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.
Going Down
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like the angel that fell
Banished forever to hell
Today how I've been expelled
From high school heaven
Elevator going down
Everybody going down
Going down, going down
High school dropout, don't give up
Dial 007-7390 for our free booklet
Telling how you can get it at home
This is my doom, my humiliation
October not June and it's summer vacation
Such a disgrace, how can I face the nation?
Why should this pain bring me such strange elation?
Everybody going down
Going down, going down
Everybody going down
Going down, going down
Emancipation, proclamation
Oh Dr. Lincoln, my head needs shrinkin'
Lu-Lu-Lucifer and me
Doomed from here to eternity
Everybody going down
Down, down, going down
Everybody going down
Down, down, going down
Down, down, everybody going
Down, down, everybody going
(Down, down, everybody going)
Forgive me if I don't cry
(Down, down, everybody going)
It's like the fourth of July
(Down, down, everybody going)
Thank God that angels can fly
Down, down, down, going
Down, down, down, going
Down, down, down, going down
The song "Going Down" by Various Artists is a piece about an individual who has been expelled from high school and is reflecting on their situation. The opening line speaks of the individual's partnership with Lucifer. The individual compares their hardships to that of Lucifer's; being banished from heaven forever. The use of the phrase "Me and Lucifer, Lucifer and me" compares the singer's expulsion from school to Lucifer's expulsion from heaven, implying that they are experiencing their own personal hell.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "going down", speaks to the downward spiral that the singer is going through as a result of their expulsion. The repetition creates a sense of chaos and urgency, as if the singer is rushing towards their eventual doom. The lyrics "Everybody going down, going down, going down" suggest that the singer is not alone in their struggles and that others, perhaps even their peers, are sharing in their downfall.
The line "High school dropout, don't give up" can be interpreted as a message of hope, encouraging other high school dropouts to keep pushing forward. The song ends on a rather ambiguous note. While the singer seems to be accepting of their situation, the final lines, "Down, down, down, going down" implies a continued downward spiral.
Overall, "Going Down" is a commentary on the struggles of adolescence and the ways in which our failures can seem insurmountable. The singer's references to Lucifer and spirituality add an additional layer of depth to the piece.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and Lucifer, Lucifer and me
The singer is in cahoots with the devil.
Just like the angel that fell
The singer feels like they have been cast out of heaven like Lucifer.
Banished forever to hell
Like Lucifer, the singer feels condemned to a terrible fate.
Today how I've been expelled from high school heaven
The artist has been kicked out of a place they thought was heavenly (high school).
Elevator going down
The artist feels like they are on a downward spiral.
Going down, going down
The singer repeats this line to emphasize the sense of falling down.
Everybody going down
The singer feels like they are not alone in their downfall.
High school dropout, don't give up
The artist is addressing fellow high school dropouts and encouraging them to persevere.
Dial 007-7390 for our free booklet telling how you can get it at home
The artist is advertising a free booklet to help high school dropouts.
This is my doom, my humiliation
The artist feels like dropping out of high school is a terrible fate and a cause for humiliation.
October not June and it's summer vacation
The singer dropped out of school during their senior year (in October) rather than after graduation (in June).
Such a disgrace, how can I face the nation?
The artist feels like a failure and wonders how they can face others.
Why should this pain bring me such strange elation?
The singer is having mixed emotions about dropping out of high school.
Emancipation, proclamation
The singer may feel like dropping out of high school is a form of liberation.
Oh Dr. Lincoln, my head needs shrinkin'
The singer feels like they need psychological help.
Lu-Lu-Lucifer and me
The artist is repeating the earlier line to suggest that the devil is still by their side.
Doomed from here to eternity
The artist feels like they are condemned to a hopeless future.
Forgive me if I don't cry
The singer is not overcome with emotion.
It's like the fourth of July
The singer may feel liberated like Americans on Independence Day.
Thank God that angels can fly
The artist is grateful for the possibility of salvation.
Down, down, down, going
The repetition of the word 'down' reinforces the sense of falling.
Down, down, down, going
The repetition of the word 'down' reinforces the sense of falling.
Down, down, down, going down
The repetition of the phrase 'going down' emphasizes the finality of the singer's situation.
Contributed by Jordyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dreampedal
appreciate it fam!
Dreampedal
Respect!
OfficialKrash
This is sick
10cassady
This song is da bomb