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.
NOTHING TO LOSE
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And with a word all my love came rushing out
And every whisper it's the worst Emptied out by a single word
There is a hollow in me now, me now, me now
So I put my faith in something unknown
I'm living on such sweet nothing
But I'm tired of hope with nothing to hold I'm living on such sweet nothing
And it's hard to learn
When you're giving me such sweet nothing
Sweet nothing
Sweet nothing
You're giving me such sweet nothing
It isn't easy for me to let it go
'Cause I've swallowed every single word
And every whisper, every sigh
Eats away this heart of mine
And there is a hollow in me now, me now, me now
So I put my faith in something unknown
I'm living on such sweet nothing
But I'm tired of hope with nothing to hold
I'm living on such sweet nothing
And it's hard to learn
And it's hard to love
When you're giving me such sweet nothing
Sweet nothing
Sweet nothing
You're giving me such sweet nothing
And it's not enough
To tell me that you care
When we both know
The words are empty air
You give me nothing, nothing
Uoooh
Uoooh
Uoooh
Sweet nothing
Uoooh
Uoooh
Uoooh
Sweet nothing
The lyrics to Various Artists' song Nothing to Lose speak to the experience of being in love with someone who doesn't reciprocate those feelings fully. The singer describes how they gave their heart to the other person, only for them to use it against them with a word that caused all the love to come rushing out. Each subsequent whisper from the other person feels like they're emptying out the singer's heart, which leaves a hollow feeling inside of them. Despite this, the singer confesses that they put their faith in something unknown, living on sweet nothings from the person they love. However, they're tired of hoping for something that may never come, and it's hard to learn and love when they're only getting sweet nothings and not something substantial.
The lyrics of this song are very emotional, and they paint a vivid picture of the pain and heartache that can come with unrequited love. The opening line, "You took my heart and you held it in your mouth," is particularly striking and conjures up an image of vulnerability and trust being betrayed. The repetition of the phrase "sweet nothing" throughout the song emphasizes the hollowness of the feelings that the singer is receiving from the other person. In the end, the song suggests that the pain of holding onto an unfulfilling relationship can be too much to bear, and sometimes it's better to let go and to move on to something more substantial.
Line by Line Meaning
You took my heart and you held it in your mouth
I trusted you with my heart and you used it to your advantage
And with a word all my love came rushing out
You knew what to say to manipulate me into loving you
And every whisper it's the worst Emptied out by a single word
Every time you say something hurtful, it destroys me completely
There is a hollow in me now, me now, me now
You have left me feeling empty and broken
So I put my faith in something unknown
I'm grasping for something to believe in to fill the void you left
I'm living on such sweet nothing
I'm holding onto false hope and empty promises
But I'm tired of hope with nothing to hold I'm living on such sweet nothing
I don't want to keep believing in something that will never come true
And it's hard to learn
It's difficult to come to terms with the fact that you never truly loved me
And it's hard to love
It's hard to love someone who only gives you emptiness in return
When you're giving me such sweet nothing
When I realize that you're only pretending to care
It isn't easy for me to let it go
It's hard for me to move on from the love I thought we had
'Cause I've swallowed every single word
I believed everything you said to me, even when it hurt
And every whisper, every sigh
Every sound you make only reminds me of the pain you caused
Eats away this heart of mine
Your actions have damaged me deeply, to the point where it's hard to go on
And it's not enough
Your attempts to soothe me with empty words aren't enough
To tell me that you care
Saying you care means nothing when your actions say the opposite
When we both know
We both know the truth behind your words
The words are empty air
Your words carry no weight, no matter how convincing
You give me nothing, nothing
You have nothing of substance to offer me, no matter how hard you try to convince me otherwise
Uoooh
Vocalization, no discernible meaning
Sweet nothing
Empty promises and false hope
Writer(s): Donald Black, Henry Nicola Mancini
Contributed by William Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.