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.
Your Song
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on
So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
The lyrics of "Your Song" by Various Artists expresses the overwhelming, yet delightful feeling of falling in love or appreciating someone's existence in one's life. In the first stanza, the singer discloses that they are not able to conceal their emotions and how they would love to provide a pleasant lifestyle to the person they're enamored with. The second stanza talks about how the singer's incompetence in crafts such as sculpting or potion-making and all they can offer is the gift of their song that they have composed; a token of their affection.
The singer then presents the song to the person, who according to them has inspired this heartfelt music. Although the song may be simple, the sentiment it carries is profound. The artist acknowledges that the person they're singing to brings immense joy to their life, and they express this through their notes. The last two lines of the song show the candidness of the singer's feelings towards the person. They explain that they may forget little details such as the color of their beloved's eyes. Nonetheless, the singer cherishes them, and they know that their beloved has the sweetest eyes they've ever seen.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I have a strange feeling inside which is both amusing and confusing.
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I'm not someone who can hide their emotions easily.
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I don't have a lot of money, but if I did, I would use it to make us both happy.
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
I would buy a big house where we could both live happily together.
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
If I had a different set of skills, maybe I could do more for you, but unfortunately I do not.
Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show
Alternatively, maybe I could be someone who creates magical potions in a circus, but again I am not.
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
I recognize that what I can offer you may not be much, but I am doing the best I can with what I have.
My gift is my song and this one's for you
I may not have much, but my gift is my ability to create music, and this song is dedicated to you.
And you can tell everybody this is your song
You have the right to tell everyone that this song is yours.
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
The song may be simple, but it's finished and ready to be presented.
I hope you don't mind
I hope you're not upset about this.
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
I hope you're not upset that I have expressed my feelings in this song.
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
My life is wonderful simply because you exist in it.
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
I sat on the roof and removed the moss to clear my mind and focus on composing this song.
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
Some of the lyrics were frustrating me while I was writing this song.
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
Despite the frustration, the sun has been shining and providing me with inspiration while I wrote this song.
It's for people like you that keep it turned on
It's people like you that keep me going and inspire me to continue creating music.
So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
I apologize for forgetting certain things or getting caught up in my music and neglecting other responsibilities.
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
I can't recall if your eyes are green or blue, but what matters is that they are beautiful to me.
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Regardless of my forgetfulness or past mistakes, what I really want you to know is...
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
Your eyes are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, and they are always in my mind and heart.
Writer(s): Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Contributed by Alaina E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.