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'
Christmas
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A distant train sings out the miles.
And so I wonder can it be,
Will every mile bring you to me?
A promise made may still come true,
So I am waiting here for you.
If you don't come, what will I do?
Christmas bells ring out their chimes,
I hear them echo through the night.
And moonlight shines upon the road,
And trembles on the falling snow.
I look into the midnight blue,
So many stars I never knew.
If you don't come, what will I do?
Who shall I tell my secrets to?
I look into the midnight blue,
So many stars I never knew.
If you don't come, what will I do?
Who shall I tell my secrets to?
Enya's "Christmas Secrets" is a song about longing and waiting for someone special during the holiday season. The first stanza sets up the scene of a cold winter night with a distant train's sound can be heard in the background, possibly foreshadowing that someone is coming closer. The singer wonders if every passing mile brings this person closer to her. She expresses hope and optimism saying that she believes that a promise made might still come true and hence she waits eagerly for the person to arrive.
The next stanza refers to the excitement and joy of the Christmas season with the bells ringing out their chimes, echoing through the night. The imagery of moonlight shining on the road and snow adds a poetic touch to the song, portraying a winter wonderland setting. She then looks up at the midnight sky and gazes at an ocean of stars while contemplating her loneliness. She wonders what she will do if the awaited person does not come and with whom she will share her Christmas secrets.
Overall, Enya's "Christmas Secrets" has a vintage feel, with poetic and vivid imagery, emphasizing the sense of longing and the potential disappointment of waiting for someone.
Line by Line Meaning
Underneath a winter sky,
Beneath the gray sky of winter
A distant train sings out the miles.
A train can be heard in the distance as it travels great distances.
And so I wonder can it be,
I pause to ponder whether or not it's true.
Will every mile bring you to me?
Will your journey to me be measured by the miles?
A promise made may still come true,
It's still possible for a promise to be kept.
So I am waiting here for you.
Therefore, I am waiting for you to arrive.
If you don't come, what will I do?
What will become of me if you don't arrive?
Who shall I tell my secrets to?
To whom should I reveal my private thoughts?
Christmas bells ring out their chimes,
The joyous sounds of Christmas bells can be heard.
I hear them echo through the night.
I can hear their sounds reverberate through the darkness.
And moonlight shines upon the road,
The moon's light illuminates the road.
And trembles on the falling snow.
And shimmers on the falling snow.
I look into the midnight blue,
I look into the deep blue of the nighttime sky.
So many stars I never knew.
I am amazed at the countless stars I have never known.
If you don't come, what will I do?
What will become of me if you don't arrive?
Who shall I tell my secrets to?
To whom should I reveal my private thoughts?
I look into the midnight blue,
I look into the deep blue of the nighttime sky.
So many stars I never knew.
I am amazed at the countless stars I have never known.
If you don't come, what will I do?
What will become of me if you don't arrive?
Who shall I tell my secrets to?
To whom should I reveal my private thoughts?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
enyatv
Christmas Secrets is a new album specially curated with all of all Enya's festive hits:
1. Oíche Chiúin (Silent Night) 00:00
2. We Wish You A Merry Christmas 03:44
3. White Is in the Winter Night 07:24
4. Adeste, Fideles 10:21
5. Christmas Secret 14:24
6. Journey of the Angels 18:10
7. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 22:55
8. Amid The Falling Snow 26:36
9. The Magic Of The Night 30:16
10. The Spirit of Christmas Past 33:49
11. Dreams Are More Precious 38:06
12. Oíche Chiúin (Chorale) 42:32
enyatv
Celebrate this holiday season in style with all your favorite Christmas tunes like timeless classics by Donny Hathaway, Otis Redding, and the Drifters and new holiday favorites by Michael Bublé, Sia, Coldplay and more! Listen here https://TOPSIFY.lnk.to/100GreatestXmas 🎄 🎅 🎁
Paul Muad'Dib
I first fell in love with you voice back when I was watching Robin the hooded man and you've only gotten better since!
enyatv
Christmas Secrets is a new album specially curated with all of all Enya's festive hits:
1. Oíche Chiúin (Silent Night) 00:00
2. We Wish You A Merry Christmas 03:44
3. White Is in the Winter Night 07:24
4. Adeste, Fideles 10:21
5. Christmas Secret 14:24
6. Journey of the Angels 18:10
7. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 22:55
8. Amid The Falling Snow 26:36
9. The Magic Of The Night 30:16
10. The Spirit of Christmas Past 33:49
11. Dreams Are More Precious 38:06
12. Oíche Chiúin (Chorale) 42:32
عاطف علي مصباح
I am tahnk you enya
عاطف علي مصباح
Iam tahnk you
amyyourfriendsarehere
Hi Enya... Tu m'as manquer !!
amyyourfriendsarehere
Welcome to France !!
Györgyi Balogh
Merry Christmas Dear E!. Ave
chanyang CHOI
보기엔 여자사람인데,
사람이 이렇게 곱고 경이로운 노래를 부를수 있을까? 들을수록 신비롭다.
Jan Sturk
You sing so beautifully in Adeste Fideles.
You get heavenly peace and harmony from it.
Two real gems to songs are The Spirit of Christmas Past and Dreams Are More Precious.
What wonderful music. ❤️😄👍