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.
KILLER
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
to be free
to live your life
to way you want a piece
will you deal, if we cry
will we live, if will be die.
Take to want, to we die.
The lyrics of "Killer" by Various Artists are somewhat cryptic and open to interpretation. The song seems to be addressing someone who wants to live their life on their own terms and who may have to face difficult decisions in order to do so. The lines "So you want to be free to live your life the way you want a piece" suggest a desire for independence and self-determination, and the question "Will you deal, if we cry; will we live, if we die" seems to be asking whether this person is willing to make sacrifices for their freedom, and whether they are prepared to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
The song is filled with paradoxes and contradictions. The line "Take to want, to we die" is confusing and difficult to interpret, but could be suggesting that we need to take action and follow our desires, even if it leads to our own destruction. The final line "Should that love, so we can stop" is similarly puzzling, but could be interpreted as a call for love and compassion in the face of difficulty and conflict.
Overall, "Killer" is a complex and poetic song that raises questions about individuality, freedom, and responsibility in a world that can be harsh and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
So you want
You desire
to be free
to have no restrictions
to live your life
to exist and make choices on your own terms
to way you want a piece
to have a portion of what you desire
will you deal, if we cry
are you willing to negotiate even if we express our pain
will we live, if will be die
are our chances of survival dependent on someone else's actions
Take to want, to we die.
We will continue to desire even until our demise.
should that love, so we can stop.
If we had love, we could end this conflict.
Writer(s): Gene Simmons, Vincent John Cusano
Contributed by Kylie F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.