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.
Rush
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
to slay with pen or sword
I grow weary of the battle
and the storm I walk toward
when all around is madness
and there's no safe port in view
I long to turn my path homeward
to stop awhile with you.
and as cold winter skies
there's a beacon in the darkness
in a distant pair of eyes
in vain to search for honor
and in vain to search for truth
but these things can still be given
your love has shown me proof.
The lyrics of "Rush" by Various Artists, tackle the struggle of battling inner demons or external challenges that seem insurmountable. The song centers around the singer who has grown weary of the constant battles with dragons; something he sees as symbolic of the difficulties of achieving success, love, or peace of mind. The dragons are too mighty to be slain using a pen or sword, and the character is looking for a way out, a temporary relief. The storm he walks towards symbolizes his growing weariness, a need for respite.
In moments of madness, when everything around him is too much to bear, the character longs to return home to safety, to the comfort of a loved one. In a world filled with barrens and cold winter skies, the character finds a beacon in the darkness. The distant pair of eyes is symbolic of that one person he seeks out in times of trouble who shows him unconditional love and support. The character acknowledges that searching for honor and truth is pointless when one finds the kind of love that his loved one gives to him. The love he receives is proof that good things can still be given and that hope is not necessarily lost in a world of chaos and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
When the dragons grow too mighty
When the challenges become too great
to slay with pen or sword
that can't be defeated with intellect or force
I grow weary of the battle
I become exhausted from the fight
and the storm I walk toward
and I approach the difficult situation head-on
when all around is madness
when chaos surrounds me
and there's no safe port in view
and there's no place of safety in sight
I long to turn my path homeward
I desire to go home
to stop awhile with you.
to rest in the presence of someone I care about.
When life becomes as barren
When life becomes empty and desolate
and as cold winter skies
and as bleak as a winter day
there's a beacon in the darkness
there's a light that shines in the midst of darkness
in a distant pair of eyes
in the eyes of someone far away
in vain to search for honor
I search with no hope of finding honor
and in vain to search for truth
I search with no hope of finding truth
but these things can still be given
But even when lost, these things can still be received
your love has shown me proof.
because the love I've received has proven this to be true.
Writer(s): Eric A. Bellinger, Marcos Enrique Palacios, Overtone, Ernest Clark, Aaron Michael Cox
Contributed by Zachary H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.