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.
El Condor Pasa
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes I would, if I could, I surely would
I'd rather be a hammer than a nail
Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would
Away, I'd rather sail away
Like a swan that's here and gone
A man gets tied up to the ground
Its saddest sound
I'd rather be a forest than a street
Yes I would, if I could, I surely would
I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet
Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would
The lyrics of Various Artists' song El Condor Pasa speak about the desire to be free and unconstrained, to live life on one's own terms, and to be at one with nature. In the first stanza, the singer expresses the desire to be a sparrow rather than a snail, and a hammer rather than a nail. These are metaphors for being free and able to move around on one's own terms, rather than being weighed down by the constraints of life. The second stanza talks about sailing away like a swan, which represents grace and elegance, and contrasting this with the sad sound of a man who is tied down to the ground. This highlights the desire to be free and to move on from the weighted feelings of being tied to the ground.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail
I would prefer the agile, free-spirited lifestyle of a bird than the sluggish, slow-moving life of a snail.
Yes I would, if I could, I surely would
In a hypothetical scenario where it was possible for me to become a sparrow, I would eagerly choose that option.
I'd rather be a hammer than a nail
I would rather be the one in control and wielding power (symbolized by the hammer) than the passive one being acted upon (symbolized by the nail).
Away, I'd rather sail away
I yearn to escape my current circumstances and explore new horizons, just like a swan gracefully gliding through water before disappearing from sight.
Like a swan that's here and gone
Just as a swan's presence in a given place is fleeting, so too should one's time be spent in the present rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
A man gets tied up to the ground
The burdens and responsibilities of life can weigh a person down and prevent them from being free and unencumbered.
He gives the world it's saddest sound
The deepest sorrows and most melancholy melodies come from a person who is feeling weighed down and trapped by their life circumstances.
Its saddest sound
This line emphasizes the depth of the sorrow being expressed by the person in the previous line.
I'd rather be a forest than a street
I would rather exist in a natural, unspoiled environment (personified by the forest) than in a busy, urbanized one (symbolized by the street).
I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet
I desire to be connected to the earth and in harmony with nature, feeling the solid ground beneath my feet rather than being disconnected from the natural world.
Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would
Once again, if given the opportunity to live these idealized lifestyles, I would without hesitation.
Writer(s): Daniel Alomia Robles, Paul Simon, Jorge Milchberg
Contributed by Zachary H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.