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.
Poker Face
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mum mum mum mah
I wanna hold em' like they do in Texas please
Fold em' let em' hit me raise it baby stay with me (I
love it)
Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on
his heart
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, oh-oh-e-oh-oh-oh,
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Can't read my,
Can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
Can't read my
Can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be
A little gambling is fun when you're with me (I love
it)
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun
And baby when it's love if its not rough it isn't fun,
fun
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, oh-oh-e-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, oh-oh-e-oh-oh-oh,
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
I won't tell you that I love you
Kiss or hug you
Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I'm not lying I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-
gunning
Just like a chick in the casino
Take your bank before I pay you out
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand cause I'm marvelous
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
The lyrics of the song "Poker Face" are about Lady Gaga's approach towards love, relationships and sex. She compares her romantic strategy to a game of poker, which is all about bluffing, hiding your emotions and making calculated moves to win. Gaga wants to "hold em' like they do in Texas," referring to the popular card game Texas Hold'em, and she is willing to take risks and raise the stakes to keep her partner interested. She uses luck and intuition to play the cards with spades and when her partner is hooked, she plays the one that's on his heart. Gaga is confident in her abilities to get what she wants from a man and won't reveal her true feelings or intentions. She sings "I won't tell you that I love you, Kiss or hug you, Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin" which means she wants to keep her true feelings hidden and only reveal as much as necessary to win the game.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "Can't read my poker face" is about Gaga's ability to hide her emotions and intentions from her partner. She sings about the thrill of the game and the excitement of taking risks, comparing her life to a game of Russian Roulette, which is not the same without a gun. Gaga believes that love should be rough, exciting, and sometimes dangerous, and she doesn't want anything less. Overall, the song is an expression of Lady Gaga's views on love, relationships, and sex, which are unconventional, bold, and daring.
Line by Line Meaning
Mum mum mum mah
I'm starting off the song with some catchy gibberish.
I wanna hold em' like they do in Texas please
I want to play poker like they do in Texas, where it's a serious game and they hold their cards close to their chest.
Fold em' let em' hit me raise it baby stay with me (I love it)
Sometimes you have to play it safe and fold, but other times you have to take a risk and raise the stakes. I love the adrenaline rush of gambling.
Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start
When playing poker with a standard deck, you start with the Spade suit. Winning requires some skill and strategy, but luck and intuition play a big role too.
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart
Once someone is emotionally invested in you, you can use that to your advantage and manipulate them to get what you want.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, oh-oh-e-oh-oh-oh
I'm just adding some more gibberish to the song that people can sing along to.
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
I'm going to use my charms and flirting skills to make my opponent hot under the collar and distract him from the game.
Can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my poker face
I'm good at keeping a straight face and not giving away any clues about the cards I'm holding, so my opponent can't read me.
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
More gibberish for the catchy chorus.
I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be
I want to be partners with my crush at the poker table, and hopefully we'll end up with a good hand to play with.
A little gambling is fun when you're with me (I love it)
Gambling can be a fun and exciting activity to do with someone, especially if you're attracted to them and there's a chance for some flirtatious banter.
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun
Russian Roulette is a deadly game of chance, but it's not as thrilling without the actual danger of a loaded gun.
And baby when it's love if its not rough it isn't fun, fun
Sometimes love and relationships can be rough and exciting, and that's what makes them enjoyable and worth pursuing.
I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you
I'm not going to show my emotions and reveal my affection for you, because I'm trying to keep a straight face and not give away any hints at the poker table.
Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I'm bluffing and pretending to have a good hand, just like I'm pretending to have my emotions under control and not reveal my true feelings.
I'm not lying I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunning
I'm not being deceptive, I'm just using my words and actions to stun and attract my opponent, like glue gunning something together.
Just like a chick in the casino, take your bank before I pay you out
I'm like a smart and savvy female gambler at the casino, I know how to win big and make sure I get paid before anyone else.
I promise this, promise this, check this hand cause I'm marvelous
I'm promising my opponent that I have a great hand, and that they should check it out because it will be impressive.
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
More catchy gibberish for the chorus to wrap up the song.
Writer(s): Nadir Khayat, Stefani Germanotta
Contributed by Tyler R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.