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'
Far and Away
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My dreams could be tomorrow
One step, one fall, one falter
East or west,
Over earth or by ocean
One way to be my journey
This way could be my
Book of days
No day, no night, no moment
Can hold me back from trying
I'll flag, I'll fall, I'll falter
I'll find my day maybe
Far and away
Far and away
One day, one night, one moment
With a dream to be living
One step, one fall, one falter
And a new world that cross a wide ocean
This sway became my journey
This day ends together
Far and away
This day ends together
Far and away
Far and away.
The lyrics to Enya's "Book of Days" are a reflection on the journey of life and the endless possibilities that it holds. The singer acknowledges that there are many paths that they could take - east or west, over earth or by ocean - but ultimately there is only one way that will become their journey. The idea of a "Book of Days" suggests that life is a series of chapters that are waiting to be written, and that each day is a new opportunity to create something meaningful.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of determination and perseverance, as the singer is willing to "flag, fall, and falter" in pursuit of their dreams. They acknowledge that there will be obstacles along the way, but they are not discouraged by the possibility of failure. Instead, they are focused on the idea that each day is a new chance to try again.
The repetition of the phrase "one day, one night, one moment" emphasizes the idea of taking things one step at a time, and the phrase "far and away" suggests that the journey may be long and difficult, but that it will ultimately be worth it. Overall, "Book of Days" is a hopeful and inspiring song that encourages listeners to pursue their dreams with determination and optimism.
Line by Line Meaning
One day, one night, one moment
Every moment in life is unique and can have a significant impact on the future.
My dreams could be tomorrow
The dreams we have today can become reality in the future.
One step, one fall, one falter
The path towards achieving our dreams may have obstacles and failures, but that should not stop us from moving forward.
East or west, over earth or by ocean
The journey to fulfill our dreams can take us anywhere in the world, we just need to be willing to go.
One way to be my journey
There is no single path to follow in life, we create our own journeys.
This way could be my Book of days
The journey we take in life is like a book, filled with memorable moments and experiences.
No day, no night, no moment
Nothing should hold us back from pursuing our dreams and making the most of every moment in life.
Can hold me back from trying
We should never give up on our dreams, even if we face setbacks along the way.
I'll flag, I'll fall, I'll falter
We may stumble and fall on our journey, but we must get back up and keep going.
I'll find my day maybe
We may not know when or how our dreams will come true, but we should remain hopeful and keep striving towards them.
Far and away
Our dreams can take us far from where we started, both physically and emotionally.
With a dream to be living
Having a dream to work towards gives us purpose and motivates us to keep going.
And a new world that cross a wide ocean
Our journey towards our dreams can take us to unfamiliar places and challenges that we must overcome.
This sway became my journey
The twists and turns in life shape our journey and make it unique to us.
This day ends together
Every day brings something new to our journey, and we should embrace those experiences as they shape our lives.
Far and away
Just like our dreams, our journey can take us far from where we started, both physically and emotionally.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Resonant Storm
One day, one night, one moment,
My dreams could be, tomorrow.
One step, one fall, one falter,
East or west, over earth or by ocean.
One way to be my journey,
This way could be my book of days.
O la go la, mo thuras,
An bealach fada romham.
O oiche go hoiche, mo thuras,
Na scealta nach mbeidh a choich.
No day, no night, no moment,
Can hold me back from trying.
I'll flag, I'll fall, I'll falter,
I'll find my day may be,
Far and away,
Far and away.
One day, one night, one moment,
With a dream to believe in.
One step, one fall, one falter,
And a new earth across a wide ocean.
This way became my journey,
This day ends together,
Far and away.
This day ends together,
Far and away.
Far and away.
Patrick Naughton
This song has always choked me up and given me chills up my spine
Erik Gloor
Indeed
kindbluey
One of the best angelic songs ever made! Still strong in 2023! :)
Resonant Storm
One day, one night, one moment,
My dreams could be, tomorrow.
One step, one fall, one falter,
East or west, over earth or by ocean.
One way to be my journey,
This way could be my book of days.
O la go la, mo thuras,
An bealach fada romham.
O oiche go hoiche, mo thuras,
Na scealta nach mbeidh a choich.
No day, no night, no moment,
Can hold me back from trying.
I'll flag, I'll fall, I'll falter,
I'll find my day may be,
Far and away,
Far and away.
One day, one night, one moment,
With a dream to believe in.
One step, one fall, one falter,
And a new earth across a wide ocean.
This way became my journey,
This day ends together,
Far and away.
This day ends together,
Far and away.
Far and away.
Soul Eclipse
Thank you for the lyrics :)
Konw The Trut!!!!!
Definitely my favorite Enya song.
Tia D’Ostilio
I'm a former ballerina of 12 years, and I've danced to a few songs by enya. I just get this feeling to dance every time I listen to these songs. My feet get a tingly sensation that I love!
Kiera Byrne
Me to.. but im not a ballerina, my body just wants to express how the music makes it feel everytime i hear her songs. It's very healing i feel so very connected to myself. It's very weird and wonderful. X
Matthew Charette
I remember first hearing this song for a trailer for "Tuck Everlasting" and I will never forget the line said in it. "Don't be afraid of death, Winnie, be afraid of the unlived life. "
Geek Nat
Far and Away is a classic romance drama. One of the best!