I can't exactly remember when I discovered Enya for myself. I do know that on sporadic occasions her music would seep into my life through movies. For instance during the trailer for the movie Bed of Roses I remembered this beautiful and intoxicating melody being played during romantic trailer shots of Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson (Storms In Africa). Then after I had finished watching the film Far and Away a similar haunting song was being played through the credits (Book of Days). Despite all this I was never able to figure out the name of the singer responsible for the songs that haunted me. Eventually I did find out that the artist was Enya and I've been happy with the discovery ever since. It was so great to get her albums and just be able to hear those songs that drove me nuts to find. I pretty much own all her albums including the Best of.. collection. But my favorite album of hers has to be Shepard Moons.
Technically there is no real difference in Enya's albums. All the songs are lushly produced and are easy on the ears, but to Enya fans this is not a detractor. As Enya's career has progressed the time it takes for her to release a full-length studio album lengthens. Her last album The Memory of Trees was released back in 1995, when I was a freshman in high school! Now I'm a sophomore in college and she's released her new album A Day With No Rain. This long wait between albums only makes fans more anxious to hear her melodies and haunting voice. It makes us more willing to dismiss the almost repetitive sound in all her albums.
In my humble opinion Shepard Moons is her best record, a highlight in her discography. There is something alive and esoteric moving through the tracks of this album, like some ancient Celtic spirit guiding you through the mysterious expanse of the album.
In an interview with Enya, she was asked what was it in her music that was consistent and she responded, "melancholy". And listening to this album there is a lamenting aura that permeates through some of the tracks.
How Can I keep from Singing?, is an uplifting track that looks towards the beauty of life and the greatness of everyday miracles despite earthly problems.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?
Evacuee is a real heart-tugger. Its such a powerfully moving song and Enya's beautiful vocals will leave a surprising lump in your throat. It reminds me of how a kid must have felt once during a painful moment in their childhood. In fact anyone who ever had a painful event in their childhood that they didn’t understand or they felt changed them can feel an instant connection to this song.
One of the more famous tracks off the album is Caribbean Blue. The beginning sounds like a diver who has just broken through the surface of the water and quickly swims further below the depths and then suddenly rises back up to the surface only to discover something magical when he returns. This is the most magical track off the album and is an irresistible one as well. Enya’s voice and the song’s whimsical beat create that magical feeling and weave into one another creating a colorful tapestry of sound and fantasy.
The most touching song on the entire album is the one that finishes it off, the lamenting “Smaointe”, which is Gaelic for “thoughts”. It is dedicated to the memory of her grandparents, Hugh and Mary Duggan. The sentence below the title translates into : “To my maternal grandparents”. The song is lament for the loss of them and how she wishes for their love and memory to be with her always. The emotions that formed the song are still woven within the melodies. Though the song is sung in Gaelic, all who listen to it can understand the universal sound of grief, pain and loss. For those that are interested, this is the loose English translation of the song:
Listen to my heart,
Forever sad
I'm lost without you
and your wife.
The great love in your lives
Will guide me.
Be with me always
Day and night.
Chorus:
Weeping due to the great loneliness
The tears, sorrowfully
Asleep in the quiet green grave
In a deep peace.
There was blissfulness
But that is gone
You followed
Your husband.
The great love in your lives
Will guide me.
Be with me always
Day and night.
Chorus
A thought, on the day
You were (both) at my side
Telling tales
Of how things were.
I remember the day
Carefree and happy
Be with me always
Day and night.
Now the terminally hip may scoff at Enya, as well as you for buying her album or being into it, but just scoff right back at them. Because it was no freak accident that at least three of Enya’s songs have popped up on the Billboard Top 40 charts. So when someone decides to give you grief for owning and loving this album, just brush them aside. Besides, they may already own the album in secret anyway, or who knows, maybe even a Britney Spears album. If that’s the case, who cares what they think about your tastes in the first place?
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