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.
Requiem
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remembering through a second-hand sorrow
Such a great son, and wonderful friend
Oh, don't the tears just pour?
I could curl up and hide in my room
There in my bed, still sobbing tomorrow
I could give in to all of the gloom
But, tell me
Why should I have a heavy heart?
Why should I start to break in pieces?
Why should I go and fall apart for you?
Why
Should I play the grieving girl and
Lie
Saying that I miss you
And, that my world has gone dark without your light?
I will sing no requiem
Tonight
I gave you the world, you threw it away
Leaving these broken pieces behind you
Everything wasted, nothing to say
So, I can sing no requiem
I hear your voice and feel you near
Within these words, I finally find you
Now that I know that you are still here
I will sing no requiem tonight
Why should I have a heavy heart? (Why should I have a heavy heart?)
Why should I say I'll keep you with me? (I'll keep you with me.)
Why should I go and fall apart for you?
Why
Should I play the grieving girl and
Lie
Saying that I miss you
And, that my world has gone dark without your light? (I can see your light.)
I will sing no requiem
Tonight
'Cause when the villains fall, the kingdoms never weep
No one lights a candle to remember
No, no one mourns at all when they lay them down to sleep
So, don't tell me that I didn't have it right
Don't tell me that it must be black and white
After all you put me through
Don't say it wasn't true
That you are not the monster that I knew
'Cause I cannot play the grieving girl and
Lie
Saying that I miss you
And, that my world has gone dark
I will sing no requiem
I will sing no requiem
I will sing no requiem tonight
(Oh, oh.)
The lyrics of "Requiem" by Various Artists are a representation of a person's cathartic release of emotions after the loss of someone close to them. The song captures the internal struggle of dealing with the death of a friend and the residual anger towards them for leaving such a void in their life. The singer contemplates why she should pretend to be anything but honest and accept the grief she feels. She questions why she should keep a heavy heart or why she should go through the pain of falling apart for someone who doesn't deserve it.
The lyrics also represent the anger that the singer feels towards the person who has died. She is angry that they threw away everything she gave them, leaving her with only broken pieces. The singer goes on to say that she will not play the role of the grieving girl anymore as it's pointless because the villain never receives the punishment they deserve. The song ends with the singer accepting the reality of the situation and the fact that the person she lost is never coming back. She says she will not say goodbye, and she will not sing a requiem as it won't change anything.
Line by Line Meaning
Why should I play this game of pretend?
Why should I pretend that everything is alright when it's not?
Remembering through a second-hand sorrow
Feeling the pain of losing someone from others who are also grieving.
Such a great son, and wonderful friend
The person who was lost was an amazing person and meant a lot to everyone.
Oh, don't the tears just pour?
Expressing the sadness and crying that comes with losing someone.
I could curl up and hide in my room
Wanting to hide from the world and grieve in private.
There in my bed, still sobbing tomorrow
Feeling like the sadness will never end and continuing to cry for days.
I could give in to all of the gloom
Feeling like giving up on everything because of the sadness and depression.
But, tell me
Tell me what for?
Questioning why there is a need to continue grieving and feeling sad.
Why should I have a heavy heart?
Asking why the pain of losing someone must be so heavy and overwhelming.
Why should I start to break in pieces?
Questioning why the pain of loss causes such emotional and mental distress.
Why should I go and fall apart for you?
Asking why the grief should be so intense and why it feels like falling apart entirely.
Why
Should I play the grieving girl and
Lie
Saying that I miss you
And, that my world has gone dark without your light?
Questioning whether there is a need to pretend to miss the person and exaggerate the sadness.
I will sing no requiem
Tonight
Referring to the decision to not participate in mourning and instead celebrate the person's life.
I gave you the world, you threw it away
Leaving these broken pieces behind you
Everything wasted, nothing to say
Feeling like everything that was done was a waste because of the person's actions and behavior.
So, I can sing no requiem
I hear your voice and feel you near
Within these words, I finally find you
Now that I know that you are still here
Realizing that the person is still present in the words that were left behind, and there is no need for mourning.
Why should I say I'll keep you with me? (I'll keep you with me.)
Asking why there is a need to hold on to the memory of the person and keep them with them.
I can see your light.
Seeing that the person's legacy and memory are still shining and bright.
'Cause when the villains fall, the kingdoms never weep
No one lights a candle to remember
No, no one mourns at all when they lay them down to sleep
Using a metaphor to say that when evil people die, they don't receive mourning or remembrance.
So, don't tell me that I didn't have it right
Don't tell me that it must be black and white
After all you put me through
Don't say it wasn't true
That you are not the monster that I knew
Refuting the idea that the person who passed away was not the same person who caused pain or hurt in the past.
'Cause I cannot play the grieving girl and
Lie
Saying that I miss you
And, that my world has gone dark
I will sing no requiem
Making the decision to not pretend to mourn or feel sadness, but instead appreciate the person's life.
I will sing no requiem tonight
(Oh, oh.)
Reiterating the decision to not participate in mourning and instead celebrate the person's life.
Writer(s): Melissa Rigby, Bradley Baker, Sam Kilcoyne, Jolyon Vaughan Thomas, Thomas Cohen, Huw Webb
Contributed by Caleb A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.