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 Lea Rig
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lea
Here's to the few
Who fared - my love
Only for you - I cared - my love
I've given it hope, and I know it's only you
Encased in silence
Here's to the you - who saved - my love
I've given it thought, and it's not all that appears
Lea, how long will you still want me to want you
In and around you
Lea - my concertina
Will you still want me to want you
Here's to the you - who dared - my love
Only with you - I shared - my love
I've given it though, and it's not all that appears
So I'm asking
Lea, how long will you still want me to want you
In and around you
Lea - my concertina
Will you still want me to want you
Who cares - what the cynics say
I care - if only you're on your way
Lea - don't let the same be true
Lea - do you still want me to want you
The Lea Rig by Various Artists is a love ballad that speaks to the depth of love and care the singer has for Lea, his lover. The song opens with a toast to a select few who have fared well in life, followed by an expression of the singer's unwavering love and care for Lea. He has given it hope and knows that only Lea can understand him. The verse indicates a sense of unspoken connection between the two, highlighted by the words "encased in silence."
The next verse speaks even more to the depth of the singer's love for Lea. She has saved his love, and he has given it entirely to her. He has given it thought and recognizes that it's not all that appears, hinting at the complexity of their relationship. The singer then poses the question of how long Lea still wants him to want her, showing his uncertainty about the future of their relationship. The chorus repeats this question, reminding the listener of the intensity of their relationship, expressed in the metaphor of Lea's concertina. The ballad concludes with the singer expressing that he cares only if Lea is on her way, urging her not to let cynics have any sway, and begs the question once again, "Lea - do you still want me to want you?"
Overall, the song expresses an intense love between the two individuals, demonstrating the depth of their unspoken bond and their uncertainty about what the future holds.
Line by Line Meaning
Toto
The singer starts the song by calling out the name of the person he is addressing, Lea.
Lea
The singer addresses Lea, the person he cares about throughout the song.
Here's to the few
The singer is raising a toast to the people who have been able to make it through tough times and come out successful.
Who fared - my love
He acknowledges the person he loves and who has managed to come through the difficult times.
Only for you - I cared - my love
The singer says that he cared only for Lea, the person he loves.
I've given it hope, and I know it's only you
He has placed his hope and trust only in Lea, and he knows she will not let him down.
Encased in silence
The singer is quiet, thinking about Lea and what they mean to him.
Here's to the you - who saved - my love
The singer is raising a toast to the person who saved him and his love, Lea.
Only to you - I gave - my love
He gave all his love only to Lea, the person he loves.
I've given it thought, and it's not all that appears
He has thought about their relationship and how it appears, and he knows it is more than what others see.
Lea, how long will you still want me to want you
The singer is questioning how much longer Lea will want him to be in love with her.
In and around you
He feels like he is surrounded by Lea and his thoughts of her.
Lea - my concertina
Lea is his concertina, or his musical instrument, and he feels like he is incomplete without her.
Will you still want me to want you
He is asking Lea if she will continue to want him to be in love with her.
Here's to the you - who dared - my love
The singer is raising a toast to the person who dared to take a chance on love, like he did with Lea.
Only with you - I shared - my love
He shared all his love only with Lea, the person he loves.
I've given it though, and it's not all that appears
He has thought about their relationship and how it appears, and he knows it is more than what others see.
So I'm asking
The singer is asking a question to Lea in the following lines.
Lea, how long will you still want me to want you
The singer is questioning how much longer Lea will want him to be in love with her.
In and around you
He feels like he is surrounded by Lea and his thoughts of her.
Lea - my concertina
Lea is his concertina, or his musical instrument, and he feels like he is incomplete without her.
Will you still want me to want you
He is asking Lea if she will continue to want him to be in love with her.
Who cares - what the cynics say
The singer declares that he does not care what other people might say or think about their relationship.
I care - if only you're on your way
The only thing he cares about is Lea, and he wants her to be with him.
Lea - don't let the same be true
The singer is asking Lea not to let their love become like those of others, who have lost their love.
Lea - do you still want me to want you
He is posing this question to Lea again, to know if she still wants him to be in love with her.
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.