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.
Songbird
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flew me to a place not far away
She's a little pilot in my mind
Singing songs of love to pass the time
Gonna write a song so she can see
Give her all the love she gives to me
Talk of better days that have yet to come
I never felt this love from anyone
She's not anyone
She's not anyone
A man can never dream these kind of things
Especially when she came and spread her wings
Whispered in my ear the things I'd like
Then she flew away into the night
Gonna write a song so she can see
Give her all the love she gives to me
Talk of better days that have yet to come
Never felt this love from anyone
She's not anyone
She's not anyone
She's not anyone
The lyrics to Various Artists' Songbird are about a person's love for a "songbird" who takes them away to a peaceful and serene place in their mind. The songbird is described as a little pilot in their mind who sings songs of love to pass the time. The singer wants to write a song for the songbird to express their gratitude for all the love she gives them, and to talk about better days that are yet to come.
The songbird represents a feeling of tranquility and love that the singer has never felt before. They acknowledge that a man can never dream such things, especially when the songbird came and spread her wings. Her whispers in the singer's ear were everything they wanted to hear, but she flew away into the night, leaving the singer only with memories of her love. Despite this, the singer still wants to write a song for the songbird to show her how much she means to them.
Overall, Songbird is an introspective and emotional song about the power of love and the impact it can have on someone's life. The song is both a tribute to the love the singer has for the songbird, as well as a reflection on the fleeting nature of love and how sometimes, it comes and goes without warning.
Line by Line Meaning
Talking to the songbird yesterday
Yesterday, I had a conversation with a songbird.
Flew me to a place not far away
The songbird took me to a nearby place.
She's a little pilot in my mind
The songbird pilots my thoughts.
Singing songs of love to pass the time
The songbird sings affectionate songs to keep me company.
Gonna write a song so she can see
I will write a melody for the songbird to hear.
Give her all the love she gives to me
I want to show my appreciation for the songbird by giving it love, like it has given to me.
Talk of better days that have yet to come
We speak of the future and hopeful events that haven't happened yet.
I never felt this love from anyone
I have never experienced this type of love from anyone else.
She's not anyone
The songbird is unique and incomparable to anyone else.
A man can never dream these kind of things
It would be unfathomable for a person to dream of such an experience.
Especially when she came and spread her wings
The moment when the songbird appeared and spread its wings was extraordinary.
Whispered in my ear the things I'd like
The songbird whispered sweet nothings in my ear.
Then she flew away into the night
Afterward, the songbird flew away into the dark.
She's not anyone
The songbird is unique and incomparable to anyone else.
Contributed by Mia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.