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.
Cripple Creek
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a daydream did ride
All past the streams of fire
On a petal path did glide
He left his wheelchair spinning
Deeper in the mud
In it set his memories
An angel came to greet him
By his side she flew
Whispered, as a part of him
What he already knew
His head was spinning freely
And it was plain to see
His burden was himself, he bore
The sight his eyes could be
His death, it died quite easily
Right there, was gone for good
But couldn't see his loved one
Like he thought he should
He thought if they were gone, said he
And this cannot be true
The search to find what wasn't there
Has brought him back to you
The lyrics to “Cripple Creek” by Various Artists describe the journey of a man on his deathbed who goes into a daydream and imagines himself riding past streams of fire on a petal path. He leaves his wheelchair behind and finds peace in his mind's eye. An angel appears to him and whispers to him, reminding him of what he already knew. The man realizes that his burden was himself and the obstacles that he put in his own path. He then dies easily and without struggle. But in death, he cannot see his loved ones, which makes him feel like something is missing. He remembers the love that he had for his family and how important it is to have a connection with the people you love. The man then wakes up from his daydream, realizing that the search to find what wasn't there brought him back to his loved ones.
The lyrics of “Cripple Creek” hint at themes of self-discovery, self-realization, and acceptance. The man in the song spends his life in a wheelchair, but in his daydream, he discovers that he can leave the chair behind and find joy without it. This realization helps him to understand that his disability was not a burden, but a part of himself that he could accept.
Line by Line Meaning
A cripple on his deathbed
A person with a disability on his deathbed
In a daydream did ride
In his mind, he went on a journey
All past the streams of fire
He went through difficult times
On a petal path did glide
He found peace and beauty in his journey
He left his wheelchair spinning
He abandoned his physical limitations
Deeper in the mud
He moved further away from his past struggles
In it set his memories
He kept his memories locked in his physical limitations
In its body and its blood
The memories were deeply ingrained in his being
An angel came to greet him
He had a spiritual encounter
By his side she flew
The angel provided guidance
Whispered, as a part of him
The angel's message resonated with him
What he already knew
He was aware of the truth within himself
His head was spinning freely
He gained mental clarity
And it was plain to see
The truth was clear and evident
His burden was himself, he bore
His own self-doubt and limitations weighed him down
The sight his eyes could be
His perspective and perception affected his reality
His death, it died quite easily
He let go of his fear of death
Right there, was gone for good
His fear was banished forever
But couldn't see his loved one
He was unable to connect with someone he cared for
Like he thought he should
He had an idealized expectation of how things should be
He thought if they were gone, said he
He contemplated the possibility of loss and its impact on him
And this cannot be true
He realized the falsehood of his thoughts
The search to find what wasn't there
His longing for something that didn't exist
Has brought him back to you
Led him back to his connection to someone he cared for
Contributed by Declan A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.