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'
Frog Prince
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw you close by my side.
And the words you said to me,
Made me reel down deep inside.
My hand in your hand,
So warm and so lovingly.
Leaving all my dreams behind,
Wonder who my prince will be?
[Chorus:]
What is this wonder,
That love can make you feel?
Am I deep now in slumber,
Or is my prince real?
Now, now my dream,
Is standing close by my side.
Saying words I wish to hear,
And I'm reeling deep inside.
[Chorus]
Morning has come,
My dreams are left far behind.
As I walk through Paris streets,
I know now what I shall find.
This smile on my face,
Will carry a love I have known.
Like a fairytale come true,
Oh, what joy this love has shown
The lyrics to Enya's song The Frog Prince depict a dreamy narrative about finding true love. The song describes a dream sequence in which the singer sees her prince charming next to her, holding her hand and expressing his affection for her. She is deeply affected by his words and feels a sense of romantic wonder. The chorus questions whether this feeling is real or only a product of her slumber. She wakes up the next morning, and though her dream has ended, she is filled with an inexplicable sense of joy and purpose. As she walks through Paris, she feels confident that she will find her true love, and the smile on her face symbolizes the love she has known.
The song's lyrics are simple, yet powerful, and evoke a sense of wistful longing for love. The concept of the Frog Prince, a well-known fairy tale, adds a layer of enchantment and magic to the song. It is said that Enya was inspired by a dream she had about walking through Paris, which served as the backdrop for the song's setting. The song's message conveys the importance of holding onto hope and believing in the possibility of true love. The music's melodious and soothing quality creates a dreamy, ethereal landscape for the lyrics to come alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep in my dreams,
Within myself, in a state of unconsciousness,
I saw you close by my side.
I imagined you beside me, in my dream,
And the words you said to me,
The things you spoke to me,
Made me reel down deep inside.
Caused an emotional response deep within me,
My hand in your hand,
Our palms touching
So warm and so lovingly.
Being incredibly affectionate,
Leaving all my dreams behind,
Disregarding my hopes and aspirations,
Wonder who my prince will be?
Pondering who the man of my dreams will be,
[Chorus:]What is this wonder,
What is this miraculous feeling,
That love can make you feel?
That love is responsible for this emotion,
Am I deep now in slumber,
Am I still asleep,
Or is my prince real?
Or is the person I have met real,
Now, now my dream,
Now, in this moment I find myself,
Is standing close by my side.
Is with me,
Saying words I wish to hear,
Saying words I long to listen to,
And I'm reeling deep inside.
I am experiencing strong emotions internally.
[Chorus]
Repeat of the previously mentioned chorus
Morning has come,
Now it's morning,
My dreams are left far behind.
All my reverie is now distant,
As I walk through Paris streets,
Pacing around the streets of Paris,
I know now what I shall find.
I've realized what I am going to discover,
This smile on my face,
The expression of joy in my visage,
Will carry a love I have known.
Will continue to experience a love I am familiar with,
Like a fairytale come true,
Like an actualization of an impossible dream,
Oh, what joy this love has shown.
Oh, the delight this love has brought me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ENYA, ROMA SHANE RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pickledegg1989
I feel like I'm browsing in a furniture shop in 1992 listening to this.
@inakiaraquistain5731
I think this is Enya's most romantic song.
@LawnMowersThingsThatMakeNoise
I love Eithne's voice ❤
@MusicalJeanAz
Kind a nice to hear Enya singing a solo without much background singing. Very nice!
@sirchess3095
I can't get enough of this beautiful woman.
@judithconway2085
This is the most romantic song I’ve ever heard and Enya is the best
@feliperodea8316
Enya's voice is stunning
@einundzwanzigster5618
Beautiful song. Gives me goosebumps. I was looking for Enya songs' lyrics and found this song. My favorite now.
@hussamelnorycalifornia6004
I love that song regardless anything in anyone's mind 😁
@jessewalker1623
beautiful song, makes me cry 😭