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.
Mambo italiano
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
because she miss the scenery
the native dances and the charming songs
but wait a minute something's wrong hey mambo, mambo italiano, hey mambo, mambo italiano, go go go you mixed up siciliano
The first verse of "Mambo Italiano" by Various Artists talks about going back to Naples because the singer's female partner misses the scenic beauty, native dances, and charming songs of the place. However, while going back, they realize that something is not right. This is when the chorus comes in and the singer exclaims "hey mambo, mambo italiano" repeatedly, as if to express confusion and unease. The lyrics then go on to say "you mixed up siciliano," which could mean that the Sicilian dance got mixed up with the Neapolitan dance or perhaps that the singer and his partner are not in sync with each other.
The reference to mambo in this song is significant because it was a popular dance form in the 1950s and 60s that originated in Cuba and gained popularity in the US and other parts of the world. The song's main idea is to showcase how the Italian people loved dance and song, and this was a way for them to express themselves. The mixed-up siciliano might be a reference to how the Italian people sometimes appropriated other cultures' dances and turned them into something of their own.
Line by Line Meaning
oh we're going back to Napoli
We are returning to Naples
because she miss the scenery
Because she misses the beautiful views
the native dances and the charming songs
The dances and lovely songs of our homeland
but wait a minute something's wrong
Hold on, there is an issue
hey mambo, mambo italiano
Hey, let's dance the Italian Mambo
hey mambo, mambo italiano
Hey, let's dance the Italian Mambo
go go go you mixed up siciliano
Let's go, you're dancing the Sicilian steps all wrong
Writer(s): Bob Merrill
Contributed by Sadie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.