There is more than one artist with this name:

1) Enchantment was a d… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:

1) Enchantment was a doom/death metal band from Blackpool, United Kingdom. They released only a demo and 1994's full length CD called "Dance the marble naked". The band had a 6 record deal with Century Media and disbanded after one full length album.

2) Enchantment is a funk, soul, R&B band formed in Detroit. Members: Emanuel 'EJ' Johnson, David Banks, Joe 'Jobie' Thomas, Ed 'Mickey' Clanton, Bobby Green. Formed in the late 60s at Detroit's Pershing High School, Enchantment became one of the most enjoyable but underrated groups of the late 70s and early 80s. Consisting of lead singer Emanuel "EJ" Johnson, Bobby Green, Mickey Clanton, Joe Thomas and Dave Banks, Enchantment was for many years a local favorite, playing gigs in the Detroit area while hoping to ultimately score a record contract.

Enchantment had its first big break in 1976, as the group signed with the Roadshow label and recorded a debut album with young producer (and future Motown executive) Michael Stokes. Enchantment was a decent introduction to the group, but most importantly was the first showcase for Enchantment's strong harmonies and the wonderful falsetto lead vocals and songwriting skills of EJ Johnson. Johnson was more influenced by Eddie Kendricks than Philip Bailey, but in an era of falsetto lead vocalists (from Russell Thompkins of the Stylistics to Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites), his ability to both master emotional ballads and attack blistering upbeat tunes moved him to the head of the class. Enchantment's debut album boasted two top ten R&B hits, "Sunshine" and the beautiful ballad, "Gloria," both written by Johnson.

Enchantment's follow up, Once Upon a Dream, was a gem, far surpassing its predecessor. Featuring the crossover ballad "It's You That I Need" and the stepper "If You're Ready," it was, front to back, one of 1978's most listenable LPs and included both more mature group vocals and more elaborate backing work by great local Detroit musicians (including a ripping saxophone solo by Bob Seger sideman Alto Reed). Beyond the LP's hits were a slew of memorable album cuts, including "Silly Love Song" and the swing ballad "Angel In My Life." Unfortunately, while Once Upon A Dream should have thrust the group to A-list status, it became Enchantment's commercial peak. The group followed in 1979 with the solid Journey To the Land of Enchantment, and its hit, "Any Way You Want It," but problems at Roadshow Records began to affect the Enchantment's visibility and active promotion.

1980 brought the downfall of Roadshow and the group's ill-fated move to RCA's fledgling black music division. Soft Lights, Sweet Music was a disappointment, and the group quickly switched to Columbia Records, where they hoped that an affiliation with the world's largest record company would create great opportunities for increased crossover success. Unfortunately, Enchantment was lost in Columbia's monolithic organization and their two albums there died from lack of support. Their final recording, 1983's marvelous Utopia, reunited them with Michael Stokes and was a critical success (and is very much worth searching for), but barely dented the charts.

Enchantment continues to perform in multi-group Soul Music shows. EJ Johnson has also become a popular name in Gospel circles as both a writer and producer. He released his first solo CD, the impressive Totally With Me, in 1999. In 2003, Enchantment released a beautiful single version of "God Bless America" in honor of America's soldiers in Iraq (with proceeds to the United Way). The single found the group in absolutely fantastic vocal form and is worth finding both for the cause and for the quality of the music.

By Chris Rizik

Carve Me In Sand
Enchantment Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Such are lovers more than grace can seem
The pictures of the immaculate
Even their heaven bows to this earth
The fairest, beautiful and withered
Not even nature's own shapes can imagine
Shameless and splendid with youth
The winds now blow with feathers
And tomorrow I wer them

How the trees bow to subtlety
And eden has fathered their souls
Savour the nights for rain
Your impetus has left me shapeless
Beat the passion and carve me in sand
Wondrous skills, fountains of the tomorrow
A journey for dead lovers as even grief was sorry
My smiles leap through the ashes (and touching with pain)
I touch with pain
Such a poetry I have answered desire

And as ever the innocent sleep within
Temptation lays to beating hands

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Enchantment's song Carve Me in Sand are full of imagery and metaphors to describe the intense feelings of love and desire. The first stanza describes lovers as being more than what grace can seem, as immaculate pictures. Their love is so strong that even heaven bows to the earth where they reside. They are both beautiful and withered, and even nature's own shapes cannot imagine their intensity. The second stanza describes how the winds blow with feathers, which could symbolize how even something as soft as feathers can be powerful when combined with the wind. It also talks about how the trees bow to subtlety, which could represent the way in which these intense emotions can be expressed in subtle ways. Finally, it mentions how a journey for dead lovers can be a wondrous skill, as even grief was sorry for them.

The third stanza talks about how the writer's impetus has left them shapeless, which could mean that their intense emotions have left them feeling lost and uncertain. They then urge the passion to beat and carve them in sand, which could represent the fleeting nature of emotions and how they can be easily changed or forgotten. The fourth stanza mentions how their smiles leap through the ashes, which could represent how even in the aftermath of intense emotions, there can still be beauty and joy. The last two lines mention how they have answered desire through poetry and how innocence sleeps within them while temptation lays to beating hands.

Line by Line Meaning

Such are lovers more than grace can seem
Lovers are beyond what grace can portray

The pictures of the immaculate
They are like perfect pictures

Even their heaven bows to this earth
Their heaven is in this world

The fairest, beautiful and withered
They are beautiful, but also fading away

Not even nature's own shapes can imagine
They are unmatched in nature

Shameless and splendid with youth
They are youthful and confident

The winds now blow with feathers
The winds are calmer because of them

And tomorrow I wer them
Tomorrow, I will be like them

How the trees bow to subtlety
They make even trees more graceful

And eden has fathered their souls
They have pure and innocent souls

Savour the nights for rain
Enjoy the moments of sadness