They are contemporaries of fellow Celtic artists Enya and Clannad; however, Iona's works are also influenced heavily by jazz-fusion, prog-rock and ancient Christian themes.
For Iona's 1990 debut album, the band added: drummer Terl Bryant, bassist Nick Beggs (former bassist of Kajagoogoo) and several studio musicians -- Fiona Davidson (Celtic harp), Peter Whitfield (strings), Troy Donockley (Uillean pipes) and Frank Van Essen (tuned percussion). The self-titled album received very little press, even in their home country, though a Dutch network compiled a documentary based on Iona, the band and the island.
Two years later, Iona returned with "Book of Kells", and the album was praised by North American critics
as well as those of the British Isles. David Fitzgerald left in 1992 to pursue a degree in music and, as a result, Iona lost much of its jazz influences by the following year's Beyond These Shores. The group made up for Fitzgerald's absence, however, by inviting Robert Fripp to guest on the album. Both albums also featured former Kajagoogoo bassist/stickist Nick Beggs. A contract with England's Alliance Music led to "Journey into the Morn"; the album was released in 1996 in the U.S. and Canada, and was listed among the top five folk albums in Q Magazine's Year End Review. "Heaven's Bright Sun", a live album, came the following year, then "Woven Cord" in 2000, and "Open Sky" in 2001.
Their latest release, new to 2007, is called "The Circling Hour".
iona has been a Leipzig, Germany based postrock-band from 2005-2010 that now reemerges as The Yuki Rush. https://ionanoise.bandcamp.com/album/a-noise
There is also a Romanian experimental / hip hop band who also go by the name "Iona",
Light Reflected
Iona Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see light reflected
I see light reflected
In the glow of springtime sun
In the smile of wonder
There is truth and there is peace
Reaching to me from heaven
We're in orbit
Spinning 'round the sun
Around the sun
Around the sun
Light of light eternal
Light my way for me
Light of light eternal
Light my way for me
Gazing through a veil of tears
Blurring the starlight glow
Holding my hands up to the sky
Saying my silent prayer
As I walk into the night
I see light reflected from the sun
The lyrics to Iona's song "Light Reflected" capture the essence of the beauty and wonder of the natural world. The singer is filled with a sense of awe and reverence as she contemplates the light of the sun shining down upon her, and the way it illuminates everything around her. She sees this light reflected in the smile of wonder on a person's face, and she feels as though she is being lifted up to heaven as she walks across a beautiful hillside.
The song's chorus, "Light of light eternal, light my way for me," reinforces the idea that the singer is seeking guidance and inspiration from the divine through the natural world. She is looking for something to help her find her way through the darkness of uncertainty and doubt, and she finds solace in the light reflected in the world around her.
The verse, "Gazing through a veil of tears, blurring the starlight glow / Holding my hands up to the sky, saying my silent prayer," illustrates the deep emotional connection the singer feels with the world around her. She is moved to tears by the beauty that she sees, and she offers up her prayers to the universe in gratitude for the moments of wonder that she has been blessed with.
Overall, "Light Reflected" is a powerful anthem to the beauty of the natural world and the sense of awe and wonder that it can inspire in us. The song speaks to the deep spiritual connection that we can feel with the universe, and the way that this connection can bring us hope and peace in times of uncertainty and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
I see light reflected
I am perceiving light, which is being reflected off something.
I see light reflected
I am perceiving light, which is being reflected off something.
I see light reflected
I am perceiving light, which is being reflected off something.
In the glow of springtime sun
I am observing the light that emanates from the sun during springtime.
In the smile of wonder
A facial expression of wonder illustrates a sentiment of amazement or admiration.
There is truth and there is peace
Absence of anxiety or disturbance, in addition to facts and information consistent with reality, can coexist.
Reaching to me from heaven
Heavenly elements have extending to me or communicated with me.
As we walk across this hill
While we are traversing this hill.
We're in orbit
We are continuously revolving around something.
Spinning 'round the sun
Rotating in circles in the vicinity of the sun.
Around the sun
Circling the sun.
Light of light eternal
A source of eternal illumination or insight.
Light my way for me
Direct or guide me through a situation by providing illumination or perception.
Gazing through a veil of tears
Looking through a layer of liquid that the eyes produce during intense emotional states.
Blurring the starlight glow
Causing the light emitted from celestial objects to become unclear and indistinct.
Holding my hands up to the sky
Raising my hands towards the sky as an act of reverential contemplation.
Saying my silent prayer
Mentally voicing an entreaty or appeal to a spiritual or divine entity, but not saying it out loud.
As I walk into the night
While I am proceeding through the darkness outdoors.
I see light reflected from the sun
I am witnessing light that is being reflected from the sun.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Dave Bainbridge, Frank Van Essen, Joanne Hogg, Phil Barker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alyson Kelly
on Revelation
Revelation
by Iona
____________________________________________________
Waiting for the Spirit of Truth to tell
Power on Earth to stand in the face of hell
Waiting for the sky to clear
Waiting for the Son to appear
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your
Revelation
Learning the purifying flame
Regeneration after the growing pain
Longing for the words to flow
Longing for the world to know
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your
Revelation
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your
Revelation
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your
Revelation
Waiting to see you
Waiting to hear you
Waiting for vision
To see your, your, your, your
Revelation