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'
Ever After
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
are dressed in ribbons fair
when owls call the breathless moon
in the blue veil of the night
the shadows of the trees appear
amidst the lantern light
now we've been rambling all the night
and some time of this day
now returning back again
we bring a garland gay
who will go down to the shady groves
and summon the shadows there
and tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms
in the springtime of the year
the songs of birds seem to fill the wood
that when the fiddler plays
all their voices can be heard
long past their woodland days
chorus
and so they linked their hands and danced
round circles and in rows
and so the journey of the night descends
when all the shades are gone
a garland gay we bring you here
and at your door we stand
it is a sprout well budded out
the work of our lord's hand
chorus twice
The lyrics of Enya's song "Ever After" paint a vivid picture of a mystical forest in the springtime. The first verse describes the trees of the forest, ash, oak, birch, and yew, adorned with ribbons. The second verse sets the scene for the enchanted night, as the owls call and the trees cast shadows in the moonlight. The chorus follows, speaking of a group of people who have been wandering the night, returning with a "garland gay." The third verse calls upon someone to go down to the "shady groves" and tie ribbons on the tree branches. The fourth verse describes the birds singing in the woods, and their voices being heard when the fiddler plays - a nod to the magic of the forest. The chorus repeats, followed by the final verse, where the group dances in circles and rows until the journey of the night descends, and they present a "garland gay" at someone's door, the work of the Lord's hand.
The lyrics to "Ever After" speak to the beauty of nature and the magic of a mystical forest, as well as the joy of gathered community. The use of natural elements such as trees, moonlight and birdsong, allows listeners to picture themselves in this enchanted world, and the imagery of the garland promotes a sense of celebration and togetherness.
Line by Line Meaning
when the ash and oak and the birch and yew
are dressed in ribbons fair
When the trees are adorned with ribbons
when owls call the breathless moon
in the blue veil of the night
the shadows of the trees appear
amidst the lantern light
When the moon is out and the trees cast shadows under the lantern light
now we've been rambling all the night
and some time of this day
now returning back again
we bring a garland gay
We've been wandering all night and now we bring a festive garland back with us
who will go down to the shady groves
and summon the shadows there
and tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms
in the springtime of the year
Who will go to the groves, bring out the shadows, and decorate the trees with ribbons in the spring?
the songs of birds seem to fill the wood
that when the fiddler plays
all their voices can be heard
long past their woodland days
The birds sing in the woods, and even after they're gone their voices live on through the music
and so they linked their hands and danced
round circles and in rows
and so the journey of the night descends
when all the shades are gone
They hold hands and dance in circles and rows until darkness fades away
a garland gay we bring you here
and at your door we stand
it is a sprout well budded out
the work of our lord's hand
We bring a joyful garland to your doorstep, a symbol of spring's new life, created by the grace of God
chorus twice
Repeats the previous verses
Contributed by Aubrey C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@thetruth4116
Thank you! I have been looking for this song forever!
@hwdropout
from my fav movie ever. I always loved the song but never now who sings it. Thank you.
@seppeisenmann8710
I love both the movie & Enya's theme song, but this video was misnamed, Ms. Veronica. The song here is ''The Mummers' Dance'' by Loreena McKennitt. Just fyi, ma'am. 😊
@Lynllie
This is not an Enya song. Loreena McKennitt sings the Ever After theme song for the movie. I know this because, when searching for the song they put in the movie so briefly, I originally thought it was by Enya too. But I discovered it was, in fact, McKennitt. Easy mistake to make though, they sound very similar. ^.^
@karenbaird7402
Olstar March 20th 2022
Amazing song
@enveyorbust
this is mummers dance by loreena mckennit remixed by dna
@chico261000
hermosa mujer
@Lynllie
@kathberry8 :-D LOL! Hey you! *huggle* Love you too. *smooches*
@kathberry8
@Lynllie ..I found you, little kitty cat..love you,ooga booga...
@Lynllie
Yes, really.