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.
Maybe
Various Artists Lyrics
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There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one
For sometimes when I am feeling as big as the land
With the velvet hill in the small of my back
And my hands are playing the sand
And my feet are swimming in all of the waters
According to plan, according to man
Well sometimes when I am feeling so grand
And I become the world
And the world becomes a man
And my song becomes a part of the river
I cry out to keep me just the way I am
According to plan
According to man, according to plan
According to man, according to plan
Oh there's a chance peace will come
In your life, please buy one
Oh there's a chance peace will come
In your life, please buy one
For sometimes when we have reached the end
With the velvet hill in the small of my backs
And our hands are clutching the sand
Will our blood become a part of the river
All of the rivers are givers to the ocean
According to plan, according to man
There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one.
There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one
For sometime when we have reached the end
With the velvet hill in the small of my backs
And our hands are clutching the sand.
There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one
There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one
The lyrics of "Maybe" by Various Artists have a certain ambiguity and a somewhat mysterious quality to them. However, on closer inspection, the song seems to be evoking ideas about the fleeting nature of life and the importance of finding peace in the midst of it all. The repeated phrase "There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one" seems to suggest that one can purchase this peace, as though it were a commodity. This could perhaps be a metaphor for the idea that peace isn't something that is naturally bestowed upon us, but rather something we have to work for, something that requires effort and intentionality.
The song also seems to be exploring the idea of the interconnectedness of things - the fact that all the rivers flow into the ocean and that we are all but a small part of this vast, interconnected system. The lines "And my feet are swimming in all of the waters / All of the rivers are givers to the ocean / According to plan, according to man" suggest a sort of cosmic order to things, as though there is some grand plan that we are all part of, even if we don't always understand it. The lyrics "And my song becomes a part of the river / I cry out to keep me just the way I am / According to plan" reinforce this idea of being a small part of a greater whole.
Overall, it seems that "Maybe" is a song about finding meaning and purpose in life. It suggests that we are all part of a grand plan, even if we don't always understand it, and that finding peace and contentment in this life requires effort and intentionality. The repeated refrain of "There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one" serves as a sort of reminder to listeners that peace isn't something that just happens - it's something that we have to actively pursue.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one.
The song is a call to action for listeners to strive towards peace in their lives.
For sometimes when I am feeling as big as the land, with the velvet hill in the small of my back, and my hands are playing the sand, and my feet are swimming in all of the waters.
The singer is feeling powerful and immersed in nature.
All of the rivers are givers to the ocean, according to plan, according to man.
The natural world operates according to a predetermined plan, which may or may not be influenced by humans.
Well sometimes when I am feeling so grand, and I become the world, and the world becomes a man, and my song becomes a part of the river.
The artist is experiencing a sense of interconnectedness with the world around them and feels their music is a part of that connection.
I cry out to keep me just the way I am, according to plan.
The artist recognizes the importance of staying true to themselves and the natural order of things.
And our hands are clutching the sand, will our blood become a part of the river? All of the rivers are givers to the ocean, according to plan, according to man.
The singer contemplates the idea of their own mortality and whether their existence will continue on through the natural cycle of life.
Oh there's a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one.
The repetition of the opening line emphasizes the importance of actively seeking peace in one's life.
Writer(s): Aaron Caleb Fishbein, Enrique Iglesias, David Siegel, Kara Dioguardi, Steve Morales
Contributed by Dominic M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.