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.
Romeo
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into the night to find your Romeo
It's a pity finding someone
Won't bring it all to you right now
Enter the slowly crying game
Enter the fear it's all taken away
It's a pity finding someone
Alone in the night you seek and wonder
Shady name, shady night
Hide the sunlight in your eyes
Lonely life's a crying road
Shady name, shady night
Hide the sunlight in your eyes
Only for the hiding Romeo
I'm not the one to make you complete
I'm not the guy to help you reach the dream
Such a pity lighting sunrise
Won't come before your eyes right now
All alone in the night you seek and wonder
Shady name, shady night
Hide the sunlight in your eyes
Lonely life's a crying road
Shady name, shady night
Hide the sunlight in your eyes
Only for the hiding Romeo
For the artist Lana Del Rey, these lyrics paint a picture of a woman seeking love in a world that is cold and isolating. The reference to Romeo alludes to the famous Shakespearean character, who represents the idea of true, passionate love. The singer in the song seeks a romantic partner who will bring her solace from the difficult world she inhabits, but she is unable to find this person. The lyrics allude to the fact that love might not come as easily as she’d like right now. The singer uses the metaphor of the “slowly crying game” to describe the pain of seeking love and coming up empty-handed. The repetition of the line “shady name, shady night” represents the singer’s struggle to find a genuine connection in the midst of a world full of disingenuous or harmful people.
For the artist Hozier, the lyrics take on a darker and more ominous tone. The singer, in this case, is a woman who has given up on love entirely. The allusion to Romeo represents the idea of true love being an impossible, almost mythical concept. The lyrics reference a “shady name” and “shady night” which can be interpreted as the idea of danger or mistrust in love. The line “I’m not the one to make you complete” suggests that the singer isn’t looking for someone else to fulfill her, but she also accepts that finding love and true connection are unlikely outcomes. The lyrics are haunting, painting a picture of a lonely and isolated figure searching for love in all the wrong places.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold is the night I see you go
The singer is acknowledging that the night is chilly and clear as they watch their love interest leave.
Into the night to find your Romeo
The woman the singer is addressing is venturing out into the dark to find her true love.
It's a pity finding someone
The singer is lamenting the fact that just finding someone to love isn't enough to bring happiness.
Won't bring it all to you right now
The artist is saying that finding someone won't solve all of the woman's problems immediately.
Enter the slowly crying game
The artist is describing the entry into a sad and difficult situation.
Enter the fear it's all taken away
The singer is acknowledging the fear that everything they have will be lost.
Alone in the night you seek and wonder
The woman is lonely and looking for answers as she thinks in the darkness.
Shady name, shady night
The artist is referring to a dark and secretive situation.
Hide the sunlight in your eyes
The woman is shielding her emotions and trying to appear unemotional.
Lonely life's a crying road
The artist is saying that a solitary life is sad and emotional.
Only for the hiding Romeo
The singer suspects that the woman is waiting for someone who is hiding and secretive, like Romeo.
I'm not the one to make you complete
The artist isn't capable of making the woman feel whole and fulfilled.
I'm not the guy to help you reach the dream
The singer can't assist the woman in achieving her goals and aspirations.
Such a pity lighting sunrise
The singer is saying that it's a sad situation to realize the potential of a situation only once it's passed.
Won't come before your eyes right now
The singer is acknowledging that the woman won't see the benefits of a better situation immediately.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NIELS GROETSCH, KRISTOFFER HUENECKE, JAKOB SINN, JOHANNES STRATE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind