“Watermark” is maybe the most famous New Age album of all time. It sold by the millions, had a top 10 chart hit, and was licensed in TV shows, ads and movies almost to the degree of Moby’s “Play”.
It was the album that truly gained Enya fame. Her previous effort, the self-titled “Enya” (later remastered as The Celts), however brilliant, was pretty much a failure on the charts. It did, however, attract the attention of producer Rob Dickins, who met her at an award ceremony by chance and signed her up on the spot. (You might recognize the name from “Orinoco Flow”, in which Enya tips her hat to the producer: “We can steal / We can kneel / with Rob Dickins at the wheel…”)
So, armed with producer Nicky Ryan, and writer Roma Ryan (yes, they are related, married in fact) and signed to Warner Music, she began the project of recording “Watermark”.
This was harder than you can imagine. Enya has often stated that it takes her ages to get anything done. She refuses to use samples in any song; every instrument you hear is played the whole way through. Some of the “choirs” in Watermark are actually just Enya, her voice recorded 100 or so times and layered over. In the “Storms in Africa” video, a children’s choir mime the “Na na na na!..na na!” part of the song - it is actually Enya, and only Enya, singing.
It was released in 1989, and was a smash hit on the charts, mainly thanks to Orinoco Flow. I sincerely recommend you purchase this album.
Track One - Watermark
The title track. One of the great Enya piano melodies, up there with No Holly for Miss Quinn, Lothlorien and A Day Without Rain. This is one of the few cases in which I agree with people who say that Enya’s songs all sound the same: play me this song and A Day Without Rain and I cannot tell the difference. That doesn’t make it any less enjoyable, though.
Track Two - Cursum Perficio
In quite a contrast to the last song, Cursum Perficio is a dramatic incantation in Latin. It begins with a dark piano solo, and then Enya begins to chant the title, over and over. It is funny how something so dark and dramatic can also be calming: you feel yourself surrounded by an ethereal, peaceful other world when listening.
It is the perfect funeral song: the title itself actually translates to “My journey ends here” in Latin. Presumably, they were planning to make this the last track on the album for the novelty of “My Journey Ends Here” being the finale. Enya knew better, I think, because this song would’ve felt totally out of place at the end. Some trivia for you: the lyrics from Cursum Perficio are taken directly from an inscription on the porch of Marylyn Monroe’s last home.
Track Three - On Your Shore
The soothe anthem of the century. I swear I can almost feel the cold of the ocean around me as Enya sings “Cool waves wash over…”. If you are going to sleep to this album, you drift off about halfway through the wonderful panpipe solo that begins at 2:59. Brilliant, emotional work, a classic of the genre.
Track Four - Storms In Africa
When I first heard this song, I knew I had heard it before. I guarantee that you have too. I know I must’ve heard it on an ad at some point, because I see a definite mental picture associated with this song. It is one constant helicopter shot: we are flying over
an absolutely beautiful, stunning beach, surrounded by jagged cliffs on a perfectly sunny day. I cannot shake this image, and it makes for a powerful one when I meditate to this song. Another of the genre classics.
Track Five - Exile
You are usually asleep by this point. Exile is a tad more dramatic then On Your Shore, but stays true to the formula with a flute solo about half way through and soothing lyrics/melody. Imagine a cross between Cursum Perficio and On Your Shore and you pretty much have Exile.
Track Six - Miss Claire Remembers
I am intrigued by the title of this song. Who is Miss Claire? What does she remember? Maybe someone should ask Enya about this.
I always consider this track the end of the first part of Watermark, because it seems to draw this chapter to a close somehow. And, on the original cassette release, Miss Claire Remembers marked the end of Side 1, so there you go…
Track Seven - Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)
It would make more sense on the cassette release: Miss Claire is the end of side 1, flip it over, get some time to think, hear Side 2, beginning with Orinoco Flow. But this track feels just wrong on the CD. Just as the soft, quiet notes of Claire come to a close, the jolting, springy notes of Orinoco kick in.
Nonetheless, it is a great song to which Enya owes a lot of her career. It was a surprise Top 10 hit in every country in the world. It introduced the world to Enya, and a lot of her fans discovered her through it.
When listening to this song, I get the image of being on some kind of ship, above a deep blue ocean, sailing away to some faraway place. Perhaps Enya got the same kind of vibe from it too, as the video for Orinoco Flow demonstrates this image perfectly.
Some trivia: Enya makes references to two of her workmates in this song, the aforementioned Rob Dickins, and right after that line: “We can sigh, say goodbye, Ross and his dependencies”, a nod to producer Ross Cullum. I suspect that “turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, again…” may be also an in-joke: you would hear a phrase like “turn it up” a lot in a recording studio.
Track Eight - Evening Falls
I once heard an unofficial dance remix of this song on the net, by some band called Lightforce. Surprisingly well done. There’s rave remixes of Orinoco, too - it’s strange how easily Enya can make the crossover to dance.
Anyway, like On Your Shore and Exile, Evening Falls is another of the more soothing melodies on Watermark. When I hear this song, I am sitting on a porch in the evening, watching the sun go down and the stars up. It captures this mood quite successfully.
Track Nine - River
This is perhaps my favourite song on Watermark. It is more positive and happy, more A Day Without Rain-ish than some of the other songs on the album. It’s melody is vaguely reminiscent of Orinoco Flow.
I can actually see the cool blue river in the mist, smoothly flowing past my eyes, as I hear River. Enya is always good at capturing nature in motion, i.e. Storms in Africa.
Track Ten - The Longships
Longships is like Cursum Perficio meets Storms In Africa. The image I get from this one is that I am standing on a beach, watching the masts of a fleet of ships coming over the horizon.
The song fades in as slowly as it fades out, and leaves you with a tangible twist of mystery. What are these “Longships”?
Track Eleven - Na Laetha Gael M’Oige
You can not be stressed and listen to this song. You feel immediately cured of whatever is troubling you within seconds. I am amazed at how Enya (and her sibling, Maire Brennan) can use the bagpipes to such relaxing effect. I usually hate the bagpipes at parades and such.
For every other release of Watermark, “Na Laetha” is the final track on the album. For the American release, though…
Track Twelve - Storms in Africa II
I was very lucky to get a copy of Watermark with this track on it. I had heard that there was a song called “Storms in Africa II” that was only included on certain releases of the album, so I went on a quest to find a copy that had it. This is harder than you can imagine as I live in Australia and it’s hard to get American imports down here. I combed every record store in the city to no avail, until I came across it in a basement second-hand store. There it was: “12 - Storms in Africa II”. The CD wa practically in mint condition and ,even better, I bought the album for the mind-blowing price of $US6.00!
Anyway, this is the second part of Storms In Africa. It is the mix they used for the Storms In Africa video, with different lyrics and added storm FX. Basically, if you liked Storms, you will like this. It’s more or less the same song, sung in English.
Watermark is a great album, essential to any collection. I can recommend this to anyone.
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