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.
We Shall Overcome
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.
The Lord will see us through, The Lord will see us through,
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.
We're on to victory, We're on to victory,
We're on to victory someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We're on to victory someday.
We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We'll walk hand in hand someday.
We are not afraid, we are not afraid,
We are not afraid today;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We are not afraid today.
The truth shall make us free, the truth shall make us free,
The truth shall make us free someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
The truth shall make us free someday.
We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall live in peace someday.
The song "We Shall Overcome" has become a symbol of hope and unity for those who have faced oppression and discrimination. This song was originally a hymn written by Charles Tindley a Philadelphia minister in the early 1900s. It was later adapted by Pete Seeger and other civil rights activists in the 1960s, and has since been used as an anthem of sorts for various movements and struggles around the world.
The lyrics of this song are simple yet powerful: "We shall overcome, we shall overcome, We shall overcome someday; Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome someday." The repetition of this phrase underscores the idea that perseverance and unity will ultimately lead to victory. The song encourages the listener to trust in a higher power to see them through difficult times: "The Lord will see us through, The Lord will see us through, The Lord will see us through someday; Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome someday."
The lyrics further express the idea of community and solidarity, as in the lines, "We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand, We'll walk hand in hand someday; Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We'll walk hand in hand someday." They also emphasize the importance of standing up to fear and fighting for what is right: "We are not afraid, we are not afraid, We are not afraid today; Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We are not afraid today."
Line by Line Meaning
We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
Despite the adversities and challenges we face now, we will ultimately triumph.
We shall overcome someday;
We will win the battle for equality and justice, even if it is not immediately.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
The singer has a strong conviction and faith in the message of the song.
The Lord will see us through, The Lord will see us through,
The belief that God will guide us and remain on our side in our struggles towards equality.
The Lord will see us through someday;
God will help us achieve the desired outcome, regardless of the current situation.
We're on to victory, We're on to victory,
We are marching forward towards achieving victory.
We're on to victory someday;
Despite any obstacles, we will emerge victorious in our struggle for justice.
We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand,
We will walk together in solidarity towards our common goal.
We'll walk hand in hand someday;
We will achieve unity and common purpose towards achieving equality and justice.
We are not afraid, we are not afraid,
We are fearless in our pursuit of social, economic and political rights.
We are not afraid today;
We refuse to be intimidated in our struggle for equality and justice.
The truth shall make us free, the truth shall make us free,
We will only be liberated and free from oppression when truth prevails.
The truth shall make us free someday;
One day, the truth of our struggle for equality will set us free from oppression.
We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,
We will achieve a society that is free from violence, injustice and discrimination.
We shall live in peace someday;
We will achieve a society that is peaceful and equitable in the future.
Contributed by Madelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.