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 Winner Takes It All
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About the things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me
Now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done too
Nothing more to say
The winner takes it all
The loser standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny
I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I'd be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules
The Gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear
The winner takes it all
(Takes it all)
The loser has to fall
(Has to fall)
It's simple and it's plain
(Yes, it's plain)
Why should I complain
But tell me does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name
Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say
Rules must be obeyed
The judges will decide
(Decide)
The likes of me abide
(Abide)
Spectators of the show
Always staying low
(Staying low)
The game is on again
(All again)
A lover or a friend
(Or a friend)
A big thing or a small
(Big or small)
The winner takes it all
(Takes it all)
I don't wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You've come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self-confidence
But you see
The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all
Someone winner
Takes it all
And one loses
Has to fall
From a guide
From the side
Makes that feeling
Someone here
Takes it all
Has to fall
This is magic
Someone here
"The Winner Takes It All" by Swedish supergroup ABBA explores the aftermath of a romantic relationship that has come to an end, with one partner left heartbroken while the other seemingly moves on. The lyrics suggest that the singer and her former lover have both given everything they had to the relationship, and now there is nothing left to say or do. The repeated line "the winner takes it all" suggests that someone emerges victorious from the breakup, while the other is left standing small and defeated. Despite the melancholic subject matter, the song ends on a note of acceptance, with the singer recognizing that the rules of love are not always fair.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wanna talk
I don't want to discuss our past relationship
About the things we've gone through
I don't want to talk about the experiences we had while we were together
Though it's hurting me
Even though thinking about it makes me feel pain
Now it's history
Our past has already taken place
I've played all my cards
I tried everything I could
And that's what you've done too
And you did the same
Nothing more to say
We have nothing else to discuss
No more ace to play
There are no other moves left
The winner takes it all
In the end, the one who succeeds takes everything
The loser standing small
The person who loses feels insignificant
Beside the victory
They are close to the triumph
That's her destiny
That's what's meant to happen
I was in your arms
I used to be held by you
Thinking I belonged there
Believing I was meant to be there
I figured it made sense
Assuming it was logical
Building me a fence
Creating a barrier around myself
Building me a home
Creating a place for myself
Thinking I'd be strong there
Thinking I would become stronger there
But I was a fool
But it turned out I was wrong
Playing by the rules
Following the established guidelines
The Gods may throw a dice
Chance can play a role
Their minds as cold as ice
Luck is blind and objective
And someone way down here
And someone like me
Loses someone dear
Can lose someone they love
The winner takes it all
In the end, the one who succeeds takes everything
(Takes it all)
The loser has to fall
The person who loses is defeated
(Has to fall)
It's simple and it's plain
It's a straightforward reality
(Yes, it's plain)
Why should I complain
Why bother complaining about it
But tell me does she kiss
Can you tell me if she kisses
Like I used to kiss you
The way I used to kiss you
Does it feel the same
Does it feel similar
When she calls your name
When she says your name
Somewhere deep inside
I still feel something deep inside
You must know I miss you
You should know that I miss you
But what can I say
But there's not much I can do or say
Rules must be obeyed
We have to follow the established rules
The judges will decide
The judges will make the final decision
(Decide)
The likes of me abide
People like me have to accept the outcome
(Abide)
Spectators of the show
Other observers watching the events unfold
Always staying low
Staying out of the spotlight
(Staying low)
The game is on again
The contest has begun again
(All again)
A lover or a friend
It could be a romantic partner or a friend
(Or a friend)
A big thing or a small
It could be a significant or minor issue
(Big or small)
The winner takes it all
In the end, the one who succeeds takes everything
(Takes it all)
I don't wanna talk
I don't want to discuss our past relationship
If it makes you feel sad
If it makes you unhappy
And I understand
And I comprehend why
You've come to shake my hand
You came to say goodbye
I apologize
I am sorry
If it makes you feel bad
If it makes you upset
Seeing me so tense
Watching me feel so anxious
No self-confidence
Lacking confidence in myself
But you see
But the reality is
The winner takes it all
In the end, the one who succeeds takes everything
The winner takes it all
In the end, the one who succeeds takes everything
Someone winner
Someone is victorious
Takes it all
They get everything
And one loses
And someone loses
Has to fall
They are defeated
From a guide
From the leadership
From the side
From an outsider's perspective
Makes that feeling
Creates that emotion
Someone here
Someone in this situation
Takes it all
In the end, the one who succeeds takes everything
Has to fall
The person who loses is defeated
This is magic
This is the way it works
Someone here
Someone in this situation
Writer(s): BENNY GORAN BROR ANDERSSON, BJOERN K. ULVAEUS
Contributed by Samantha S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.