Amarantine (album)

Amarantine
Studio album by Enya
Released November 22, 2005
Recorded 2003 - 2005
Genre New age
Length 45:35
Label Warner Bros., Warner Music UK (Europe)
Reprise, Warner Bros. (US)
Producer Nicky Ryan
Enya chronology
A Day Without Rain
(2000)		 Amarantine
(2005)		 And Winter Came...
(2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Amarantine is an album by Irish musician Enya. The album was released on November 22, 2005. It won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for 2007. The release date was announced by Roma Ryan on September 23, 2005, at the official Enya forum.[2] It was subsequently leaked to the Internet on November 11, 2005.

Two songs from the album were released as singles: the title track "Amarantine" and "It's in the Rain". "Someone Said Goodbye" was released as a promotional single in the United States as well. The album was very successful and sold more than 6.5 million[3] copies overall. The success of the album kept it for 9 months and 2 weeks (38 weeks, from Dec/10/2005 to Aug/26/2006) in the #1 spot of the Billboard New Age Albums.[4][5]

Contents

Album editions

Standard release

The standard release was released in 2005. This edition has 1 disc, and contains 12 tracks. A booklet with lyrics is included

Amarantine Special Christmas Edition

This two-disc set in a 2-CD jewel case and cover sleeve was released in 2006. It features the previously released 12 tracks on the first disc. The second disc has 4 newly recorded Christmas songs: Adeste, Fideles, The Magic of the Night, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Christmas Secrets. The standard booklet with lyrics is included.

Amarantine Deluxe Collector's Edition

This limited edition box set contains the standard release of Amarantine, the second edition of the book Water Shows The Hidden Heart by Roma Ryan and three exclusive photos in a back-cover pocket. All is packaged in a red velvet box.

Track listing

Standard release

  1. "Less Than a Pearl" – 3:44 *
  2. "Amarantine" – 3:13
  3. "It's in the Rain" – 4:08
  4. "If I Could Be Where You Are" – 4:01
  5. "The River Sings" – 2:49 *
  6. "Long Long Journey" – 3:17
  7. "Sumiregusa (Wild Violet)" – 4:42
  8. "Someone Said Goodbye" – 4:02
  9. "A Moment Lost" – 3:08
  10. "Drifting" – 4:12
  11. "Amid the Falling Snow" – 3:38
  12. "Water Shows the Hidden Heart" – 4:39 *

Amarantine Special Christmas Edition

Disc 1

  1. "Less Than a Pearl" – 3:44 *
  2. "Amarantine" – 3:13
  3. "It's in the Rain" – 4:08
  4. "If I Could Be Where You Are" – 4:01
  5. "The River Sings" – 2:49 *
  6. "Long Long Journey" – 3:17
  7. "Sumiregusa (Wild Violet)" – 4:42
  8. "Someone Said Goodbye" – 4:02
  9. "A Moment Lost" – 3:08
  10. "Drifting" – 4:12
  11. "Amid the Falling Snow" – 3:38
  12. "Water Shows the Hidden Heart" – 4:39

Disc 2

  1. "Adeste, Fideles" – 3:58
  2. "The Magic of the Night" – 3:34
  3. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" – 3:40
  4. "Christmas Secrets" – 3:47

Amarantine Deluxe Collector's Edition

  1. "Less Than a Pearl" – 3:44 *
  2. "Amarantine" – 3:13
  3. "It's in the Rain" – 4:08
  4. "If I Could Be Where You Are" – 4:01
  5. "The River Sings" – 2:49 *
  6. "Long Long Journey" – 3:17
  7. "Sumiregusa (Wild Violet)" – 4:42
  8. "Someone Said Goodbye" – 4:02
  9. "A Moment Lost" – 3:08
  10. "Drifting" – 4:12
  11. "Amid the Falling Snow" – 3:38
  12. "Water Shows the Hidden Heart" – 4:39 *

Production

Loxian

Main article: Loxian

Loxian is an artistic language created by writer and lyricist Roma Ryan. It's been described in news releases as "a futuristic language from a distant planet." Loxian was used in three songs from Amarantine. There is also a book published in December 2005 by Roma Ryan called Water Shows The Hidden Heart, which uses this language. The inspiration for Loxian was, in part, the Elvish languages created by J. R. R. Tolkien. Enya sang several songs in Tolkien's languages for the soundtrack of the movie trilogy The Lord of the Rings.

Premature label announcement

In September 2004 a new Enya song named "Sumiregusa (Wild Violet)" was released in Japan as part of an advertising campaign for Panasonic. As part of the announcement of the new song, Warner Music Japan stated that Enya's next album would be released in November 2004. On September 19, 2004, Enya made a press release available via her website stating that no release was immediately planned. "Sumiregusa" has been included as one of the tracks on the Amarantine album.

Usage in TV commercials

The "Sumiregusa" song was also used by Panasonic to advertise its products in Japan, featuring in TV commercials advertising its "Viera" and "Diga" range of flat-screen TVs and DVD recorders. The commercials appeared on several national TV channels for several weeks, helping both Panasonic and Enya's sales.

Source material

The opening bars to the song "Sumiregusa" is from the first part of John Stevenson's "Vesper Hymn"

Charts, certifications and sales

Charts

Country Position
Australia 13
Austria 4
Belgium 1
Canada 4
Czech Republic 4
Denmark 7
Finland 22
France 5
Germany 3
Hungary 7
Ireland 15
Italy 8
Japan 1
Netherlands 5
New Zealand 10
Norway 13
Portugal 5
Spain 9
Sweden 4
Switzerland 3
UK Albums Chart[6] 8
US Billboard 200[7] 6

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)[8] Gold 20,000x
Australia (ARIA)[9] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[10] Platinum 50,000*
Brazil (ABPD)[11] Gold 50,000*
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[12] Gold 20,000^
France (SNEP)[13] Platinum 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[14] 3× Gold 300,000^
Hungary (Mahasz)[15] Gold  
Ireland (IRMA)[16] Platinum 15,000x
Japan (RIAJ)[17] 2× Platinum 500,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[18] Gold 50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[19] Platinum 80,000^
New Zealand (RIANZ)[20] Platinum 15,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[21] Gold 10,000*
Portugal (AFP)[22] Platinum 20,000x
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] Gold 40,000^
Sweden (GLF)[24] Gold 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[25] 2× Platinum 80,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[28] Platinum 1,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Charting singles

Year Single Chart Position
2005 "Amarantine" Adult Contemporary (U.S.) 10
2006 "Someone Said Goodbye" Adult Contemporary (U.S.) 26
2005 "Amarantine" UK Singles Chart 53
2005 "Amarantine" Oricon Weekly Single 100 67

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
2007 Amarantine Best New Age Album

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ http://unity.enya.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11520 Unity.enya.com
  3. ^ LIVEDAILY
  4. ^ Billboard http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/new-age-albums?chartDate=2005-12-10
  5. ^ Billboard http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/new-age-albums?chartDate=2006-08-26
  6. ^ "Chart Stats - Enya - Amarantine". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=34822. Retrieved 2 June 2011. 
  7. ^ "Amarantine - Enya | Billboard.com". billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/enya/amarantine/744731. Retrieved 2 June 2011. 
  8. ^ "Argentinian album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=Enya&album=Amarantine&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP. 
  9. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-albums-2005.htm. 
  10. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina - 2005". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/certifications.asp?year=2005. 
  11. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. http://abpd.org.br/certificados_interna.asp?sArtista=Enya&tmidia=1. 
  12. ^ "Danish album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". IFPI Denmark. http://www.ifpi.dk/index.php?pk_menu=94. 
  13. ^ "French album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259165-CERTIFICATIONS.html?year=2006&type=12. 
  14. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Enya; 'Amarantine')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=Amarantine&strInterpret=Enya&strTtArt=alben&strAwards=checked. 
  15. ^ "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2005" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. http://www.mahasz.hu/?menu=arany_es_platinalemezek&menu2=adatbazis&ev=2005. 
  16. ^ "Irish album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". Irish Recorded Music Association. http://www.irishcharts.ie/awards/platinum.htm. 
  17. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Enya – アマランタイン" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/200609.html. 
  18. ^ "Mexican album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. http://www.amprofon.com.mx/certificaciones.php?artista=Enya&titulo=Amarantine&categoria=ALBUM&contenido=buscar. 
  19. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. http://www.ifpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=61112&documentid=1783700. 
  20. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. http://rianz.org.nz/rianz/oldchart.asp?chartNum=1497&chartKind=A. 
  21. ^ "Polish album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Polish). Polish Producers of Audio and Video (ZPAV). http://www.zpav.pl/rankingi/wyroznienia/zlote/index.php. 
  22. ^ "Portuguese album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. http://www.artistas-espectaculos.com/topafp/pt/200608.htm. 
  23. ^ "Spanish album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Spanish) (PDF). Productores de Música de España. http://promusicae.es/files/listassemanales/albumes/historial/TOP%20100%20ALBUMES%2006_01.pdf. 
  24. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2005" (in Swedish) (PDF). IFPI Sweden. http://www.ifpi.se/wp/wp-content/uploads/ar-20051.pdf. 
  25. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Enya; 'Amarantine')". Hung Medien. http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=Enya+Amarantine. 
  26. ^ "British album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx.  Enter Amarantine in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
  27. ^ "American album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Amarantine%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  28. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2005". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat2005.html. 

External links

Enya
Studio albums
Enya (1987) • Watermark (1988) • Shepherd Moons (1991) • The Celts (1992) • The Memory of Trees (1995) • A Day Without Rain (2000) • Amarantine (2005) • And Winter Came... (2008)
Compilations
EPs
The Christmas EP (1994) • Sounds of the Season: The Enya Holiday Collection (aka Christmas Secrets) (2006)
Box sets
The Enya Collection (1996) • A Box of Dreams (1997) • Only Time - The Collection (2002)
Singles
As member of Clannad
Related topics
Book · Category