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.
I Wish
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To every city
I wish, I wish, I wish
Every hood
I wish, I wish, I wish
And every block
I wish, I wish, I wish
Good Ol' America!
Rollin' through the hood
Just stopped by to say what's up
Came to let you know
That your baby boy ain't doing so tough
And even though you passed
Going on four long years
Still waking up late at night crying tears
Just thinking about those days
You used to talk to me
Smilin' while I'm sippin' on this Hennesy
And remember we bragged on how rich we would be
To get up out this hood was like a fantasy
1 - And now you hear my songs the radio is bangin'
Oh I can't believe my ears
And what everybody's sayin'
And boy I'll tell you
Folks don't know the half
I would give it all up
Just to take one ride
(With you)
How I used to kick it on the front porch
(With you)
And how I used to lay back and smoke weed
(With you)
And all the little days and party joints we'd do
Now I'm just missing you
How I wish
2 - I wish that I could hold you now
I wish that I could touch you now
I wish that I could talk to you
Be with you somehow
I know you're in a better place
And you know I can see your face
I know you're smiling down on me
Saying everything's okay
And if I never leave this thug life
I'll see you again someday
I wish, I wish, I wish
I wish, I wish, I wish
Now ever since this money come
Been nothing but stress
Sometimes I wish I could trade in my success
Y'all look at me and say boy you've been blessed
But y'all don't see the inside of my unhappiness
Man I swear this shit gets heavy like a ton
That's why you hear me shootin'
This real shit off like a gun
Hmm I wonder how my friends would treat me now
If I wasn't iced up with a Bentley and a house
That's why fake ass niggas get fake ass digits
And fake ass playas get a real playa hatin' 'em
Honey Love goes platinum and y'all ass come around
But y'all don't wanna raise the roof
Until my shit is going down
Repeat 1
(With you)
How I used to hoop off in them tournaments
(With you)
And how I used to club hop on weekends
(With you)
Your family called the morning of the tragic end
Damn, my condolensces
Repeat 2
Voices in my head be telling me to come to church
Saying the Lord is the only way for you to stop the hurt
Dreaming of windows black tinted like a hurst
When waking up to life sometimes seems worst
And all I ever wanted is to be a better man
And I try to keep it real with my homies now
For me to save the world I don't understand
How did I become the leader of a billion men?
Repeat 1
(With you)
How I used to street perform on Friday
(With you)
And how I used to go to church on Easter Sunday
(With you)
Standing here throwing them songs at me
Somebody pray for me
Repeat 2 till end
The song "I Wish" by Various Artists is a touching tribute to lost loved ones and a wistful longing for simpler times. The song starts with the singer wishing for peace and unity in every corner of America. He then talks about his memories with an old friend who had passed away. He misses the days when they used to sit on the front porch and smoke weed, dreaming of a better life. He reminisces about parties they attended and aspirations they had as kids. The singer is torn between his current success and the feeling of emptiness that comes with it. He wishes he could trade in his fame to be with his lost friend again. In the end, he speaks of his desire to be a better person and help others in need.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish, I wish, I wish
Expressing a strong desire for something
To every city
Wishing the best for all cities
Every hood
Wishing the best for all neighborhoods
And every block
Wishing the best for all blocks
Good Ol' America!
Wishing the best for America
Rollin' through the hood
Driving around the neighborhood
Just stopped by to say what's up
Visiting to greet friends
Came to let you know
Informing a friend about something
That your baby boy ain't doing so tough
Sharing personal struggles with a friend
And even though you passed
Referring to someone who has passed away
Going on four long years
Referring to the length of time since the person passed away
Still waking up late at night crying tears
Expressing sadness and grief over the loss
Just thinking about those days
Reflecting on the past
You used to talk to me
Recalling conversations with the person who passed away
Smilin' while I'm sippin' on this Hennesy
Drinking alcohol while remembering good times
And remember we bragged on how rich we would be
Recalling past ambitions of wealth
To get up out this hood was like a fantasy
To leave the neighborhood was once a distant dream
And now you hear my songs the radio is bangin'
Celebrating success in music
Oh I can't believe my ears
Expressing disbelief at success
And what everybody's sayin'
Referring to positive comments about music career
And boy I'll tell you
Reflecting on career achievements
Folks don't know the half
People don't understand the amount of hard work it took to get there
I would give it all up
Would sacrifice success for time with the person who passed away
Just to take one ride
Wanting to spend more time with the person who passed away
(With you)
Addressing the person who passed away
How I used to kick it on the front porch
Recalling good times spent together
And how I used to lay back and smoke weed
Recalling past recreational activities
And all the little days and party joints we'd do
Remembering past social events
Now I'm just missing you
Feeling a deep sense of loss
I wish that I could hold you now
Wishing for physical closeness with the person who passed away
I wish that I could touch you now
Wishing for physical contact
I wish that I could talk to you
Wishing for communication
Be with you somehow
Wishing for companionship
I know you're in a better place
Acknowledging that the person is no longer suffering
And you know I can see your face
Believing that the person is watching over them
I know you're smiling down on me
Believing that the person is happy for their success
Saying everything's okay
Believing that the person is comforting them
And if I never leave this thug life
Acknowledging that their environment has not changed
I'll see you again someday
Believing in an afterlife where they will be reunited
Now ever since this money come
Reflecting on success and wealth
Been nothing but stress
Acknowledging that success has come with its own set of problems
Sometimes I wish I could trade in my success
Occasionally regretting success and the problems it brings
Y'all look at me and say boy you've been blessed
Acknowledging that others see their success as a blessing
But y'all don't see the inside of my unhappiness
Others do not see the emotional struggles associated with success
Man I swear this shit gets heavy like a ton
Feeling overwhelmed by the burdens of success
That's why you hear me shootin'
Expressing emotions through music
This real shit off like a gun
Being truthful and authentic in music
Hmm I wonder how my friends would treat me now
Questioning the intentions of others regarding success
If I wasn't iced up with a Bentley and a house
Wondering if success has changed relationships with friends
That's why fake ass niggas get fake ass digits
Avoiding fake people
And fake ass playas get a real playa hatin' 'em
Receiving backlash from fake people
Honey Love goes platinum and y'all ass come around
Acknowledging that people only show interest when money is involved
But y'all don't wanna raise the roof
Others only want to benefit from success, not support it
Until my shit is going down
Others only support during failure, not success
(With you)
Addressing the person who passed away
How I used to hoop off in them tournaments
Recalling past athletic events
And how I used to club hop on weekends
Recalling past social events
Your family called the morning of the tragic end
Referring to the death of the person
Damn, my condolensces
Expressing sympathy and condolences for the loss
Voices in my head be telling me to come to church
Reflecting on spirituality and the desire to connect with something bigger
Saying the Lord is the only way for you to stop the hurt
Finding comfort in faith after a personal loss
Dreaming of windows black tinted like a hurst
Reflecting on death and the afterlife
When waking up to life sometimes seems worst
Feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges
And all I ever wanted is to be a better man
Striving to be a better person
And I try to keep it real with my homies now
Being honest and authentic with friends
For me to save the world I don't understand
Feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of their success
How did I become the leader of a billion men?
Questioning how they became so successful and influential
Contributed by Savannah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Daracdor
Saw Roy Wood sing this live 3 weeks ago and he was streets ahead ..... more power to you Roy .
@pinkyireland
This video shows why Westlife are the only band to still be together... they can actually sing!
@gameshowguy2000
Agreed..even the A-Teens can sing this song pretty well.
@brougle
Merry Christmas :DD
@KThompson1990
He sings solo at 2:31.
@blazingirlie
blazers and gareth are the best
@Pemuciuse
Gareth dominates the stage totally with his spectacular angel voice among the anonymous and boring voices of Westlife, the infantile rapping of Blazin Squad and the totally incompetent Girl Aloud. Good track though, and sang in an impressive high key. Without Gareth the music would anyway be ear tormnented shouting!!
@AxelMacopelli
No offence to the girls but they sounded awful. At least Westlife sounded great. Is it just me or did Gareth write the lyrics on his hand and look at them at the beginning of his solo.
@Griffami
There all tone death, ruined a classic!