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.
Exodus
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love the sound of pain
the more it hurts the better I feel
the world will fall insane
it comes to me late late at night
when I feel like being cruel
whip out the chains and get the knife
and slay some innocent fool
get in our way and we're going to take your life
kick in your face and rape and murder your wife
plunder your town your homes they'll burn to the ground
you won't hear a sound until my knife's in your back
the exodus attack
the filthy sound of death and pain
brings pleasure that I need
the rotting hide the burning flesh
the smell and I agree
bloody corpse makes me feel great
painkiller in my life
cut bare flesh to the bone
use a rusty knife
get in our way and we're going to take your life
kick in your face and rape and murder your wife
plunder your town your homes they'll burn to the ground
you won't hear a sound until my knife's in your back
and the exodus attack
buzzards eat as well as worms
nature s death machines
pin you on the desert floor
now you re hell's cuisine
I tell you all it's the way to live
get stronger on death glory
infringing on sacrificial rites
death's your final story
The lyrics of the song Exodus by Various Artists depict a disturbing and violent image of a person who takes pleasure in causing pain and death. The song opens with the line, "it starts with life, a way to live," which could be interpreted as an affirmation of the character's lifestyle. The following line, "I love the sound of pain," reveals the character's sick fascination with causing physical harm to others, and how that brings them pleasure. The lyrics mention that the more pain the character inflicts, the better they feel, indicating that the character may be addicted to causing pain.
The chorus of the song describes the character's willingness to kill anyone who gets in their way. They make violent threats to "rape and murder your wife" and "plunder your town," and suggest that their victims won't even hear them coming until it's too late. The subsequent verses describe the character's twisted fascination with death and the gruesome details of how they take pleasure in inflicting pain on others. The lyrics make references to cutting flesh, using rusty knives, and enjoying the smell of burning flesh.
Overall, the lyrics to Exodus create a disturbing image of a person who derives pleasure from causing pain and death to others. The violent and graphic nature of the lyrics may be unsettling to some listeners, but they provide a commentary on the darker aspects of human nature.
Line by Line Meaning
it starts with life, a way to live
The song glorifies a lifestyle centered around causing pain and death as a means of achieving pleasure and personal strength.
I love the sound of pain
The artist finds pleasure in the pain they inflict on others.
the more it hurts the better I feel
Inflicting greater pain brings greater pleasure to the artist.
the world will fall insane
The artist believes that living in a violent and destructive manner will eventually cause society to fall apart.
it comes to me late late at night
The artist's desire to inflict pain and death on others is always present, even when they are alone at night.
when I feel like being cruel
The artist deliberately chooses to act in cruel ways.
whip out the chains and get the knife
The artist uses weapons such as chains and knives to inflict pain and death on others.
and slay some innocent fool
The artist brutally kills people who have done nothing wrong.
get in our way and we're going to take your life
The artist is willing to kill anyone who tries to stop them from living their violent lifestyle.
kick in your face and rape and murder your wife
The artist uses extreme violence, including rape and murder, to intimidate and harm others.
plunder your town your homes they'll burn to the ground
The artist is willing to destroy entire communities.
you won't hear a sound until my knife's in your back
The artist is willing to kill people silently and without warning.
the exodus attack
The artist's violent acts are part of a larger movement or trend.
the filthy sound of death and pain
The artist finds the sounds of violence and suffering to be pleasurable.
brings pleasure that I need
The artist has a strong desire for the pleasure brought about by violence.
the rotting hide the burning flesh
The artist takes pleasure in the sensations and smells associated with death and destruction.
the smell and I agree
The artist finds the smell of death to be agreeable.
bloody corpse makes me feel great
The artist experiences a sense of euphoria when they have killed someone.
painkiller in my life
Inflicting pain on others is a source of pleasure and satisfaction for the artist.
cut bare flesh to the bone
The artist inflicts severe harm on their victims.
use a rusty knife
The artist is willing to use whatever means necessary to cause harm, even if it means using an old and dirty weapon.
buzzards eat as well as worms
In the artist's view, all living beings are equally deserving of death and destruction.
nature s death machines
The artist sees themselves as a natural force, like predators in the wild, that exist to kill and cause destruction.
pin you on the desert floor
The artist takes pleasure in the act of immobilizing and overpowering their victims.
now you re hell's cuisine
The artist revels in the suffering and death of others.
I tell you all it's the way to live
The artist believes that living violently is the best way to live.
get stronger on death glory
The artist believes that causing harm to others makes them stronger and more powerful.
infringing on sacrificial rites
The artist sees their violent acts as a form of religious or spiritual sacrifice.
death's your final story
The artist believes that their life will end in violent death.
Contributed by Alexander T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.