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.
London Bridge
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting on a new age
But time betrays me
And I get older one more year
Walk London's windy streets
Go anywhere but home
'Cause I'm looking for the secrets
That only cobble stones hold
And I've never been so sure
That after all these years, I'll never learn
That heavenly creatures never come
You've got a knife-throwing kind of love
But your silence cuts the deepest
And I know I've made a mess of things
And I'm sorry for all that
Wish we could get the time back
Because I've never been so sure
That after all these years, I'll never learn
That heavenly creatures never come
Wait for it, wait for it
Now I'm staring at the sun
As if there's a riddle I'm not in on
'Cause the wolves howl to the moon
And she never answers back
No, she never answers back
And after all these years, I'll never learn
That heavenly creatures never, never been so sure
That after all these years, I'll never learn
That heavenly creatures never come
Waste away the days
Waiting on a new age
The lyrics of Various Artists' "London Bridge" depict the singer's frustration with the passage of time and the elusive search for meaning in life. The first verse reflects the sense of helplessness that often arises when waiting for change without taking action towards it. The singer wastes their days waiting for a new age but time continues to pass, leaving them feeling older and more stagnant. They seek to escape this sense of immobility by walking the windy streets of London, hoping to uncover the secrets hidden in the cobblestones. However, they ultimately realize that these heavenly creatures they seek, symbolic of a greater purpose or meaning, may never come.
The second verse switches focus to a relationship that has faltered, likely due to the singer's own mistakes. The use of a knife-throwing as a metaphor for love suggests an intense passion but also a danger that comes with it. Although the singer apologizes for their mistakes, the silence from their partner's end cuts deeper than any words could. They wish they could turn back time but ultimately accept that they may never fully learn from their past mistakes.
The final verse and repetition of the chorus drive home this theme of the singer's ongoing struggles with understanding their purpose in life and relationships. Staring at the sun represents the singer's search for answers in places where they may not be found. The howling wolves and unanswered moon reinforce the idea that sometimes there are no clear answers or signs, and that heavenly creatures or greater forces may never come.
Line by Line Meaning
Waste away the days
Spending endless hours doing nothing productive.
Waiting on a new age
Hoping for better things to come in the future.
But time betrays me
Time passes quickly and unexpectedly, leaving me behind.
And I get older one more year
Aging is inevitable and time always moves forward.
Walk London's windy streets
Roaming the streets of London aimlessly.
Go anywhere but home
Avoiding going back home for some reason.
'Cause I'm looking for the secrets
Trying to uncover hidden truths that are not easily visible.
That only cobble stones hold
Secrets locked within the cobblestone streets of London.
Only the cobble stones know
The mysteries of London's cobblestone streets are known only to them.
And I've never been so sure
I have never been more certain about anything in my life.
That after all these years, I'll never learn
Despite considerable experience, some things always remain a mystery.
That heavenly creatures never come
Some good things we expect to happen never do.
You've got a knife-throwing kind of love
Your love is sharp and sometimes hurtful.
But your silence cuts the deepest
Your lack of communication causes the most pain.
And I know I've made a mess of things
I am aware that I have made mistakes.
And I'm sorry for all that
I express regret for all the wrongs I have done.
Wish we could get the time back
I wish we could undo the past and start over.
Now I'm staring at the sun
I am lost in thought, contemplating about something.
As if there's a riddle I'm not in on
It feels like there is an unsolved mystery that I am not aware of.
'Cause the wolves howl to the moon
The wolves howl to the moon, revealing their desire for something unattainable.
And she never answers back
The moon is silent, leaving the wolves disappointed.
No, she never answers back
The moon is consistently unresponsive to the wolves' calls.
Wait for it, wait for it
Holding out for something that is yet to happen.
That after all these years, I'll never learn
Despite considerable experience, some things always remain a mystery.
That heavenly creatures never, never been so sure
Some good things we expect to happen never do.
That after all these years, I'll never learn
Despite considerable experience, some things always remain a mystery.
That heavenly creatures never come
Some good things we expect to happen never do.
Waste away the days
Spending endless hours doing nothing productive.
Writer(s): Stephen M. Kupka, Sean Garrett, John David Garibaldi, Jamal F. Jones, Emilio Castillo, Stacy Ferguson, Michael David Hartnett
Contributed by Anthony J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.