And Winter Came…

And Winter Came...
Studio album by Enya
Released 10 November 2008 (2008-11-10)
Recorded 2006–2008
Studio Aigle Studio
(Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland)
Genre
Length 45:00
Label Warner Music
Producer Nicky Ryan
Enya chronology
Sounds of the Season with Enya
(2006)		 And Winter Came...
(2008)		 The Very Best of Enya
(2009)
Singles from And Winter Came
  1. "Trains and Winter Rains"
    Released: 10 October 2008

And Winter Came... is the seventh studio album from the Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya, released on 10 November 2008 by Warner Music. After recording some new Christmas songs for her fourth extended play, Sounds of the Season with Enya (2006), Enya proceeded to write and record a Christmas album of traditional carols and original Christmas songs, but the idea was changed to an album of songs with a Christmas or winter theme. It was recorded in Ireland with her longtime collaborators, arranger and producer Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan.

The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics and became a worldwide success, reaching the top-10 in 21 countries in its first three weeks, including number 8 and 6 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and the UK Albums Chart respectively. Enya released "Trains and Winter Rains" as the album's only physical commercial single, with "Dreams Are More Precious", "White Is in the Winter Night", and "My! My! Times Flies!" released for digital download. To promote the album, Enya made several interviews, appearances, and live performances. An estimated 3 million copies of And Winter Came... have been sold worldwide.[1]

Recording

After promoting her previous studio album Amarantine (2005), Enya recorded some new material for her fourth extended play Sounds of the Season with Enya (2006) that featured a collection of traditional and original Christmas songs. For her next studio album, she decided to continue with the Christmas theme and proceeded to write and record a Christmas album, something that Enya had always wanted to do in her career.[2] The winter time of year is a particular favourite of hers and it is when she does a considerable amount of song writing and experimenting with ideas she gathered over the year. To her, it is a "very reflective and a very calming" time of year.[2] Nicky Ryan revealed one idea of combining the tracks Enya recorded on Sounds of the Season with some new original tracks.[3] However, soon after the project began, the album's direction was changed to songs with a general winter theme as such imagery became a strong focal point in her new compositions.[4] She recorded the album with her longtime collaborators, arranger and producer Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan, at Aigle Studio, the name of the home recording studio at the Ryan's home in Killiney, County Dublin in Ireland.

Music and lyrics

The album's opening track, "And Winter Came...", is an instrumental piece which is a reworked version of "Midnight Blue", a song released as a B-side to "Wild Child", the second single from A Day Without Rain (2000). The majority of Enya's albums begin with an instrumental, and she selected the title track as the first because its themes "sets the mood of autumn going into winter".[4] "Journey of the Angels" was written in the style of what Enya described as a "slow traditional carol", with Roma emphasising its religious aspect to it, and chose it as a personal highlight of the album.[4] The song is dedicated to the American director and editor Tim Royes, who produced the music video for Enya's songs "Amarantine" and "It's in the Rain" and died in 2007.[5] For "White Is in the Winter Night", Enya was inspired by the idea of writing a "21st century Christmas carol", and pointed out Roma's descriptive lyrics that describe the various colours associated with Christmas time: "Green is in the mistletoe and red is in the holly ... Gold is in the candlelight and crimson in the embers".[5][4] The album contains two traditional songs that were rearranged by Enya and Nicky;[5] "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is an Advent Christian hymn that was introduced to Enya during her time in the choir at boarding school and became a longtime favourite of hers and Roma's, which inspired the decision to record it for the album.[4] The song is sung in Latin.[5] Enya described the meaning behind "Trains and Winter Rains": "The song ... is like a dark winter journey and I think everybody has taken this journey where it's time to leave home. It's exciting but because it is the unknown, that's why we wanted to capture the little dark aspects in both the lyric and in the music."[4] Roma compared "Dreams Are More Precious" to a "Christmas lullaby" and revealed its title was derived from the lyric that she wrote for the song.[4]

"Last Time by Moonlight" is a romantic song that developed around the idea of two people who once loved each other have now split, and the reflective time on one's life that could happen around Christmas time.[4] Enya and Roma developed "One Toy Soldier" into a children's song about an old toy soldier with a broken drum that has is a family's heirloom, but despite its age, it is still loved. Roma's initial set of lyrics had the story end with the toy soldier's future unclear on Christmas morning, but she knew Enya would not settle on such an ending, so she changed them accordingly to show the toy soldier was fine.[4] The last track recorded for the album was "My! My! Times Flies", an uptempo song dedicated to the Irish guitarist Jimmy Faulkner, who died in March 2008.[4][5] Its lyrics were written based around a conversation Enya and the Ryans had about Faulkner on a day surrounding his death and his favourite music.[4] The track marks a departure from Enya's musical style in that it is her first song to use a steady drum track, including a prominent guitar solo performed by Pat Farrell,[4][5] the first "I Want Tomorrow" on Enya's first studio album, Enya (1987). "Oíche Chiúin (Chrorale)" is the album's second traditional song, and is Enya's first since A Day Without Rain (2000) that is sung in Gaelic, her first language. It is the Irish version of the Christmas carol "Silent Night", a favourite of Enya's since she first learned it with her school choir. Enya had previously recorded a version of the carol as a B-side to her single "Evening Falls...", the second released from Watermark (1988). The decision to record a new version came from Nicky, who suggested more of a chorale arrangement and saw the track as a good opportunity to present Enya's voice as a choir, a wish of his since working with Enya. Roma added: "His little wish has come true. He has finally gone Enya to sing it exactly the way he had envisaged it".[4]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[6]
AllMusic[7]
BBC Music(positive)[8]
The Times[9]

An album launch party was held on 8 October 2008 at Two Temple Place in Temple, London which was decorated for the occasion in the theme of the album.[10] This was followed by a press conference given by Enya the next day at The Dorchester hotel. A second launch party was held on 3 November 2008 at the Grosse Orangerie Charlottenburg building in Berlin and featured dancers of the Berlin State Ballet performing choreography set to Enya songs.

And Winter Came... was released on 10 November 2008 by Warner Music internationally;[11] its release in the United States followed on 11 November 2008 by Reprise Records.[12] The album debuted at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 35,812 copies in its first week. It rose to its peak of number 6 in the following week. On 28 November 2008, the album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for 100,000 copies sold.[13] The album also peaked at number 6 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 92,000 copies.[14] In its second week, the album sold 83,000 copies.[14] It continued to sell, and received a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America on 12 December 2008 for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.[12] By October 2015, this number had grown to 920,000.[14] Elsewhere, the album reached the top-20 in 21 countries in its first three weeks.[15]

Enya released "Trains and Winter Rains" as the album's only physical single, in November 2008.[16] This was followed by the release of three album tracks for digital download: "White Is in the Winter Night" on 4 November 2008, "My! My! Time Flies!" on 4 February 2009, and "Dreams Are More Precious" on 10 October 2009.

The album was released on vinyl for the first time, on 20 October 2017.[17]

Track listing

All music composed by Enya (unless otherwise noted)[7] and All lyrics written by Roma Ryan, except for music and lyrics to "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and "Oíche Chiúin (Chrorale)", which are traditional songs arranged by Enya and Nicky Ryan.[5]

No.TitleMusicLength
1."And Winter Came..." (Instrumental)
3:15
2."Journey of the Angels" 4:47
3."White Is in the Winter Night" 3:00
4."O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" 3:40
5."Trains and Winter Rains"
  • Enya
  • N. Ryan
3:44
6."Dreams Are More Precious" 4:25
7."Last Time by Moonlight" 3:57
8."One Toy Soldier" 3:54
9."Stars and Midnight Blue" 3:08
10."The Spirit of Christmas Past" 4:18
11."My! My! Time Flies!" 3:02
12."Oíche Chiúin (Chorale)" 3:49
13."Miraculum" (Amazon exclusive bonus track[18]) 3:53
Total length:41:23

Charts, certifications and sales

  • The album also peaked at number-one on the Billboard "Top Holiday Albums" chart for a week[66] and four weeks in the "Top New Age Albums".[67]
  • It also peaked number two on the Billboard "Top Internet Albums" chart.[68]
  • The album peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard "Billboard Top 200" chart in 2009.[69]
  • The album has so far peaked at No. 170 on the Billboard "Billboard Top 200" chart in 2010.[70]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]

Musicians
  • Enya – vocals
  • Pat Farrell – lead guitar, twelve-string guitar (11)
  • Nicky Ryan - additional vocals
  • Roma Ryan - additional vocals
Production
  • Enya – arranger (all tracks)
  • Nicky Ryan – arranger (all tracks), producer, recording engineer, audio mixing
  • Tom Whalley – executive producer
  • Dick Beetham – mastering at Mastering 360, London
  • Daniel Polley – digital technical advisor
  • Simon Fowler – photography
  • Stylorouge – design, art direction

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Worldwide 10 November 2008
Warner Music
United States 11 November 2008 Reprise
Worldwide[17] 20 October 2017 LP
  • Warner Music
  • Reprise

References

  1. 1 2 "Enya | The BRIT Awards 2011". brits.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2011. less that twelve months on, it has sold almost 3.5 million copies
  2. 1 2 Cook, Shanon (24 December 2008). "Enya celebrates 'Winter'". CNN. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Sutherland, Mark (29 November 2008). "Simple Gift: Christmas Comes Early for Enya, Warners". Billboard. 120 (48): 43. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Enya, Brennan; Ryan, Nicky; Ryan, Roma (2008). Enya - And Winter Came [EPK]. Warner Bros. Records. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 And Winter Came... (Media notes). Warner Bros. Records. 10 November 2008. 2564 69330 6.
  6. ↑ About.com review
  7. 1 2 AllMusic review
  8. ↑ BBC Music review
  9. ↑ Archived 16 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ "Enya pays tribute to Jimmy Faulkner on new album". Hot Press. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "British album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 February 2017. Enter "And Winter Came" in the field 'Keywords'. Select 'Title' in the field 'Search by'. Select 'Album' in the field 'By Format'. Click 'Search'.
  12. 1 2 "American album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "BPI Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "Enya takes charts by storm". Hot Press. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  16. ↑ CD single WEA453CD
  17. 1 2 "Enya: And Winter Came: Music". Amazon.com. ASIN B01M8NDQ34. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  18. ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Winter-Came-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B002LMF104/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500550494&sr=8-1&keywords=and+winter+came. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ http://allcharts.org/music/argentina/albums.htm
  20. ↑ http://www.ariacharts.com.au
  21. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 – Hitparade Österreich". Austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  22. 1 2 "CANOE — JAM! Music SoundScan Charts". Jam.canoe.ca. 22 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Velkommen til Hit-listen.dk". Hitlisterne.dk. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  24. ↑ "Čns Ifpi". Ifpicr.cz. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  25. ↑ {{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/301786/enya/chart?f=293 |title=Billboard- Updated Album Charts from the most Trusted Music Magazine |work=Billboard |accessdate=2008-11-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203142015/http://https://www.billboard.com/artist/301786/enya/chart?f=Invalid+chart+name+entered+european/
  26. ↑ "Suomen virallinen lista | YLE Pop | yle.fi". Pop.yle.fi. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  27. ↑ "Charts in France".
  28. ↑ "TOP 10 – Album-Charts aus Deutschland". Mix1.de, media control (Musikcharts). Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  29. ↑ "TOP 50 – Album-Charts in Greece". ifpi,. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  30. ↑ "MAHASZ — Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége — Slágerlisták". Mahasz.hu. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  31. ↑ "Irish Weekly Charts". IRMA. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  32. ↑ "Classifiche". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  33. ↑ Archived 4 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  34. ↑ "Hitlijsten". Radio 3FM. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  35. ↑ "Charts". RIANZ. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  36. ↑ "Topp 40 Album uke 47, 2008". VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  37. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS — Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. 22 February 2009. Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  38. ↑ "Artistas & Espectáculos". Top Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  39. ↑ "╚2M╩ – вЮПРШ ОПНДЮФ ЮКЭАНЛНБ Х DVD Б пНЯЯХХ — Russia Top 25". 2m-online.ru. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  40. ↑ "Promusicae". Promusicae.es. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  41. ↑ "DigiListan". Sveriges Radio P3. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  42. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Swiss Charts — Albums Top 100 30.11.2008". Swisscharts.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  43. ↑ www.devstars.com. "Chart?". The Official UK Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  44. ↑ {{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/301786/enya/chart?f=305 |title=Top 200 Albums — Music Retail Sales |work=Billboard Album Charts |accessdate=2008-11-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113180921/http://https://www.billboard.com/artist/301786/enya/chart?f=Invalid+chart+name+entered+billboard/
  45. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  46. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Enya in the field Interpret. Enter And Winter Came... in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen. 
  47. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2008". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  48. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." IFPI Denmark. Click on næste to go to page if certification is from the official website.
  49. ↑ "French album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  50. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Enya; 'And Winter Came')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  51. ↑ "Irish album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." Irish Recorded Music Association.
  52. ↑ NO type WAS PROVIDED for ITALIAN CERTIFICATION.
  53. ↑ "Speciale" (PDF). MD Online. February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2016.
  54. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Enya – 雪と氷の旋律" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2008年11月 on the drop-down menu
  55. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter And Winter Came... in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  56. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." Recorded Music NZ.
  57. ↑ "Russian album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF).
  58. ↑ "Spanish album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select album under "Chart", enter the certification year in the field "Year". Select the certification month in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts".
  59. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2008" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  60. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Enya; 'And Winter Came...')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  61. ↑ "British album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came..." British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Enter And Winter Came... in the search field and then press Enter.
  62. ↑ "American album certifications – Enya – And Winter Came". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  63. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2008". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  64. ↑ "Promusicae 2008" (PDF) (in Spanish). PROMUSICAE. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  65. ↑ "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". Media Control. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  66. ↑ "Billboard Top Holiday Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  67. ↑ "Enya Albums Chart Discography". allmusicguide. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  68. ↑ {{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/301786/enya/chart?f=938 |title=Top New Age Albums |publisher=billboard |date= |accessdate=2008-12-19 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220052708/http://https://www.billboard.com/artist/301786/enya/chart?f=Invalid+chart+name+entered+internet/
  69. ↑ "Billboard Top 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  70. ↑ "Billboard Top 200 Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
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