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.
Heartless
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless?
Oh... How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so
Cold as the winter wind when it breeze, yo?
You need to watch the way you talkin′ to me, yo
I mean after all the things that we've been through
I mean after all the things we got into
Hey yo, I know of some things that you ain't told me
Hey yo, I did some things but that′s the old me
And now you wanna get me back and you gon′ show me
So you walk around like you don't know me
You got a new friend, well I got homies
But in the end, it′s still so lonely
In the night, I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless?
Oh... How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so Dr. Evil?
You bringin′ out a side of me that I dont know
I decided we weren't gon′ speak so
Why we up 3 A.M. on the phone
Why does she be so mad at me fo'?
Homie I dont know, she's hot and cold
I won′t stop, I won′t mess my groove up
'Cause I already know how this thing go
You run and tell your friends that you′re leaving me
They say that they don't see what you see in me
You wait a couple months then you gon′ see
You'll never find nobody better than me
In the night, I hear ′em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless?
Oh... How could you be so heartless?
Talkin', talkin', talkin′, talk
Baby let′s just knock it off
They don't know what we been through
They don′t know 'bout me and you
So I got something new to see
And you just gon′ keep hatin' me
And we just gon′ be enemies
I know you can't believe
I could just leave it wrong
And you can't make it right
I′m gon′ take off tonight
Into the night...
...I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless?
Oh... How could you be so heartless?
Heartless, heartless, heartless...
"Heartless" is a song that portrays the emotions of a man who feels betrayed by his lover. According to Kanye West, who released the original song, the lyrics accurately depict how he felt after his ex-girlfriend left him. In this song, the artist expresses his resentment and heartbreak by describing how he lost his soul to a woman so heartless. He wonders how anyone could be so cold and indifferent to his feelings.
The lyrics are a testimony to the raw emotions that can come into play when one is in love. As the man struggles to come to terms with his own feelings, he accuses his ex-girlfriend of being Dr. Evil and bringing out a side of him that he did not know existed. He describes how she would get mad at him for no apparent reason, even when he was not at fault. The man feels that he has already given too much to the relationship and still, it was not enough for his ex-girlfriend.
The song has been covered by various artists, and each one has interpreted the song in their unique style. For instance, The Fray's cover of "Heartless" is more haunting and melancholic than West's original version. It highlights the sadness within the lyrics and the hurt that the man feels. Diplo and Julia Michaels have also covered the song, bringing their take to the emotions that West laid bare in his version.
Line by Line Meaning
In the night, I hear ′em talk
During the night, the singer hears people talking about him and his situation
The coldest story ever told
The singer's story is the most heartbreaking and tragic story you will ever hear
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul
At some point in his past, the singer lost his sense of identity or purpose
To a woman so heartless...
This loss of soul can be attributed to a woman who is extremely cruel and unsympathetic
How could you be so heartless?
The artist is questioning how someone could be so cold and inconsiderate
Oh... How could you be so heartless?
The singer is feeling hurt and betrayed by the said woman
Cold as the winter wind when it breeze, yo?
The woman's actions are as cold as the winter wind
Just remember that you talkin' to me, yo
The artist is reminding the woman that she needs to be careful how she speaks to him
You need to watch the way you talkin′ to me, yo
The artist is warning the woman to change her tone when talking to him
I mean after all the things that we've been through
The artist is reflecting on the history he shares with the woman
I mean after all the things we got into
The singer is referring to the many experiences he and the woman have shared but feels that it has gone in vain
Hey yo, I know of some things that you ain't told me
The artist knows that there are things the woman is hiding from him
Hey yo, I did some things but that′s the old me
The singer admits that he has done some bad things but it's in the past
And now you wanna get me back and you gon′ show me
The singer feels that the woman is trying to get revenge by flaunting a new relationship
So you walk around like you don't know me
The woman is pretending like she doesn't know the singer anymore
You got a new friend, well I got homies
The artist is reminding the woman that he has friends who will support him
But in the end, it′s still so lonely
Despite his friends, the artist still feels lonely and saddened
How could you be so Dr. Evil?
The singer is asking how the woman could be so manipulative and cruel
You bringin′ out a side of me that I dont know
The woman's actions have caused the singer to behave in an unfamiliar manner
I decided we weren't gon′ speak so
The artist has decided to stop talking to the woman
Why we up 3 A.M. on the phone
Despite his decision not to talk, the artist is questioning why he and the woman are still up talking in the middle of the night
Why does she be so mad at me fo'?
The artist is confused as to why the woman is still angry with him
Homie I dont know, she's hot and cold
The singer doesn't understand how the woman's emotions can change so rapidly
I won′t stop, I won′t mess my groove up
The artist is determined not to let the woman's actions interfere with his life
'Cause I already know how this thing go
The singer has experienced similar situations before and knows what will happen next
You run and tell your friends that you′re leaving me
The singer knows that the woman is telling her friends that she plans to leave him soon
They say that they don't see what you see in me
The woman's friends fail to understand why she's in a relationship with the singer
You wait a couple months then you gon′ see
The artist is warning the woman that she will realize her mistake and come back to him
You'll never find nobody better than me
The artist is confident that the woman will never find anyone better than him
Talkin', talkin', talkin′, talk
The singer is getting frustrated by the woman's constant talking
Baby let′s just knock it off
The singer suggests that they stop arguing and making things worse
They don't know what we been through
The artist and the woman have been through a lot, and outsiders don't know the full story
They don′t know 'bout me and you
No one knows the intimate details of the relationship that the artist and the woman share, and thus, they shouldn't be making judgments
So I got something new to see
The artist has moved on and is looking forward to something new
And you just gon′ keep hatin' me
The singer feels that the woman will continue to hate on him even after the breakup
And we just gon′ be enemies
The artist and the woman will now be enemies
I know you can't believe
The singer is aware that the woman is in disbelief about the end of the relationship
I could just leave it wrong
The singer admits that he could have handled the situation better
And you can't make it right
The singer feels like it's too late to fix what went wrong
I′m gon′ take off tonight
The artist is ready to leave the past behind and move on with his life
Into the night...
The artist will continue his journey, even if it's without the woman he once loved
...I hear 'em talk
The singer is still haunted by the conversations he hears about him and his situation
Heartless, heartless, heartless...
The woman's actions have left the singer feeling empty and heartless
Writer(s): Kanye Omari West, Jeffrey Bhasker, Ernest Dion Wilson, Benjamin Hudson Mcildowie, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, Malik Yusef El Shaba Jones
Contributed by Evelyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.