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.
Out Of Control
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eighteen years of dawning
I say how long?
You say how long?
It was one dull morning
Woke the world with bawling
I was so sad
It was so bad
I was of a feeling it was out of control
I had the opinion it was out of control
Boys and girls
Go to the school and girls
They make children
Not like this one
I was of a feeling it was out of control
I had the opinion it was out of control
I was of a feeling it was out of control
I had the opinion it was out of control
Out of control
Out of control
Out of control
Out of control
Out of control
I fought fate
There's blood on the garden gate
The man said childhood
It's in his childhood
One day I'll die
The choice will not be mine
Will it be too late
You can't fight it
I was of a feeling it was out of control
I had the opinion it was out of control
The lyrics to "Out of Control" are introspective and deal with the inevitability of the passage of time and the loss of control over one's life. The song opens on a Monday morning, with the singer contemplating the passage of eighteen years of their life, wondering how long they will continue to be constrained by the events of the past. The melancholic tone of the song is established with the line "woke the world with bawling", which suggests a sense of overwhelming sadness.
The song touches on themes of childhood, mortality, and fate. The second stanza is a commentary on traditional gender roles and the societal pressures placed on children to conform to them. The line "They make children/Not like this one" is a pointed critique of a society that expects conformity and suppresses individuality.
The chorus of the song, "Out of control", is repeated numerous times and acts as a lament for the fleeting nature of life and the feeling of being at the mercy of circumstances beyond one's control. The song ends on a somewhat hopeful note, with the singer declaring that they will "fight fate", even though the possibility of a positive outcome is uncertain.
Overall, "Out of Control" is a thoughtful, melancholic meditation on the inevitability of aging and the loss of control that comes with it. Through its vivid imagery and poignant lyrics, it vividly captures the sense of melancholy that comes with the realization that life is fleeting and that we are all at the mercy of fate.
Line by Line Meaning
Monday morning
The start of a new week
Eighteen years of dawning
The age of adulthood
I say how long?
Questioning the length of time
You say how long?
Asking for an answer to how much time has passed
It was one dull morning
The morning was monotonous and uneventful
Woke the world with bawling
Cried loudly and caught attention
I was so sad
Feeling low emotionally
(So sad)
Reiterating the sadness of the situation
It was so bad
The situation was terrible
Boys and girls
Both genders
Go to the school and girls
Girls also attend school
They make children
Referring to the idea of having kids
Not like this one
Not like the situation being described
I was of a feeling it was out of control
Expressing the idea that things were unmanageable
I had the opinion it was out of control
Believing the situation was out of hand
Out of control
Referring to the chaos
Out of control
Repeating the idea of chaos
Out of control
Emphasizing the lack of management
Out of control
Describing the state of the situation
Out of control
Reiterating the chaos
I fought fate
Actively resisting destiny
There's blood on the garden gate
Implying a possible violent encounter
The man said childhood
Someone spoke about childhood experiences
It's in his childhood
Indicating a connection to someone's past
One day I'll die
Someday I will pass away
The choice will not be mine
It will not be up to me to decide when I die
Will it be too late
Asking if something will be too late for consideration or action
You can't fight it
Implying that some things are inevitable
Writer(s): ADAM CLAYTON, DAVE EVANS, LARRY MULLEN, PAUL DAVID HEWSON
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.