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'
I May Not Awaken
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who could sleep beneath a strange moonlight?
No guiding star
So far from home
Walked the way o' promise to find but snow
Throughout, the voice of the winds brings nothing more
Than low echoes
Even from a child
A wish is not enough
For me, for me the sky may fall
And even from a child
A dream is not enough
Could be, could be the sky may fall
Could be, could be the night ends all
No rains could weep as I have wept
To know a simple dream will not be kept
I am a child
So far from home
One by one the sky falls
I may not awaken
Enya's "I May Not Awaken" is a melancholic ballad about a journey taken by an unknown protagonist. The song begins with an evocative depiction of the transition from day to night. It appears that the singer finds it hard to sleep beneath a strange moonlight, disturbed by an overwhelming sense of displacement. They feel lost, with no star to guide them as they embark on a quest for a distant promise. The voice of the winds, which they encounter throughout their journey, is only capable of producing low echoes.
While the singer is still a child, they understand that a wish alone is not enough to realize their dreams. They fear the sky may fall, suggesting that they are consumed with anxiety about the future. They are aware that a simple dream may not be achieved and may be forced to accept reality. Nonetheless, they refuse to abandon their aspirations completely, and they acknowledge that even from a child, a dream is not enough. The ballad reaches its culmination as they are resigned to the fact that they may never achieve their dreams. They describe themselves as a "child so far from home" and lament that they may not wake up to realize their dreams.
The song's ambiguous narrative affords listeners the opportunity to interpret the lyrics in their way, given that they are not hemmed in by a definitive plotline, and they can draw from their experiences or imagination. The song's mournful melody complements the lyrics, which are introspective and contemplative. The lyrics express disappointment and heartbreak, yet the tone is not necessarily negative, but rather reflective and resigned.
Line by Line Meaning
When the warmth of the day becomes the night
As the day comes to an end and night falls, enveloping the warmth of the day in its darkness.
Who could sleep beneath a strange moonlight?
The eerie light of the strange moon makes it hard for anyone to sleep.
No guiding star
Without a guiding star to show the way, one can easily lose their path.
So far from home
Being so distant from home, one may feel lost and alone in unfamiliar surroundings.
Walked the way o' promise to find but snow
Having traveled the path of promise, only to find it barren and desolate with nothing but snow.
Throughout, the voice of the winds brings nothing more
The only sound that accompanies the journey is the voice of the winds, that brings nothing but emptiness.
Than low echoes
The voice of the winds dwindles to low echoes, which are barely audible.
Even from a child
Even a child, who knows nothing of the world, understands that a simple wish or dream may not come true.
A wish is not enough
Merely having a wish is not enough to make it come true, as there may be obstacles in its path.
For me, for me the sky may fall
Even if the sky were to fall upon her, her wish may still not come true.
And even from a child
Even as a child, with all the innocence and hope in the world, a dream may be shattered.
A dream is not enough
Dreaming of something is not enough, as it may not be possible to achieve it.
Could be, could be the sky may fall
Even if the impossible were to happen, and the sky falls, it still may not fulfill one's dreams.
Could be, could be the night ends all
The darkness of the night may signify an end to everything, including one's existence.
No rains could weep as I have wept
The tears shed by the person are endless, far beyond what even rains could manage.
To know a simple dream will not be kept
To realize that a simple dream, which one thought was possible, may not be kept.
I am a child
Despite being an adult, the person feels like a child, having lost their way and sense of direction.
So far from home
Being distant from home, the person feels lost and alone, unable to find their way back.
One by one the sky falls
With every passing moment, one by one, the things that we consider impossible or unachievable, begin to happen.
I may not awaken
The uncertainty and darkness surrounding the person's life may lead to a fate where they may not awaken to see another day.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA SHANE RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@moonythespoonie9551
When the warmth of the day becomes the night
Who could sleep beneath a strange moonlight?
No guiding star
So far from home
Walked the way o' promise to find but snow
Throughout, the voice of the winds brings nothing more
Than low echoes
So far from home
Even from a child
A wish is not enough
For me, for me the sky may fall
And even from a child
A dream is not enough
Could be, could be the sky may fall
Could be, could be the night ends all
No rains could weep as I have wept
To know a simple dream will not be kept
I am a child
So far from home
One by one the sky falls
I may not awaken
@alasdairvincent6248
I love this song. So beautiful and moving. Enya puts such emotion into her singing. She is so talented and unique. Simply wonderful.
@jimreid963
Sad or depressing to some folk it may be, but my God when I want a bloody good cry within a few seconds of listening I unashamedly let it out.
It is a beautiful and sad song, unashamedly so
@Aramanth
Who could sleep beneath a strange moonlight? 🌙
Such a beautiful lyric and Enya delivers the
emotion with fragile delicacy...
Enya sings... and angels drop their harps...
Thanks for posting this gem!
@Apollo1011
Several of Enya's songs have a very personal description of depression and despair. I think she or her songwriter must have experienced this personally, because you can see she feels it when she sings it.
@MusicalJeanAz
Enya sings it so very slow and very precise. It's so beautifully done.
@MsSujoy
May be due to cloudy weather Irish people are generally depressed
.. Who knows.
@Just_awanderingmusician
I think this songs may be the separation to Clannad and their family rift but I think they're fine now. Maybe she's just far from them. Like what lyrics indicate, so far from home
@Bdubois1994
If you listen to Enya's interviews, she says in her words that Irish music always has a tinge of melancholy in the melodies. I think musically, she has that in her music and makes it her own.
@paolomarini5992
@@holyshititsatalkingmuffin9788I hope not either, but I admit it's quite likely. This tune sounds like a very intimate confession. Maybe her subdued cry for help. She has several melancholy songs, yet this one moves me in a peculiar way.
@chicagoboyrn71
I was listening to this song on a Saturday evening here in Chicago and first thing came to mind were those 20 children and 7 adults killed in a school massacre in Connecticut. Had difficult sleeping since last night.