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.
Mama
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All Cale Lyrics
Mama Don't (Arr By J J Cale)
Yeah, Mama don't allow no guitar playing 'round here
Yeah, Mama don't allow no guitar playing 'round here
I don't care what mama don't allow
I'll play my guitar anyhow
Mama don't allow no guitar playing 'round here
Hey, Mama don't allow no bass in this place
Yeah, Mama don't allow no bass in this place
I don't care what mama don't allow
I'll play my bass anyhow
Mama don't allow no bass in this place
Yeah, Mama don't allow no drumming going on
Yeah, Mama don't allow no drumming going on
I don't care what mama don't allow
Gonna play my drums anyhow
Mama don't allow no drumming going on
Yeah, Mama don't allow no piano players in here
Mama don't allow no piano players in here
I don't care what mama don't allow
Gonna play my piano anyhow
Mama don't allow no piano players in here
Yeah, Mama don't allow no reefer-smoking round about
Yeah, Mama don't allow no reefer-smoking round about
Yeah, I don't care what mama don't allow
I'm gonna smoke my reefer anyhow
Mama don't allow no reefer in here
Mama don't allow us all playing at the same time
Mama don't allow us all playing at the same time
I don't care what mama don't allow
We're all gonna play all at the same time anyhow
Mama don't allow us all playing at the same time
The song "Mama Don't" by J.J. Cale presents a playful and rebellious attitude towards the strict rules of traditional music. Throughout the song, the singer sings about Mama’s disapproval of different instruments being played, such as guitar, bass, drums, piano, and even smoking reefer. Despite the restrictions set by Mama, the singer explains that he will play his instrument anyway. The song ends with the band breaking all the rules and playing all at the same time, showing a disregard for tradition and convention.
The lyrics of "Mama Don't" can be seen as a metaphor for breaking societal norms and expressing oneself freely, even if it goes against what is expected or allowed. The mother figure can be seen as a symbol for the oppressive forces that often seek to suppress individuality and creativity. By defying Mama's rules, the singer is asserting his freedom and autonomy, and encouraging others to do the same.
Overall, "Mama Don't" can be interpreted as a fun and rebellious song that celebrates individuality, creativity, and freedom of expression. It is a call to arms for those who feel oppressed by the constraints of society and encourages them to break free and be true to themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, Mama don't allow no guitar playing 'round here
Mama doesn't permit playing the guitar here
I don't care what mama don't allow
I'll play my guitar anyhow
I am going to play my guitar anyway, regardless of Mama's rules
Hey, Mama don't allow no bass in this place
Playing bass is not allowed by Mama in this location
I'll play my bass anyhow
Mama don't allow no bass in this place
I am going to play bass despite Mama's rules against it
Yeah, Mama don't allow no drumming going on
Playing drums is not allowed by Mama
Gonna play my drums anyhow
Mama don't allow no drumming going on
I will still play the drums even though it goes against Mama's wishes
Yeah, Mama don't allow no piano players in here
Mama has banned playing the piano in this location
Gonna play my piano anyhow
Mama don't allow no piano players in here
I will play the piano even though Mama does not allow it in this place
Yeah, Mama don't allow no reefer-smoking round about
Mama does not allow smoking reefer here
I'm gonna smoke my reefer anyhow
Mama don't allow no reefer in here
Regardless of Mama's rules, I am going to smoke reefer here
Mama don't allow us all playing at the same time
Mama does not permit everyone playing at the same time
We're all gonna play all at the same time anyhow
Mama don't allow us all playing at the same time
We will still all play at once, even though Mama disapproves
Contributed by Nora N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.