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.
Unchained Melody
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long and lonely time
And time goes by
So slowly
And time can do so much
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
Godspeed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow
To the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Yeah
Lonely rivers sigh
Wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home
Wait for me
Oh, oh my love
Oh my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long and lonely time
And time goes by
So slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
Godspeed your love to me
It to me
Godspeed your love to me
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
...
The lyrics of "Unchained Melody" speak of a deep longing for love and companionship that has been absent for a long time. The singer's plea for his loved one to return to his arms is infused with a sense of desperation, as he fears that he may not be able to hold on to her forever. The line "And time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much" conveys the sense of time moving slowly and painfully, as the singer waits for his lover's return. The use of the words "Godspeed your love to me" is a powerful reminder of the singer's need for his lover's love and the profound emotional bond they share.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, oh my love
Addressing the beloved with affection
Oh my darling
Addressing the beloved with endearment
I've hungered for your touch
Longing for physical closeness with the beloved
A long and lonely time
Feeling isolated and desolate due to the absence of the beloved
And time goes by
Suggesting the duration of separation is felt and noted
So slowly
Emphasizing the feeling of time standing still when away from the beloved
And time can do so much
Reflecting on the impact time and distance can have on emotions and love
Are you still mine? Oh ho
Expressing insecurity about the current state of the relationship
I need your love
Desperately craving love and affection
Godspeed your love to me
Wishing for a speedy reunion and for the beloved to express love
Lonely rivers flow
Metaphor for loneliness and desolation
To the sea, to the sea
Suggesting the direction and inevitability of the flow towards the open ocean
To the open arms of the sea
Describing the welcoming and all-enveloping quality of the ocean
Lonely rivers sigh
Metaphor for the expression of sadness and longing
Wait for me, wait for me
Asking for patience and willingness to await a reunion
I'll be coming home
Promising a return to a place of comfort and familiarity
It to me
Repeating the refrain of needing love
Godspeed your love to me
Repeating the refrain of wishing for a speedy reunion and loving expression
I need your love
Repeating the desperate need for love and affection
....
Continuation of the repeated refrain
Writer(s): Hy Zaret, Alex North
Contributed by Bella M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.