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.
holding back the years
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
thinking of the fear i've had for so long
when somebody hears,
listen to the fear thats' s gone
strangled by the wishes of pater
hoping of the arm of mater
get to me sooner or later
nothing ever could; yeah
i'll keep holding on
i'll keep holding on
i'll keep holding on
i'll keep holding on
chance for me to scape from all i know
holding back the tears
there's nothing here has grown
i've wasted all my tears,
wasted all the years
nothing had the chance to be good
nothing ever could, yeah
i'll keep holding on
i'll keep holding on
i'll keep holding on
i'll keep holding on
The lyrics of Holding Back the Years by Various Artists reflects on the fear and pain the singer has been experiencing for a long time. The lines, “thinking of the fear I’ve had for so long, when somebody hears, listen to the fear that’s gone” alludes to the fear and anxiety that were kept bottled up for a long time. The singer has been holding everything in and has not been able to express their emotions until someone came along and was willing to listen. The fear and pain the singer felt were depicted in the line “strangled by the wishes of pater, hoping of the arm of mater, get to me sooner or later nothing ever could”. It suggests that the singer felt suffocated and controlled by the expectations and desires of their parents. They were relying on their mother's support, but they knew that nothing could truly help alleviate their pain except for themselves.
In the second stanza, the singer expresses their desire for a chance to escape from all they have known. They are holding back the tears and feel that nothing around them has grown. The line “wasted all my tears, wasted all the years, nothing had the chance to be good, nothing ever could” depicts the regret and disappointment the singer feels for not being able to make anything good out of their life. They have used up all their energy and tears trying to hold on to something that never had a chance of being good. Nonetheless, the chorus reiterates the singer’s resolve to keep holding on.
Line by Line Meaning
holding back the years
Suppressing my emotions and memories from the past.
thinking of the fear i've had for so long
Reflecting on the anxiety I have held onto for a significant period of time.
when somebody hears,
When someone is willing to listen,
listen to the fear that's gone
Hear out and acknowledge my past fears that no longer exist.
strangled by the wishes of pater
Feeling suffocated by my father's expectations and desires for my life.
hoping of the arm of mater
Desperately seeking comfort and support from my mother.
get to me sooner or later
Either way, I will eventually be affected by my family's influence.
nothing ever could; yeah
Despite my efforts or lack thereof, the past cannot be changed.
i'll keep holding on
I will continue to persevere through my struggles.
chance for me to scape from all i know
Opportunity for me to break free from my comfortable yet suffocating environment.
holding back the tears
Suppressing my emotions yet again.
there's nothing here has grown
My surroundings have not progressed or improved.
i've wasted all my tears,
I have exhausted myself emotionally without achieving any significant change.
wasted all the years
I have spent a significant amount of time without accomplishing much.
nothing had the chance to be good
My attempts at progress or improvement have been futile.
i'll keep holding on
I will continue to persevere despite my setbacks.
i'll keep holding on
I won't give up on myself or my future.
i'll keep holding on
I am determined to keep moving forward.
i'll keep holding on
I won't let my past define my future.
Writer(s): MICK HUCKNALL, NEIL MOSS
Contributed by James O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.