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.
Mad Lydia's Waltz
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lydia's Waltz P. Rowan
The town now is sleeping
The moon slowly creeping
A candle is burning
In the window so high
The widow stand staring
Her bed sheets are barren
And the moon it is high
Hesitations of laughter
And Lydia is dancing
Silk from her shoulders
It slips to the floor
The darkness is laughing
Her lover is calling
In tears and remembrance
She opens the door
The cobblestone alley
The mystery her spinning
With thirteen black roses
They gaze at the bride
The widow is dancing
Her lover is calling
Her laughter is ringing
On the beach at low tide
And the town's people gather
As Lydia comes dancing
Spinning and reeling
At the edge of the sea
Her eyes shine like ambers
Her body is burning
She runs to her lover... lover
"Mad Lydia's Waltz" tells a poignant story of a widow, Lydia, who is grieving for her lost lover. The song begins with a description of a sleeping town and a candle burning in a high window. The widow stands trembling, and her bed sheets are barren, indicating that she is alone and misses her lover. Despite her sadness, she hesitates in moments of laughter and breaks into a dance. The silk from her shoulders slips to the floor as she lets herself go. The darkness laughs and beckons her lover to join her.
Lydia's lover is deceased, and she is left alone to mourn his loss. The lyrics suggest that she is in tears and remembers fondly the moments they shared together. The cobblestone alley comes alive with the mystery of her spinning and the thirteen black roses. She dances like no one is watching, and her laughter rings throughout the town. The scene is charming yet melancholic, and her lover's memories still haunt her.
The townspeople watch in awe as Lydia continues to dance by the sea with her eyes shining and her body burning. She spins and reels, lost in her own world, and runs to her lover's memory. The song evokes strong emotions of love, loss, and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
The town now is sleeping
It's late at night and no one is awake
The moon slowly creeping
The moon is slowly rising in the sky
A candle is burning
There is a candle burning in a window
In the window so high
The window is located high up
The widow stand staring
A widow is standing and staring
Her young body trembling
She is young and trembling
Her bed sheets are barren
Her bed sheets are empty
And the moon it is high
The moon is high in the sky
Hesitations of laughter
She is hesitant to laugh
And Lydia is dancing
Lydia is dancing
Silk from her shoulders
Her silk dress slips from her shoulders
It slips to the floor
The dress falls to the floor
The darkness is laughing
The darkness is personified as laughing
Her lover is calling
Her lover is calling to her
In tears and remembrance
She is crying and remembering something
She opens the door
She opens the door to her room
The cobblestone alley
They are in a cobblestone alley
The mystery her spinning
She is spinning and creating a mystery
With thirteen black roses
She is holding thirteen black roses
They gaze at the bride
They are looking at the bride
The widow is dancing
The widow is dancing
Her lover is calling
Her lover is calling to her
Her laughter is ringing
She is laughing loudly
On the beach at low tide
They are on the beach when the tide is low
And the town's people gather
People from the town are gathering to watch
As Lydia comes dancing
Lydia is still dancing
Spinning and reeling
She is spinning and twirling
At the edge of the sea
She is close to the sea
Her eyes shine like ambers
Her eyes are shining like amber
Her body is burning
She is feeling passionate
She runs to her lover... lover
She runs to her lover
Writer(s): Peter H. Rowan
Contributed by Brayden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.