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.
Merry Christmas Everybody
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it time that every Santa has a ball?
Does he ride a red nosed reindeer?
Does he tug upon a sleigh?
Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?
So here it is, Merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
Are you waiting for the family to arrive?
Are you sure you got the room to spare inside?
Does your granny always tell ya
That the old songs are the best?
And she's up and rock n rolling with the rest
So here it is, Merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now it's only just begun
What will your daddy do
When he sees your mamma kissing Santa Claus?
Ahhh ahhh
Ahhh ahhh
Are you hinging up your socking on your wall?
Are you hoping that the snow will start to fall?
Do you rattle down the hillside
In the buggy you have made?
When you land upon your head then you will say
So here it is, Merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun
So here it is, Merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun
It's only just begun
Everybody's having fun
To Slade, the lyrics of "Merry Xmas Everybody" seems to be about the holiday celebrations that everyone is participating in. When the singer asks, "Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?" they're referring to the Christmas tradition of hanging stockings and waiting for Santa to come and fill them with presents. Slade also interprets "every Santa has a ball" as a sign of the festive spirit, with people celebrating and having fun everywhere. They believe that the "fairies keep him sober for a day" line means that everyone is happy and cheerful for Christmas, and this mood may be assisted by some kind of magic.
On the other hand, Oasis' interpretation of the song is somewhat different. When Noel Gallagher sings "Merry Xmas Everybody," he seems to speak about the holiday season in a more reflective tone. He sees the holiday period as a time to relax and appreciate the company of one's loved ones. When he sings "look to the future now it's only just begun," he isn't seeing the future as a promise of fun, but rather a chance to build upon the bonds built during the holiday season, and maintain the feeling of warmth and generosity that Christmas seems to invoke.
For The Pogues, the song has a more poignant edge to it. Shane MacGowan's rough and angry voice screams out to the audience to take notice of the holiday season, pointing out the dangers of the time. For MacGowan, "Merry Xmas Everybody" is a time to be wary of excess, "Does your granny always tell ya / That the old songs are the best / And she's up and rock n rolling with the rest." Yet, even though he's warning of excess, in the end, he too seems to celebrate the holiday season, raising his glass to "a merry Christmas and a happy New Year / let's hope it's a good one, without any fear."
Line by Line Meaning
Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?
Are you putting up your Christmas stocking?
Is it time that every Santa has a ball?
Does Santa Claus have a good time during Christmas?
Does he ride a red nosed reindeer?
Does Santa ride Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
Does he tug upon a sleigh?
Does Santa pull a sleigh?
Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?
Do the Christmas fairies keep Santa Claus from getting drunk for a day?
So here it is, Merry Christmas
Here it is, Merry Christmas!
Everybody's having fun
Everyone is enjoying themselves
Look to the future now
Focus on the future now
It's only just begun
It has only just started
Are you waiting for the family to arrive?
Are you anticipating the arrival of your family?
Are you sure you got the room to spare inside?
Do you have enough space in your house for everyone?
Does your granny always tell ya
Does your grandmother always say
That the old songs are the best?
That the old Christmas songs are the best?
And she's up and rock n rolling with the rest
And she's up and dancing with everyone else
What will your daddy do
What will your father do
When he sees your mamma kissing Santa Claus?
When he sees your mother kissing Santa Claus?
Are you hinging up your socking on your wall?
Are you putting up your Christmas stocking on the wall?
Are you hoping that the snow will start to fall?
Are you wishing for it to snow?
Do you rattle down the hillside
Do you slide down the hillside
In the buggy you have made?
In the sled you built?
When you land upon your head then you will say
When you fall on your head, you'll say
It's only just begun
It has only just started
So here it is, Merry Christmas
Here it is, Merry Christmas!
Everybody's having fun
Everyone is enjoying themselves
Look to the future now
Focus on the future now
It's only just begun
It has only just started
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind