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.
Spain
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
May tumawag sa pangalan ko
Labing isang palapag
Tinanong kung okay lang ako
Sabay abot ng baso
May naghihintay
At bakit ba'pag nagsawa na ako
Bigla na lang ayoko na
At ngayon Di pa rin alam
Kung bat' tayo nandito
Puwede bang itigil muna
Ang pag-ikot ng mundo
Lumiwanag ang buwan
San Juan Di ko na nasasakyan
Ang lahat ng bagay ay
Gumuguhit na lang Sa 'king lalamunan
Ewan mo at ewan natin
Sinong may pakana?
At bakit ba Tumilapon ang
Gintong alak diyan sa paligid mo?
At ngayon Di pa rin alam
Kung ba't tayo nandito
Puwede bang itigil muna
Ang pag-ikot ng mundo
Umiyak ang umaga (hmm)
Anong sinulat ni Enteng at Joey diyan
Sa gintong salamin Di ko na mabasa
Pagkat merong nagbura
Ewan mo at ewan natin
Sinong nagpakana?
At bakit ba tumilapon ang spolarium
Diyan sa paligid mo?
At ngayon Di pa rin alam
Kung ba't tayo nandito
Puwede bang itigil muna
Ang pag-ikot ng mundo
The song "Spain" by Various Artists is a reflective piece that tackles themes of uncertainty and questioning the purpose of existence. The opening verse, which translates to "The surroundings became quiet, someone called my name / Eleven floors up, they asked if I was okay / Handed me a glass, somebody waits / And why is it that when I've grown tired, suddenly I don't want it anymore" has a somber quality to it, drawing the listener into a sense of introspective self-reflection. The chorus, "And even now, we still don't know why we are here / Can't we just stop the world from turning for a while", further emphasizes the artist's sense of confusion and desire for a pause in the constant motion of life.
The second verse delves deeper into the artist's thoughts and emotions. The line "The moon shines bright in San Juan, but I can't catch a ride / Everything leaves a mark only in my throat" suggests a feeling of disconnection, as if the artist cannot fully participate in the world around them. The chorus repeats, this time punctuated by the lines "The morning wept, what did Enteng and Joey write there? / On the golden mirror, I can't read it anymore / Because someone erased it." This adds an element of nostalgia and loss, suggesting that there have been past attempts to make sense of the world, but they have since been lost or forgotten.
Overall, "Spain" is a poignant and thought-provoking piece that encourages listeners to reflect on their own sense of purpose and existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Dumilim ang paligid
The surroundings became gloomy and dark
May tumawag sa pangalan ko
Someone called my name
Labing isang palapag
Eleven floors up
Tinanong kung okay lang ako
Asked if I'm doing okay or not
Sabay abot ng baso
Handed me a glass
May naghihintay
Someone is waiting
At bakit ba'pag nagsawa na ako
And why is it that when I'm tired
Bigla na lang ayoko na
Suddenly, I don't want to anymore
At ngayon Di pa rin alam
And now, I still don't know
Kung bat' tayo nandito
Why we are here
Puwede bang itigil muna
Can we stop for a bit
Ang pag-ikot ng mundo
The world from spinning around
Lumiwanag ang buwan
The moon became bright
San Juan Di ko na nasasakyan
San Juan, now I don't ride there anymore
Ang lahat ng bagay ay
Everything just
Gumuguhit na lang Sa 'king lalamunan
Leaves a mark on my throat
Ewan mo at ewan natin
Who knows what and who knows why
Sinong may pakana?
Who is behind this?
At bakit ba Tumilapon ang
And why did the
Gintong alak diyan sa paligid mo?
Golden wine spill around you?
Umiyak ang umaga (hmm)
The morning cried
Anong sinulat ni Enteng at Joey diyan
What did Enteng and Joey write there?
Sa gintong salamin Di ko na mabasa
In the golden mirror, I can't read it anymore
Pagkat merong nagbura
Because someone erased it
Sinong nagpakana?
Who is responsible for this?
At bakit ba tumilapon ang spolarium
And why did Spoliarium scatter
Diyan sa paligid mo?
There around you?
Puwede bang itigil muna
Can we stop for a bit
Ang pag-ikot ng mundo
The world from spinning around
Writer(s): Joaquin Rodrigo Vidre, Al Jarreau, Arthur J. Maren, Chick Corea
Contributed by Alyssa L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.