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.
The Fish
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When up swam a fish with a children's book thought that I was lost.
He was on his way to the salmon hop, that's where they go to breed
Saw me sitting on this log and thought I'd like to read.
The night was cloudy but the moon he found a hole
Said that he felt bad for me cause I had no place to go
You just sit like a bump on the log and call that fish your pal.
Well, I told him I was an orphan lived here all alone
But many people have often tried to catch and take me home
They never caught me!
Thought that I was a hiding, call this log my home
But the fish and the moon and a sweet young gal
All want me for their own.
The night was cloudy but the moon he found a hole
Said that he felt bad for me cause I had no place to go
So I met that gal at the harvest ball, she took me to her room
While I slept in children's dreams, the fish ran away with the moon.
The fish ran away with the moon
The fish ran away with the moon
To Bob Dylan, this song could be about the idea of finding companionship in unexpected places. The singer of the song is sitting by a brook, feeling lost and alone, when a fish swims up to him with a children's book. This interaction may symbolize the idea of finding comfort in unexpected places, like a fish with a book, and not feeling so alone. The moon in the song also has a presence, adding to the idea of finding comfort in nature. The song ends with the fish running away with the moon, suggesting that despite finding moments of comfort in the natural world, the singer is ultimately left alone once again.
To Simon and Garfunkel, the song may represent the sense of longing and loneliness that can come with being isolated in nature. The singer is sitting by the stony brook alone, and although the fish with a book and the moon provide temporary relief, the singer ultimately finds himself alone once again. The line "Why aren't you at the harvest ball with some sweet young gal?” could be interpreted as societal pressure to conform and find companionship in a traditional way, yet the singer is unable to do so due to his isolated lifestyle.
To Neil Young, this song could be a commentary on the allure of nature and the desire to escape societal pressures. The singer finds comfort in the natural world, with the fish and moon providing moments of companionship. However, in the end, the fish and moon both leave, suggesting that ultimately nature cannot provide a lasting escape from societal pressures.
Line by Line Meaning
Sat here by this stony brook until the grey day turned to dust
I spent the whole day sitting by the stream, watching the sky until the sun set.
When up swam a fish with a children's book thought that I was lost.
A fish holding a children's book appeared from the water, thinking that I was lost.
He was on his way to the salmon hop, that's where they go to breed
The fish was going to the salmon breeding grounds called the salmon hop.
Saw me sitting on this log and thought I'd like to read.
The fish saw me sitting on a log and assumed that I wanted to read his children's book.
The night was cloudy but the moon he found a hole
The sky was cloudy but the moon found a small opening in the clouds.
Said that he felt bad for me cause I had no place to go
The moon sympathized with me because he thought I had nowhere to go.
Why aren't you at the harvest ball with some sweet young gal
Someone asked me why I wasn't at the harvest ball with a young woman.
You just sit like a bump on the log and call that fish your pal.
The artist implied that I was just sitting on the log, befriending a fish, and not doing anything productive.
Well, I told him I was an orphan lived here all alone
I explained that I was an orphan and I lived alone in this area.
But many people have often tried to catch and take me home
I mentioned that many people have tried to catch me and take me away.
They never caught me!
I proudly stated that they have never successfully caught me.
Thought that I was a hiding, call this log my home
People might assume that I'm hiding and using this log as my home.
But the fish and the moon and a sweet young gal
The singer listed three things: the fish, the moon, and a young woman.
All want me for their own.
All three of them want to have a connection with me or take me with them.
So I met that gal at the harvest ball, she took me to her room
I went to the harvest ball and met the young woman, who then took me to her room.
While I slept in children's dreams, the fish ran away with the moon.
While I was sleeping, the fish and the moon left, going on their own adventure without me.
The fish ran away with the moon
The fish took the moon away with him on their adventure.
The fish ran away with the moon
This line is repeated from the previous one, emphasizing the theme of adventure and unexpected events.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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