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.
Summer Nights
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Summer lovin' happened so fast
I met a girl crazy for me
Met a boy cute as can be
Summer days driftin' away
To ah, oh, those summer nights
Uh well-a well-a well-a, uh!
Did you get very far?
Tell me more, tell me more
Like does he have a car?
Uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh
She swam by me, she got a cramp
He ran by me, got my suit damp
I saved her life, she nearly drowned
He showed off, splashing around
Summer sun, something's begun
But ah, oh, those summer nights
Uh well-a well-a well-a huh!
Tell me more, tell me more
Was it love at first sight?
Tell me more, tell me more
Did she put up a fight?
Uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh
Took her bowling in the arcade
We went strolling, drank lemonade
We made out under the dock
We stayed out 'til ten o'clock
Summer fling, don't mean a thing
But ah, oh, those summer nights
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Tell me more, tell me more
But you don't gotta brag
Tell me more, tell me more
'Cause he sounds like a drag
Shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop
Shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, shoo-bop bop, yeah!
He got friendly, holding my hand
Well, she got friendly down in the sand
He was sweet, just turned eighteen
Well, she was good, you know what I mean
Summer heat, boy and girl meet
But ah, oh, those summer nights
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Tell me more, tell me more
How much dough did he spend?
Tell me more, tell me more
Could she get me a friend?
It turned colder, that's where it ends
So I told him we'd still be friends
Then we made our true love vow
Wonder what he's doing now
Summer dreams ripped at the seams
But oh, those summer nights...
Tell me more, tell me more...
"Summer Nights" is a classic song featured in the 1971 musical film "Grease", performed by the characters Danny and Sandy played by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The song reflects back on a young romance that took place during a summer vacation. The opening lines of the song are a reference to the blissful experience of newfound love, "Summer lovin' had me a blast, summer lovin' happened so fast". The lyrics depict the couple's summer days spent together, such as swimming, bowling, and making out under the dock. The song's catchy phrasing and upbeat melodies lead into the chorus, "To ah, oh those summer nights" with a vocal round of "Sha na na na na na na na na na".
The song strikes a chord with listeners who can relate to the joy and intensity of a summer fling. The lyrics also touch upon the fleeting nature of summer romances with lines such as "Summer fling, don't mean a thing". The lyrics also explore the curiosity and gossip that comes with new relationships, asking questions like "Did you get very far?" and "Does he have a car?".
Line by Line Meaning
Summer lovin' had me a blast
The joy of summer romance made me ecstatic
Summer lovin' happened so fast
The summer romance started and ended quickly
I met a girl crazy for me
I met a girl who was insanely into me
Met a boy cute as can be
I met a guy who was as charming as he could be
Summer days driftin' away
To ah, oh, those summer nights
As summer days went by, I was eagerly waiting for the summer nights
Tell me more, tell me more
Did you get very far?
Can you share more details? Like, how far did you guys go?
Tell me more, tell me more
Like does he have a car?
Can you tell me if he has a car or not?
She swam by me, she got a cramp
He ran by me, got my suit damp
While she was swimming, she got a cramp and while he was running, he splashed water on me
I saved her life, she nearly drowned
He showed off, splashing around
I had to rescue her because she was drowning, while he was busy showing off his swimming skills
Summer sun, something's begun
But ah, oh, those summer nights
The bright summer sun marked the beginning of something special, but the real magic happened during the summer nights
Tell me more, tell me more
Was it love at first sight?
I'm curious, did you fall in love at first sight?
Tell me more, tell me more
Did she put up a fight?
I'm wondering if she resisted or objected to anything
Took her bowling in the arcade
We went strolling, drank lemonade
We had a fun time playing bowling in the arcade and went for a leisurely walk while sipping on some lemonade
We made out under the dock
We stayed out 'til ten o'clock
We had a romantic moment under the dock and stayed out until late in the night
Summer fling, don't mean a thing
But ah, oh, those summer nights
Even though it was just a summer fling, those summer nights were unforgettable
Tell me more, tell me more
But you don't gotta brag
Okay, you can tell me more, but there's no need to boast or show off
Tell me more, tell me more
'Cause he sounds like a drag
Can you tell me more because he sounds uninteresting or boring?
He got friendly, holding my hand
Well, she got friendly down in the sand
He became friendly with me and started holding my hand, while she became friendly with someone down in the sand
He was sweet, just turned eighteen
Well, she was good, you know what I mean
He was a nice guy who had just turned eighteen, while she was good in her own unique way
Summer heat, boy and girl meet
But ah, oh, those summer nights
The heat of the summer brought the boy and the girl together, but it was the summer nights that made it special
Tell me more, tell me more
How much dough did he spend?
I'm curious, how much money did he spend on you?
Tell me more, tell me more
Could she get me a friend?
I'm wondering if she has any friends she could introduce me to?
It turned colder, that's where it ends
So I told him we'd still be friends
When the weather got colder, our summer romance came to an end, but I assured him that we could still be friends
Then we made our true love vow
Wonder what he's doing now
Summer dreams ripped at the seams
But oh, those summer nights...
Before parting ways, we made a commitment to each other, but now I wonder what he's doing. Even though our summer dreams didn't go as planned, those summer nights will always be cherished memories.
Writer(s): Crystal Jeanell Johnson, Michael C. Flowers
Contributed by Michael Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.