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'
Tomorrow
Enya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your face before me
Though I don't know why.
Thoughts disappearing like tears from the Moon.
Waiting here, as I sit by the stone,
They came before me
Those men from the Sun.
Now you're here, I can see your light,
This light that I must follow.
You, you may take my life away, so far away.
Now I know I must leave your spell
I want tomorrow.
Now you're here, I can see your light,
This light that I must follow.
You, you may take my life away, so far away.
Now I know I must leave your spell
I want tomorrow.
Enya's song "Tomorrow" can be interpreted as a story of a person waiting for a sign or guidance from a higher power. The lyrics describe how the person has been waiting for a long time, unsure of their purpose, but suddenly receives signs from the heavens that they are the chosen one. They are then guided by a light that they feel compelled to follow. This light, although necessary and all-consuming, comes with a warning that it may take their life away.
The first verse describes a new day dawning and the singer seeing someone's face before them without understanding the reason behind it. The line "Thoughts disappearing like tears from the Moon" suggests a feeling of confusion and a lack of clarity that is later resolved by receiving the signs from the heavens. The second verse talks about waiting by a stone and encountering people from the Sun, possibly referencing a Native American ritual or religious custom. The signs from the heavens reveal the singer's destiny as the chosen one, and they feel compelled to follow the light.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of breaking free from the spell of the light and wanting tomorrow, indicating a desire for clarity and a sense of purpose beyond the initial signs. The lyrics suggest that although the singer may be guided by a higher power, they want the freedom to choose their own path and make their own decisions.
Line by Line Meaning
Dawn breaks, there is blue in the sky.
The day is starting and there is light and color in the sky.
Your face before me
I am seeing your image in my mind.
Though I don't know why.
I am not sure why I am thinking of you.
Thoughts disappearing like tears from the Moon.
My thoughts about you are fleeting, like tears that disappear quickly.
Waiting here, as I sit by the stone,
I am waiting and sitting beside a stone.
They came before me
Other people were here before me.
Those men from the Sun.
They were bright and radiant, like the sun.
Signs from the heavens say I am the one.
I have received messages that suggest I am meant to do something important.
Now you're here, I can see your light,
You are now present and I am able to sense your energy.
This light that I must follow.
There is a direction or path that you represent which I feel compelled to follow.
You, you may take my life away, so far away.
You have the power to affect my life in a significant way, even if you are distant.
Now I know I must leave your spell
I am aware that I need to break free from the influence you have over me.
I want tomorrow.
I am ready for a new day, a fresh start or a different chapter in my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EITHNE NI BHRAONAIN, NICKY RYAN, ROMA RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@edith-jeannally5929
"I Want Tomorrow"
Dawn breaks; there is blue in the sky.
Your face before me
Though I don't know why.
Thoughts disappearing like tears from the Moon.
Waiting here, as I sit by the stone,
They came before me
Those men from the Sun.
Signs from the heavens say I am the one.
[Chorus:]
Now you're here, I can see your light,
this light that I must follow.
You, you may take my life away, so far away.
Now I know I must leave your spell
I want tomorrow.
[Chorus]
@tessc.1126
Dawn breaks, there is blue in the sky
Your face before me
Though I don't know why
Thoughts disappearing like tears from the Moon
Waiting here, as I sit by the stone
They came before me
Those men from the Sun
Signs from the heavens say I am the one
Now you're here, I can see your light
This light that I must follow
You, you may take my life away, so far away
Now I know I must leave your spell
I want tomorrow
Now you're here, I can see your light
This light that I must follow
You, you may take my life away, so far away
Now I know I must leave your spell
I want tomorrow
@philv2529
This is my favorite Enya song. It brings me back to college days during the era of super nintendo I would lay on my bed in my dorm and listen to this while watching the autumn leaves fall.
@DrLiz-xc9ol
Beautiful!
@celliott0328
This also reminds me of college. I would listen to it while driving. Good memories.
@iampierre86
Enya: shooting lightning bolts and blowing up cars since 1986.
@tailsprowerfan2729
The 1970s but yeah
@satori2890
It's he awt harry Potter lol
@satori2890
Her sis said s he was a Witch
@Tonagamu
Enya: Writer of amazing, peaceful, and eclectic music, and almighty destroyer of motor vehicles.
@Marinanor
She’s a level 20 Wizard!
@iangullo
One of the most beautiful pieces by Enya.