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'
Remember Your Smile
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Far from the crowds
We would wander together
Walking for miles
With night still before us
And day passing by
I always remember your smile
Warm in the sun
The clouds moving slowly
Time was undone
Yet the days fell before us
And nights rolled on by
I always remember your smile
Every step and each moment
Were all so worthwhile
I always remember your smile
I always remember your smile
And it's strange how for a moment
The heavens were mine
I always remember your smile
Each one has a journey
That's how it goes
Sometimes we're together
Sometimes alone
In Enya's song "Remember Your Smile," the lyrics paint a picture of a memory of a journey with a person, lost in the mountains and far from the crowds, who just wandered together, walked for miles, and saw the sun and the moving clouds with a sense of timelessness, where the days fell and the nights rolled by. Despite the simple and recurring scene, the singer emphasizes remembering the other's smile, which is the most vivid and profound image that stayed with them. The repeated line "I always remember your smile" stands out as an emotional anchor, an indication that the person and the memories shared have touched the singer deeply and have left a lasting positive impact.
The lyrics create a sense of nostalgia but also an appreciation for the simple and profound moments shared between two people. The song reminds us of the importance of cherishing and remembering special moments and the people we share them with. The final line, "Each one has a journey, that's how it goes. Sometimes we're together, sometimes alone," captures the transience of life and resonates with the idea that we may have many journeys and people we encounter, but some are more memorable and impactful than others.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost in the mountains
We were in a secluded place surrounded by nature.
Far from the crowds
We were away from people and their noise.
We would wander together
We used to explore mysteriously together.
Walking for miles
We traveled long distances without getting tired.
With night still before us
Even though the sun had set, there was still a long night ahead of us.
And day passing by
Despite knowing that time was passing us by.
I always remember your smile
I vividly recall your smile that made everything feel perfect.
Cool in the evening
It wasn't too hot in the night breeze.
Warm in the sun
It got bright and warm when the sun came out.
The clouds moving slowly
The clouds didn't seem to have a care in the world.
Time was undone
Minutes and hours didn't matter to us.
Yet the days fell before us
Time would continue to pass by predictably.
And nights rolled on by
Even though everything else changed, the night was the same.
Every step and each moment
Every movement we made felt like we were doing something essential.
Were all so worthwhile
Everything was precious.
And it's strange how for a moment
It's remarkable how such memories can last forever.
The heavens were mine
It felt like we owned the world.
Each one has a journey
Everyone has different experiences in life.
That's how it goes
That's just the way it is.
Sometimes we're together
Sometimes we're lucky enough to be with the people that make us happy.
Sometimes alone
Other times, we're forced to be on our own.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind