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 Gods
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on, believe me
So what good would livin' do me
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
[repeat verse 2]
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on, believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would livin' do me
God only knows what I'd be without you [repeat to fade]
The lyrics of "God Only Knows" convey a message of love and devotion, sung by the Beach Boys, the song is a declaration of love affirming that the singer's love for their partner will never fade. The song starts with the singer admitting that they may not always love their partner but assures them that they never need to doubt their love since they will make them so sure about it. The phrase "God only knows what I'd be without you" is repeated throughout the song emphasizing the importance of the lover in the singer's life.
The repetition of the verse "If you should ever leave me, though life would still go on, believe me," conveys a message that the world would be meaningless without the lover. The world would show nothing to the singer, and living would be of no use if the lover was not in their lives. The song's message is that love and devotion are essential to life, and without them, one cannot exist.
The song has been covered by various artists such as David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Elvis Costello, each giving the song their unique interpretation. The song has become an anthem of love, and despite being more than 50 years old, it's still relevant and relatable to many.
Line by Line Meaning
I may not always love you
I might not have continuous feelings of love towards you
But long as there are stars above you
As long as the stars remain in the sky above you
You never need to doubt it
There is no reason for you to question or be uncertain about my love for you
I'll make you so sure about it
I will go to great lengths to ensure you are completely convinced of my love for you
God only knows what I'd be without you
I cannot even fathom what my life would be like if you were not in it
If you should ever leave me
In the event that you decide to part ways with me
Though life would still go on, believe me
Even though life would continue without you, trust that it will not be the same
The world could show nothing to me
It would be meaningless to experience anything else in this world without you
So what good would livin' do me
What would be the point of existing if my life lacked meaning and purpose without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
Once again, I cannot even imagine what my life would look like without you by my side
God only knows what I'd be without you
Reiteration of the central idea that God alone knows how different my life would be without you in it
[repeat verse 2]
Repetition of the second verse of the song
God only knows what I'd be without you [repeat to fade]
Closing line that emphasizes how crucially important the other person is to the singer's life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dragonlordskatermultichrom6499
0:24 Martin James Bartlett (BBC Young Musician of the Year)
0:33 Pharrell Williams
0:38 Emeli Sande
0:43 Elton John
0:46 Lorde
0:50 Chris Martin (Coldplay)
0:58 Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)
1:02 Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine)
1:07 Kylie Minogue
1:11 Stevie Wonder
1:15 Eliza Carthy
1:20 Nicola Benedetti
1:24 Jools Holland
1:25 Brian May (Queen)
1:28 Jake Bugg
1:33 Katie Derham
1:34 Lauren Laverne
1:39 Gareth Malone
1:42 Alison Balsom
1:46 One Direction
1:50 Zane Lowe
1:54 Jaz Dhami
2:02 Paloma Faith
2:08 Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders)
2:11 Jamie Cullum
2:16 Baaba Maal
2:18 Danielle de Niese
2:24 Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)
2:27 Sam Smith
2:35 Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)
@splatbubble
@@j.c7719 I think this is a really neat distinction, and it could go back and forth depending on the songwriters and artists... In many many cases you can 'give' the singer the song, and you'd be right, due to the associations.
But this song is kind of different... Brian pretty much built the sound of the Beach Boys, and then made all the music to Pet Sounds, and this song, while all of the others were away (I think), and then gifted the song to Carl.
Or perhaps I'd think of it another way. I don't know anything about Beyonce but if people went around calling Halo someone else's song (even if he were the writer) she seems like she might be miffed. Maybe not- she seems nice!
BUT... I bet if you were to ask Brian who's song it was, he'd say, "I wrote it for Carl." And if you asked Carl (I know, you can't), he'd probably say, "my brother Brian wrote it and said here you sing it." Kind of a gift of the Magi thing.
I figure that's good enough?
@madgav935
Brian Wilson is the real star of this video
@Bobby-wq5et
Brian Wilson is god himself
@arsen5479
along with Brian May,Stevie Wonder ,Elton John.
@juandavila4534
Definitely
@nievesofficial
David Slaner Okay— but Brian Wilson is one of The Beach Boys, that’s what they were getting at
@afruas
@@nievesofficial not only one of the beach boys, but the writer, producer, and singer in most if not all of their best work... god only knows is an example of that
@ShaNaNa242
"Whenever I hear God Only Knows I think I don't want anything, I just want my Carl back, and there's nothing I can do and it hurts."
-Brian Wilson
@lamericana2903
Please tell me he didn't said that, MY HEART
@ShaNaNa242
@@lamericana2903 I know, it's so sad. I wish Denny and Carl were still here to give Brian a hug.
@lamericana2903
@@ShaNaNa242 how sad... Brian's life has been so unfair and I can't even imagine how great it would be if that hug happened