Enya was born into a musical family. Her father, Leo Brennan, was the leader of the Slieve Foy Band, a popular Irish show band; her mother was an amateur musician. Most important to Enya's career were her siblings, who formed Clannad in 1976 with several of their uncles. Enya joined the band as a keyboardist in 1979, and contributed to several of the group's popular television soundtracks. In 1982, she left Clannad, claiming that she was uninterested in following the pop direction the group had begun to pursue. Within a few years she was commissioned, along with producer/arranger Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan, to provide the score for a BBC-TV series called The Celts. The soundtrack was released in 1986 as her eponymous solo album.
Enya didn't receive much notice, but Enya and the Ryans' second effort, Watermark, became a surprise hit upon its release in 1988. "Orinoco Flow," the first single, became a number one hit in Britain, helping the album eventually sell eight million copies worldwide. Enya spent the years following the success of Watermark rather quietly; her most notable appearance was a cameo on Sinéad O'Connor's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. She finally released Shepherd Moons, her follow-up to Watermark, in 1991. Shepherd Moons was even more successful than its predecessor, eventually selling over ten million copies worldwide; it entered the U.S. charts at number 17 and remained in the Top 200 for almost four years.
Again, Enya was slow to follow up on the success of Shepherd Moons, spending nearly four years working on her fourth album. The record, entitled Memory of Trees, was released in December of 1995. Memory of Trees entered the U.S. charts at number nine and sold over two million copies within its first year of release. In 1997 came the release of a greatest-hits collection, Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya, which featured two new songs. Enya's first album of new material in five years, A Day Without Rain, was released in late 2000. In 2001, she contributed material to the first film in Peter Jackson's award-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, scoring a hit with the single "May It Be." Amarantine, her first full-length recording since Day Without Rain, followed in November of 2005, and has so far sold nearly five million copies.
(Much of the above content of this biography has been taken from http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifoxqe5ldhe~T1.)
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, her song "Only Time" (from A Day Without Rain) was used as a backdrop in many radio and TV reports about the attacks. She initially frowned upon this use, especially when many bootlegged versions of Only Time mixed with sound effects from the attack began to appear.
Enya eventually agreed to release a special edition of the song with funds going to the families of victims. Many Enya fans, however, are resentful that her music has been linked with the attacks; an example of this occurred on a 2002 appearance on CNN's Larry King Live when images of battle in Afghanistan were shown on screen as she performed "May It Be", a song with little war connection. This sparked some complaints within Enya's fan community.
Enya is admittedly a slow worker when it comes to composing music. As a result, fans have had to wait as long as five years between albums. In September 2004, a new song, set to words from a Japanese poem Roma Ryan had written and called "Sumiregusa" ("Wild Violet") was unveiled in Japan as part of an advertising campaign for Panasonic. In announcing the new recording, Warner Music Japan stated that Enya's next album was scheduled for release (in Japan at least) in mid-November. Enya issued a press release on her official Web site on 19 September stating that this was a mistake and no new album was immediately forthcoming.
Enya was awarded the World's Best-Selling Irish Act award at the World Music Awards in London on 19 November 2006. On February 11, 2007 Amarantine won Enya her fourth Grammy when it was awarded the Best New Age Album award.
Recent Releases
In November of 2005, a new album, entitled Amarantine, was released. It won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for 2007.
In 2006, Enya released several Christmas-themed CDs with newly recorded material. On October 10, 2006, Sounds of the Season was released containing six songs: the previously released "Oíche Chiúin" (a.k.a. "Silent Night") and "Amid the Falling Snow", new recordings of the standards "Adeste Fideles" (a.k.a. "Oh Come All Ye Faithful") and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as well as two original songs, "Christmas Secrets" and "The Magic of the Night". This CD was released only in the United States in an exclusive partnership with the NBC television network and the Target department store chain.
In later November two new editions of Amarantine were released. In North America, it was reissued as Amarantine - Special Christmas Edition with a second disc containing the four new Christmas songs previously issued on Sounds of the Season (the original album already had "Amid the Falling Snow" while "Oíche Chiúin" is a recording dating back to 1988 which had already been featured on numerous collections). The UK received a deluxe version of this release (Amarantine - The UK Special Edition) which also included three postcards and a copy of Roma Ryan's book Water Shows the Hidden Heart which is referenced on the original album. Canadian fans could choose from the Special Christmas Edition of Amarantine, or an EP entitled Christmas Secrets which only contained the four new songs.
Coinciding with these releases was the relaunch of Enya's official website on Nov. 2, 2006. On November 16, 2006 Enya mentioned on ITV1's that she is working on a new album. A month later, in a Japanese interview Enya said that the album will be a complete Christmas album and it will be released in the winter of 2007. There is no schedule for the release date itself.
Enya's album, "And Winter Came", was released in November 2008. It contains twelve tracks - ten brand new songs plus a newly recorded choral rendering of Oiche Chiuin (Silent Night) and a stunning version of the traditional Christmas hymn 'O come, o come Emmanuel'
Amid the Falling Show
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we would read by candlelight,
And on the windowpane outside
A new world made of snow
A million feathers falling down,
A million stars that touch the ground,
So many secrets to be found
Maybe I am falling down.
Tell me should I touch the ground?
Maybe I won't make a sound
In the darkness all around.
The silence of a winter's night
Brings memories I hold inside,
Remembering a blue moonlight
Upon the fallen snow.
Maybe I am falling down.
Tell me should I touch the ground?
Maybe I won't make a sound
In the darkness all around.
I close my window to the night.
I leave the sky her tears of white.
And all is lit by candlelight
Amid the falling snow.
And all is lit by candlelight
Amid the falling snow.
Enya's "Amid the Falling Snow" is a nostalgic tribute to the enchanting beauty of winter nights, with the falling snowflakes and starry skies creating a magical ambiance. The track is an ode to the memories of the sleepless nights, where two lovers used to read by the candlelight, with the snow-laden windowpane giving them a glimpse of a new world outside. The singer reminisces the secrets that lay hidden all around them when they lay amid the falling snow, with the million feathers and stars adding to its ethereal charm. His voice is now filled with wonder as he recalls the memory: "So many secrets to be found amid the falling snow."
The song brings back the memories of a cherished time in the past, and the mood is reflective, as the singer ponders over the possibility of falling down into tears. The peaceful silence of the winter's night creates these emotions inside him and brings the memories he holds close. As he thinks about losing himself in the darkness that surrounds him, he wonders if he'll make a sound or even touch the ground at all. As the song progresses, he closes his window to the night and leaves the sky to weep in white, and the entire scene is lit by candlelight, amid the falling snow. The atmosphere created is both calming and inspiring, making "Amid the Falling Snow" an exceptional track that carries a plethora of emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
How I remember sleepless nights
Reflecting upon nights spent awake, unable to rest.
When we would read by candlelight,
Recalling times of reading by flickering light.
And on the windowpane outside
Describing the view beyond the glass.
A new world made of snow
Observing the wonder of freshly fallen snow.
A million feathers falling down,
Drawing a parallel between snow and feathers.
A million stars that touch the ground,
Finding the beauty in snowflakes as they fall.
So many secrets to be found
Noting quiet moments where one can reflect and discover.
Amid the falling snow.
Emphasizing the setting of the scene and mood of the song.
Maybe I am falling down.
Expressing self-doubt and insecurity.
Tell me should I touch the ground?
Questioning how to proceed and whether it will lead to harm.
Maybe I won't make a sound
Suggesting caution and hesitation.
In the darkness all around.
Describing the state of the surroundings.
The silence of a winter's night
Appreciating the stillness of a snowy evening.
Brings memories I hold inside,
Making space for introspection and reflection.
Remembering a blue moonlight
Recollecting a specific moment in time.
Upon the fallen snow.
Connecting the moonlight to the snow-covered landscape.
I close my window to the night.
Blocking out the world outside.
I leave the sky her tears of white.
Leaving the snow to continue falling unimpeded.
And all is lit by candlelight
Fixating on the gentle warmth of a flickering flame.
Amid the falling snow.
Reasserting the wintry backdrop of the song.
And all is lit by candlelight
Repeating the emphasis on warmth and coziness.
Amid the falling snow.
Bookending the song and its atmosphere.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MichelleLarson2010
Funny how our baby was conceived to this song last December, playing on a battery operated CD player when the electric was out due to a major snow storm and only candles was lit around the house. What a wonderful song. Little Ki seems to sleep best when we put him down to this song. Warm fuzzies...
@dhom100
I can't find a bad song by Enya. what a special and gifted woman.
@cheriemoskowitz1300
It started snowing in Brooklyn. So I googled songs about snow. This popped up. I never heard it. I sent it to all my kids. And celebrated my drive to do laundry with this song on in my car. I love it. ❄️
@steelyman08
One of the most exceptionally gorgeous Xmas songs ever composed and sung. Anyone who truly loves good music must surely appreciate this one.
@hshshshshshshs8831
This song used to be played every Christmas in a supermarket I used to work at through almost all of high school and college... Those were some of the best years of my life and this song just takes me back to that place and moment. It is a masterpiece.
@andiaw
I have been living in Thailand for 14 years but miss the snow of Quebec sometimes. What a beautiful world...
@tommieronen8907
You are the most best band in the world and your singer ( dont tell my wife ) are most beautifull women in this world... And truly i have to say to thanks that: We playd my father funeral song: O come, O come Emmanuel...
@oesypum
Eine einzigartige Stimme, man kann sie stundenlang anhören
@1960danka
Exquisite video, song Enya -The amide The Falling Snow splendid, excellent music.Super.I congratulate!
@halyssademosthene7354
We can't ask for more than what Enya offers us in the world of music,the really taste of paradise,thanks to make life so wondrous.