty communicating the intensity of the experience, not confident the listener can fully comprehend.
This is not how I am.
Feeling like the current experience is not their true self or normal.
I have become comfortably numb.
Describing the feeling of being able to cope with a difficult experience by detaching from it emotionally.
O.K.
Confirming that the singer understands and is ready to proceed.
Just a little pinprick.
Beginning a medical procedure that may sting briefly.
There'll be no more, ah!
Assuring the listener that the ensuing sensation will not be too painful.
But you may feel a little sick.
Warning the listener that there may be side effects associated with the procedure.
Can you stand up?
Asking the listener to try and get up in order to assess their condition.
I do believe it's working, good.
Having successfully helped the listener, feeling positive about the outcome.
That'll keep you going through the show
Assuming that any struggles the listener may have are temporary and they will be able to overcome them.
Come on it's time to go.
Encouraging the listener to move on and face new challenges.
When I was a child
Referring to a past experience related to childhood.
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Experiencing a brief, enigmatic moment.
Out of the corner of my eye.
A particularly hard-to-grasp moment, as it was something that one catches out of their peripheral vision.
I turned to look but it was gone
Trying to recreate the moment but it is no longer possible.
I cannot put my finger on it now
Being unable to understand a particularly elusive experience in retrospect.
The child is grown,
Acknowledging that the artist is no longer a child.
The dream is gone.
The possibility of experiencing that fleeting glimpse again is no longer there, perhaps due to the nature of growing up.
I have become comfortably numb.
In spite of past experiences and current pain, they are able to manage through a state of detachment.
Writer(s): Roger Waters, David Jon Gilmour
Contributed by Elena C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.