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.
Where Have You Been
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking for someone
Someone who can please me
Love me all night long
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for you babe
Looking for you babe
Searching for you babe
Where have you been?
'Cause I never see you out
Are you hiding from me, yeah?
Somewhere in the crowd
Where have you been?
All my life, all my life
Where have you been, all my life?
Where have you been, all my life?
Where have you been, all my life?
Where have you been, all my life?
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for someone
Someone who can please me
Love me all night long
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for you babe
Looking for you babe
Searching for you babe
Where have you been?
'Cause I never see you out
Are you hiding from me, yeah?
Somewhere in the crowd
Where have you been?
All my life, all my life
Where have you been, all my life?
Where have you been, all my life?
Where have you been, all my life?
Where have you been, all my life?
Where have you been, all my life?
You can have me all you want
Any way, any day
To show me where you are tonight
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for someone
Someone who can please me
Love me all night long
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for you babe
Looking for you babe
Searching for you babe
The song "Where Have You Been" by Various Artists is a passionate declaration of love and an attempt to find the perfect partner. The lyrics depict the singer's search for someone who can please them and love them all night long, but they seem to have been unsuccessful in finding the right person. They have been everywhere, all over the place, trying to find this person, but they just can't seem to locate them.
The repeated line "Where have you been?" offers a glimpse into the singer's desperation and frustration, and they seem to be questioning the whereabouts of their ideal partner. The lyrics suggest that this person might be hiding or lost in the crowd of people, which makes it difficult for the singer to find them. The chorus of the song becomes an anthem asking this mysterious lover where they have been and why they have not yet been found.
Overall, the song symbolizes the quest for true love and the struggles that come with it. It expresses the feeling of longing, the tireless searching, and the melancholy of not being able to find the right partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been everywhere, man
I've traveled all over, looking for someone
Looking for someone
Trying to find the perfect match, someone who completes me
Someone who can please me
Someone who can fulfill my needs and desires
Love me all night long
Stay with me and show me affection for hours on end
Looking for you babe
Hoping to find the one person who makes everything feel right
Looking for you babe
Continuing to search high and low for that special someone
Searching for you babe
Scouring every corner of the earth to find the missing piece of my heart
Where have you been?
Wondering where you've been all this time
'Cause I never see you out
Curious why I haven't run into you yet
Are you hiding from me, yeah?
Are you purposely avoiding me?
Somewhere in the crowd
Possibly lost in the sea of people out there
All my life, all my life
Throughout my entire existence
You can have me all you want
I'm willing to give myself to you completely
Any way, any day
Whenever and however you desire
To show me where you are tonight
Prove to me that you exist and that you're out there somewhere
Where have you been, all my life?
Expressing frustration and disbelief at having not found you yet
Writer(s): GEOFF MACK, HENRY RUSSELL WALTER, CALVIN HARRIS, ADAM RICHARD WILES, ESTHER DEAN, ESTER DEAN, ALBERT GEOFFREY MCELHINNEY, LUKASZ GOTTWALD
Contributed by Gabriella B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.