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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.

Criminal
Various Artists Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

He is a hustler
He's no good at all
He is a loser,
he's a bum, bum, bum, bum
He lies, he bluffs
He's unreliable.
He is a sucker
with a gun, gun, gun, gun

I know you told me
I should stay away.
I know you said
He's just a dog astray.
He is a rebel with a tainted heart
And even I know that this ain't smart

But mama I'm in love
with a criminal
And this type of love
Isn't rational, it's physical
Mama please don't cry
I will be alright
All reasons inside
I just can't deny
Love that guy

He is a villain of the devil's law
He is a killer just for fun, fun, fun, fun
That man's a snitch and unpredictable,
He's got no conscious
He got none, none, none, none

All I know, should let go, but no
'cause he's a rebel with a tainted heart
And even I know that this ain't smart

But mama I'm in love with a criminal
And this type of love
Isn't rational, it's physical
Mama please don't cry
I will be alright
All reasons inside
I just can't deny
Love that guy

And he's got my name
Tatooed on his arm
His lucky charm,
So I guess it's okay
He's with me

And I hear people talk
Trying to make remarks
Keep us apart
But I don't even hear
I don't care

'Cause mama I'm in love with a criminal
And this type of love
Isn't rational, it's physical
Mama please don't cry
I will be alright
All reasons inside
I just can't deny
Love that guy
Mama I'm in love with a criminal
And this type of love
Isn't rational, it's physical
Mama please don't cry
I will be alright
All reasons inside

I just can't deny
Love that guy

Overall Meaning

The song "Criminal" by Various Artists tells the story of a woman who is in love with a man who is described as a hustler, liar, unreliable and a killer. Despite warnings from her mother, she cannot deny her love for him. She admits that this type of love is not rational, but it is physical. She knows that her lover is a criminal, but she has given her heart to him.

The lyrics paint a picture of a dangerous relationship, but the woman is unable to break away from it. She even has her name tattooed on the man's arm as a sign of his commitment to her. People talk about their relationship and try to split them up, but she does not care.

The song explores the idea of love that is unconventional and perhaps even forbidden. The woman's love for the criminal is irrational, but it is real to her. It is a powerful and emotional song that portrays the complexity of relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

He is a hustler
He is someone who engages in shady or illegal business dealings.

He's no good at all
He has no redeeming qualities.

He is a loser, he's a bum, bum, bum, bum
He is a failure who is worthless and unproductive.

He lies, he bluffs He's unreliable.
He often deceives others, doesn't tell the truth, and can't be trusted.

He is a sucker with a gun, gun, gun, gun
He is a foolish person who has a weapon and can be dangerous.

I know you told me I should stay away.
You warned me to stay away from him.

I know you said He's just a dog astray.
You said that he is like a stray animal with poor behavior.

He is a rebel with a tainted heart And even I know that this ain't smart
He is a person who is defiant against society and has a corrupted soul, and I understand that I shouldn't be with him.

But mama I'm in love with a criminal And this type of love Isn't rational, it's physical
I'm in love with someone who is a criminal and the attraction is more physical than rational.

Mama please don't cry I will be alright All reasons inside I just can't deny Love that guy
Please don't cry, I will be fine. There are many reasons why I shouldn't be with him, but I can't deny my love for him.

He is a villain of the devil's law He is a killer just for fun, fun, fun, fun That man's a snitch and unpredictable, He's got no conscious He got none, none, none, none
He is a person who breaks the law and kills others for his own amusement. He is also a snitch who can't be trusted, and has no conscience.

All I know, should let go, but no 'cause he's a rebel with a tainted heart And even I know that this ain't smart
I know I should let him go, but I can't. He is a defiant person at heart and I know it's not smart to stay with him.

And he's got my name Tatooed on his arm His lucky charm, So I guess it's okay He's with me
He has my name tattooed on his arm as if it's his lucky charm, so I'm okay with him being with me.

And I hear people talk Trying to make remarks Keep us apart But I don't even hear I don't care
People are talking about us, trying to keep us apart, but I don't hear them and I don't care what they say.

Writer(s): KHARI ABDUL MATEEN, JAMAL MILLER, TARIK L. COLLINS, KARL B. JENKINS, BRIAN DANIEL CARENARD, AHMIR K. THOMPSON

Contributed by Levi A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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Comments from YouTube:

@fishfingers4548

4w↑46

Interesting, art for the people, people for the art.
The context seems just as relevant today as it did a hundred years ago.

@felixmachtsachen

4w↑27

as a german who is quite interested in art, i was of course aware of the existence of this painting, but this whole part of its history was completely new to me. thanks for sharing - the discussion about ulay's performance should definitely come up in education here in germany, because the topic is still at least as relevant as it was back then

@milaces1323

4w↑53

The only place where my vast ignorance is a source of joy and not distress is this channel. I love learning about art works i've never heard about with you. Thank you and keep up the good work! 😊

@a-bovea-ve-rage

Your vast beauty attracts me if that means anything to you.

@piccalillipit9211

4w↑12

I AM PLEASED I LIVE IN A WORLD where a channel like this is about to hit 500k subs...

@Yandhi2

4w↑9

As much as I hope that stolen art is never seriously damaged or lost, I can't help but find it interesting or cool when famous art gets stolen. it's vandalism, but stealing art is, in my opinion, a work of art. you give the artwork a whole new name, status, and value.

Another example of vandalism, but with the same effect as stealing famous art, is the Van Gogh painting that was smeared with tomato soup. Because this happened, the painting gained a new status and value and attracted many more eyes.

It is like performance art.

@namesha9936

4w↑8

That painting, in its own right, would have appeal to those who knew poverty.

@alexwschan185

4w↑6

Looking at this piece as a Hong Konger immideatly gave me cage home ptsd...

I thought its about poverty

@itisorisit

3w↑4

Not sure how the picture was viewed back then but, as a German, this is the first time I've seen it. There are tons of more famous paintings in Germany

@refugeinthewind

4w↑10

Amazing! Again such high quality content, but the story is so important. Thank you.❤

@ARNAV_STUDENT

4w↑6

my heart became that of a poet after hearing this.

@Wyattinous

4w↑1

So damn close to 500K my man, your so close!

@Buy_YT_Views.322

4w↑3

Great to see such a detailed exploration.

@Kenijamaru

4w↑1

very cool thank u for making this

@carlosrendon7000

4w↑1

It reminded me of the Chilean documentary "Stealing Rodin", which tells the story of a similar event that occurred in Santiago in 2005. Highly recommended!

@artistalexanderrobbie

3w↑1

This is awesome

@k3lash174

Thank you!

@FMTCdeLorimier

4w↑1

Thank you

@louiscorydon9964

4w↑1

Wonderful video!

@cgautz

Thanks!

@Sandra-hc4vo

4w↑1

very nice! <3

@stop_bringing_me_up_in_goo167

Brilliant

@bookaufman9643

4w↑2

The poor poet painting was actually stolen again and has not been returned. Fortunately the artist painted a near duplicate and so it can still be seen. I think it's kind of a funny portrait but I don't think it's great.

@Xeronimo74

Thanks

@barbaranowak-cuthel3548

4w↑3

I get it.

@petemc5070

4w↑1

An amusing stunt but the reasoning behind the theft is risible and it's unfortunate there is such a low threshold in the art world when it comes to accepting with little to no scrutiny.

@EdoFrenkel

Is there somewhere online one can see Ulay's full film?

@drobbi

3w↑1

"deserve"? Seems an odd word chocie.

@jacodelangevandyk

3w↑1

the stealing of the painting was beautiful

@theartbroadcast

this is it

@ninreck5121

3w↑1

I'm german and I've never seen this painting oops

@AC-pg3yt

4w↑2

A public painting made private.
In all seriousness, I understand the good intentions but the idea of something being accessible to all being treated as “bourgeois” by progressive people needs to be explained to me. If it was highly restrictive in viewing or privately held I’d appreciate this act more.
Also, about the national identity aspect, the painting itself seems to have very little to do with German identity, and if anything it criticizes living conditions of Germans of the time. Even If the fascia misinterpreted it or liked it for whatever reason, I don’t see how an assault on it would be justified unless it espoused their beliefs, which it doesn’t seem to have done.
If Ulay wanted to target an expensive Richard Wagner opera, I could get behind it.

@lunayen

3w↑2

But isn't that the point? He's targeting a painting Germans can relate to, and hangs it up in the homes of people they refuse to acknowledge and treat poorly. Plus, the painting was probably stolen in a time when there were probably no discounts or something of the sort for poor Germans and definitely not for migrants, making these museums only accessible to those who can afford it, aka the middle class and higher.

@blorble4701

4w↑1

ifl artists are pretty chill about attacks on art works in principle, but has any one wailing about any Prescious National Painting themselves picked up a paintbrush or whatever (although of course i know a hitler certainly did😆)

@firstnamethenalastname

"performance"

@davidgollop2807

you didn't say how much time he got for stealing!

@barbaravoss7014

Thanks for bringing this art intervention to our attention. You are dismissive of The Poor Poet. Please consider this painting by the Romantic artist Carl Spitzweg as the German Norman Rockwell of the mid 19th century. Of course this type of genre painting would be popular. A clear, easy-to-understand narrative is appealing to the general public. However, there is a gentle humour in the way Spitzweg pokes fun at the notion of 'mind over matter.' The fact that Hitler allegedly favoured this painting (and Spitzweg's art in general) does not necessarily rubbish the work. It obviously does not fall within the Degenerate Art category which Hitler loathed.

@bitwise4996

3w↑1

Imagine sitting silent for a minute and calling yourself an artist. I just don't get it and don't want to get it.

@__-vb3ht

3w↑1

You assume sitting silent for a minute equals doing nothing. But she is actively paying attention to her guests. If you try to look someone in the eye for a minute, and I have, it is actually quite the experience. Especially if it is a stranger. It's a brilliant performance about human connection even though it didn't require any formal skill from her. But then again, you proudly admitted that you refuse to change your mind

@jon780249

Always enjoy your excellent videos, but you have inflated the importance of this work. Making too many claims for minor works only diminishes our understanding of how art functions in its wider social and cultural nexus. But an interesting video all the same.

@Nif3

4w↑7

Wow, that's such a philanthropic idea! We take an important symbol of national identity and deny its purpose by universalizing it, ultimately devaluing the idea of national identity itself. Any cultural characteristics one develops as a byproduct of being born and raised in their birthplace is now immediately shared by anyone paying rent in that region, regardless of origin - "german culture" then becomes a meaningless proxy for the world at large. Very progressive. Now, I wonder how those same Turkish patriots, who are so intent on declaring their nationalist fever from their apartments in Berlin, would feel about famous Ottoman paintings being stolen and framed in the apartments of German expats living in Ankara. Rather, how would YOU feel?

@FNsMadman

4w↑1

Yes to this comment

@__-vb3ht

4w↑6

What is argument? The idea of sharing a symbol of national identity and including people that moved to a country after the symbol was created itself is wrong because some turkish people may get upset about a hypothetical theft of ottoman art by germans in Ankara? Or are you saying that the sahring of national identity is in it of itself positive, but because the germans with turkish roots you presume to be able to speak for wouldn't share that sentiment according to you, we shouldn't do it? Even if every last turkish person in Turkey were upset at that hypothetical theft, what's stopping Germany from embracing the turkish people that live there? It would still be a good thing, not to marginalise them, no? And what about the history of Germans in Turkey and vice versa? Who constitutes a bigger group and who has been more marginalised? Could there be differences that factor into that equation?

@lunayen

3w↑1

National identity doesn't belong to a particular group of people though. Those Germans didn't just magically appear in that area; they too had to move there from elsewhere and took parts of their culture with them. A national identity is built upon. You can't devalue something that constantly changes over time. Eventually, these Turkish migrants will have children who are born and raised in Germany, thus making them natives as well. By isolating them from their place of birth, all you do is have them cling to a nationality they can't relate to aka Turkish.

@FNsMadman

‘Natives’ with an allegiance to a culture outside of and wholly different to that which was created in Central Europe over the millennia. The glibness of these comments is astounding.

@regeleionescu935

4w↑4

Turkish identity: 500 years of opression of Eastern Europe at least. Should I mention the Armenian genocide?

@__-vb3ht

4w↑6

You're taking nationalism to seriously. Should the historical reality of the Armenian genocide stop me from welcoming turkish people? Should I sumarilly blame turkish immigrant workers in Germany in the seventies or today for the Armenian genocide? I'm not talking about ignoring it, but I shouldn't blame them, no?

@charmerci

4w↑7

Those "Turkish" immigrants could very well have been Kurds.

@amberly0317

The talk of people who are privileged tohave the education to understand an art gallery makes me appreciate your channel more 🫶🏻 you bring us wonderful explanations & interpretations of art where we might not have figured that out on our own (:

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