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'
Someone Said Goodbye
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a heart a little colder;
Someone said goodbye,
But you don't know why.
Somewhere there is someone keeping
All the tears they have been weeping,
Someone said goodbye,
But you don't know why.
Is there a reason
Why a broken heart begins to cry?
Is there a reason
You were lost although you don't know why?
Give me a reason
Why you never want to say goodbye.
If there's a reason,
I don't know why.
Always looking for meaning,
All the time you keep believing,
But I don't know why
You won't say goodbye.
Even when the sun is shining
You don't see the silver lining,
But you don't know why
You won't say goodbye.
Is there a reason
Why a broken dream can never fly?
Is there a reason
You believe and you close your eyes?
Give me a reason
Why you hide away so much inside.
If there's a reason,
I don't know why.
Is there a reason
Why a broken heart begins to cry?
Is there a reason
You were lost although you don't know why?
Give me a reason
Why you never want to say goodbye.
If there's a reason,
I don't know why. [Repeat:x4]
Enya's Someone Said Goodbye is a heart-wrenching song about the pain of not knowing why someone left. The first two lines of the song describe a summer day ending with a heart that’s a little colder, and the feeling that someone has said goodbye but you don't know why. Enya's voice captures the sadness and confusion that comes with a sudden breakup, where you're left wondering whether you could have done something differently, and if there was any actual reason for the goodbye.
The chorus of the song poses a series of questions about the nature of heartbreak, loss, and the mysterious reasons why people sometimes leave without explanation. The line "Is there a reason why a broken heart begins to cry?" is particularly poignant, as it speaks to the sense of betrayal and abandonment that comes with a sudden breakup. The line "Give me a reason why you never want to say goodbye" echoes that sense of a refusal to explain, leaving the suffering person to piece together the reasons for themselves, and ultimately coming up empty.
Overall, Enya's Someone Said Goodbye is a deeply emotive song that captures the sadness of losing someone without explanation. It's a song that resonates with anyone who has ever experienced the pain of a sudden breakup, and the confusion that comes when you don't know why.
Line by Line Meaning
Summer. When the day is over
The end of the day has come, and with it, the warmth and joy of summer fades.
There's a heart a little colder;
As time passes and the day ends, feelings of sadness and loneliness begin to set in.
Someone said goodbye,
The presence of loss and heartbreak is felt, as someone has left without explanation.
But you don't know why.
Despite feeling the pain and emptiness, the reason for their departure remains a mystery.
Somewhere there is someone keeping
Unknown to the artist, there is another person who is also dealing with heartbreak and sadness.
All the tears they have been weeping,
The other person is also shedding tears and feeling the pain of loss.
Someone said goodbye,
The departure of someone significant has left both parties mourning and feeling hurt.
But you don't know why.
The reason for the person's departure remains unknown to both the artist and the other mournful party.
Is there a reason
The artist wonders if there is a logical explanation for the heartache and loss they are experiencing.
Why a broken heart begins to cry?
They question the reason behind the intense emotional pain that comes with heartbreak.
You were lost although you don't know why?
The singer reflects on feeling lost and alone, even though they don't know the underlying cause of their sadness.
Give me a reason
They plead for an explanation or justification for their pain and confusion.
Why you never want to say goodbye.
The singer expresses their fear of letting go and moving on from the heartbreak, despite wanting to.
If there's a reason,
Despite questioning the reason for their pain, the singer has yet to receive a satisfactory answer.
I don't know why.
The true reason behind the heartache and loss remains a mystery to the singer.
Always looking for meaning,
The artist is constantly searching for an explanation or purpose behind their emotional pain.
All the time you keep believing,
Despite feeling lost, the artist continues to hold onto hope and faith.
But I don't know why
Despite their hope, they still cannot find a reason for the pain they are experiencing.
You won't say goodbye.
The singer struggles with letting go and moving on from the source of their heartache.
Even when the sun is shining
Despite the bright and cheery surroundings, the artist is still struggling with their inner turmoil.
You don't see the silver lining,
The artist cannot recognize the positive aspects of their situation, focusing instead on the negative emotions they are feeling.
But you don't know why
Despite their inability to recognize the good in their situation, the reason for their pain and confusion eludes them.
Is there a reason
Once again, the singer questions the purpose behind their heartbreak and emotional turmoil.
Why a broken dream can never fly?
They question why their hopes and dreams seem unattainable and unfulfilled in their current state of sadness.
You believe and you close your eyes?
Despite the overwhelming sense of loss, the singer continues to hold onto their beliefs and faith, closing their eyes to the negative aspects of their life.
Give me a reason
Once again, the singer pleads for an answer or explanation to their pain and confusion.
Why you hide away so much inside.
The singer reflects on their tendency to withdraw from the world and keep their emotions bottled up.
If there's a reason,
Despite their search for a reason behind their pain, the artist has yet to find a satisfactory answer.
I don't know why.
The reason for their pain remains a mystery to the artist.
If there's a reason,
This line repeats, underscoring the enduring search for meaning and explanation behind the singer's pain.
I don't know why. [Repeat:x4]
This final line and repeat again emphasize the inability of the singer to find a reason or explanation for their emotional turmoil and heartache.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind