A Day Without Rain
A Day Without Rain is the fifth studio album by Irish singer-songwriter and musician Enya, released on 20 November 2000 by WEA in Europe and on 21 November 2000 by Reprise Records in the US. Following a promotional tour in support of her compilation albums Paint the Sky with Stars and A Box of Dreams in late 1997, Enya started work on a new studio album in mid-1998 with her longtime recording partners, producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. In a musical departure from her keyboard-oriented sound, Enya incorporates a string section in her songs.
Not to be confused with A Year Without Rain.A Day Without Rain
A Day Without Rain received mixed reviews from critics; some felt it too derivative of Enya's previous albums whilst others complimented the minimal use of overdubbing that her sound had become known for. It was a commercial success peaking at No. 6 in the United Kingdom and initially, No. 17 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. Following the 11 September 2001 attacks, sales of the album and its lead single, "Only Time", skyrocketed after it was used by several radio and television networks in their coverage and aftermath of the attacks. As a result, "Only Time" climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and A Day Without Rain reached a new peak on the Billboard 200 at No. 2. It became the fifth highest selling album of 2001 in the United States.[1][2]
A Day Without Rain is the best selling new age album in history with an estimated 16 million copies sold worldwide.[3] Enya supported it with a promotional tour which included live televised performances. In 2002, the album won Enya her third Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.
Background and recording[edit]
Following a promotional tour in support of her two compilation albums Paint the Sky with Stars and A Box of Dreams at the end of 1997, Enya started work on a new studio album in the mid-1998 with her longtime recording partners, producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan.[4] It marked her first studio album since The Memory of Trees in 1995. Around the time of starting on A Day Without Rain, Enya questioned some decisions she had made in her life and found herself answering them in the songs she was writing. She compared the album to reading her own diary: "Like in 'Pilgrim' I was asking myself: So many years have passed, am I happy with the way I'm working? And my answer is that I wouldn't change anything. I really love what I do."[5]
A Day Without Rain was written and recorded in a similar way to Enya's previous albums and without a timeline or deadline set by their label. She first spends time alone developing melodies and outlines of songs on the piano, which she then presents to the Ryans: "I'm quite anxious at this point because it really is an act of laying your soul bare". While Roma starts to write lyrics to the melodies, Enya and Nicky develop them into completed arrangements. After two years' work, Enya felt it was time to "step out of the studio ... time for it to have its life out in the world".[6] The album was recorded at Aigle, the Ryan's home studio in Killiney, County Dublin. Enya adopted a less intensive schedule, working just five days a week and having weekends off instead of working seven days like she had done on The Memory of Trees. The change made her feel happier as a result.[5]
In a musical departure from her keyboard-oriented sound, the album features a string section which Enya said was not a conscious decision initially. Nicky Ryan and she were open to exploring all possibilities with the songs, and stick with elements that give the best creative result.[7] Most of the songs were written in the major key, as Enya believed it helped create a more positive and uplifting mood.[5]
Songs[edit]
"Flora's Secret" is a song that makes reference to Flora, the Roman mythological goddess of flowers.[5] Enya and Roma incorporated some of Enya's experiences from her own love life on "Only Time" and "Fallen Embers". The former alludes to the difficulties and pressures of finding "the perfect love", which Enya has found difficult throughout her career due to her private lifestyle and that her past relationships were not the right ones.[5]
A Day Without Rain opens with an instrumental title track, which Enya had also done on her previous four studio albums. It was named after the high amount of rainfall over Ireland in the course of a year. After one particular stretch of consistent rain over a few days the sun came out, which inspired Enya to write it. She described its meaning as "the mood of a particularly peaceful day".[8] It was planned for the track to be a song and Roma had prepared an incomplete set of lyrics for it, but as the arrangement developed it was decided for it to remain instrumental.[9] "Wild Child" is a song about embracing positivity and finding moments for yourself during difficult days.[6] "Deora Ar Mo Chroí" is Irish for "Tears on My Heart".[6]
Enya gave permission for "Only Time" to be included in the soundtrack to the romantic film Sweet November (2001) where one of the lead characters finds out they are dying of cancer. She agreed in connection with the death of Irish musician Frankie Kennedy, co-founder of the Celtic group Altan with his wife Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, from bone cancer in 1994. Enya played synthesiser on their album Ceol Aduaidh (1983), and found Kennedy's death particularly sad.[10] "Tempus Vernum" is a darker and moody track in comparison to the opening three tracks that Enya said represents the fragility of life and how we are all together as one in its struggles.[6]
"Flora's Secret" is about two lovers laying on the grass on a romantic afternoon.[6] Enya singled out "Fallen Embers" as her favourite track on A Day Without Rain. She knew it was a particularly strong track when she presented it to Roma, who understood the emotion that she tried to put across musically. After Roma finished its lyrics, Enya recalled, "It was so moving to actually sing them".[11] Billboard magazine rated it as Enya's best vocal performance of her career at the time. The song is about the reminiscence of a lost love, "a celebration of that special time and a lament that it is over."[6] According to Roma Ryan, the lyrics to "Pilgrim" were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The song is about a journey of self-discovery on a more broad scale.[6]
"The First of Autumn" is an instrumental that gained inspiration from a poem Roma had written as part of a collection of poems about the seasons. Among them was a haiku that was first printed in the liner notes to Enya's limited edition box set Only Time – The Collection (2002).[9] The Japanese edition of the album includes "Isobella", a song that Roma described as a song for "A spirit child. One whom both Enya and myself experienced yet know nothing about", and named it Isobella.[9]
Credits adapted from the album's 2000 liner notes.[53]
Music
Production