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'
The River Sings
Enya Lyrics
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Our words go into the shadows.
The river sings the endlessness.
We write of our journey through night.
We write in our aloneness.
We want to know the shape of eternity.
Who knows the way it is?
Mountains, solitude and the moon
Until the journey's end?
The river holds the lost road of the sky;
The shape of eternity?
Who knows the way it is?
Who knows what time will not tell us?
Where is the beginning?
Where is the end?
Why did we fall into days?
Why are we calling out into the endlessness?
Who knows the way it is?
Who knows what time will not tell us?
Enya’s “The River Sings” may seem like an abstract song at first glance, but upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that it is a contemplation of the mysteries of life and the search for meaning in the face of the vastness of existence. The lyrics reflect the human longing for clarity and understanding, and question the limits of knowledge and the boundaries of time and space.
The river, which is referenced throughout the song, is a common symbol of the passage of time and the inevitable flow of life. The lyrics suggest that the river is aware of the infinite nature of existence and has the ability to “sing the endlessness,” a metaphor for the river’s ability to communicate the vast expanse of time and space. This is juxtaposed with the human experience of being “lost” and feeling the need to understand the “shape of eternity.”
The song suggests that the search for understanding is perhaps impossible, with the repeated refrain “Who knows the way it is? Who knows what time will not tell us?” The lyrics acknowledge the human desire for knowledge and understanding but also acknowledge the limitations of our understanding.
Overall, “The River Sings” is a contemplative and introspective song about the inherent mystery of life and our search for meaning in the face of the unknown. It is a beautiful reminder of the beauty and complexity of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Our words go beyond the moon.
Our words have a power that transcends the physical realm of the moon and reach out to the intangible and infinite aspects of the universe.
Our words go into the shadows.
Our words can penetrate the darkest and most mysterious aspects of existence, where others may be too afraid to venture.
The river sings the endlessness.
The flowing, eternal nature of the river symbolizes the unending quality of time and life, which is constantly speaking to us.
We write of our journey through night.
We express our experiences of going through challenging and difficult times, and the lessons we learn from them.
We write in our aloneness.
We create our art and literature in a state of introspection and solitude when we can truly become one with our thoughts and emotions.
We want to know the shape of eternity.
We desire to comprehend the formless, timeless essence of existence, which is beyond human intellectual limits.
Mountains, solitude and the moon
These natural elements represent the challenges, introspection, and mysteries of life that we must overcome and examine.
Until the journey's end?
Will these challenges and mysteries continue to be a part of our lives until we die or reach the end of our spiritual quest?
The river holds the lost road of the sky;
The river symbolizes the path to the heavens and the divine, which we may have lost sight of but can still rediscover.
The shape of eternity?
What does the infinite and boundless nature of existence truly look like or feel like, and can we ever fully understand it?
Where is the beginning?
We wonder about the origin of existence and the first cause of all things.
Where is the end?
We ponder about the possibility of a final destination or conclusion to our earthly journeys and the mysteries of life.
Why did we fall into days?
We question the purpose or reason for being born into this world and experiencing the fleeting nature of time and space.
Why are we calling out into the endlessness?
We express our yearning and desire for greater meaning and purpose in life that transcends the limitations of this physical world.
Who knows the way it is?
None of us can claim absolute knowledge or certainty regarding the deeper aspects of existence and the mysteries of the universe.
Who knows what time will not tell us?
Time can reveal some of the secrets and cycles of existence but cannot encompass the entirety of the universe's mysteries and eternity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind