Amarantine (album)

Amarantine
Studio album by Enya
Released 22 November 2005
Recorded 2004–2005
Genre New age
Length 45:35
Label
Producer Nicky Ryan
Enya chronology
A Day Without Rain
(2000)		 Amarantine
(2005)		 And Winter Came...
(2008)
Singles from Amarantine
  1. "Amarantine"
    Released: 2 December 2005
  2. "It's in the Rain"
    Released: 2006

Amarantine is an album by Irish musician Enya. The album was released on 22 November 2005. It won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for 2007 and is the third top selling new age album of the 2000s in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[1] The release date was announced by Roma Ryan on 23 September 2005, at the official Enya forum.[2] It was subsequently leaked to the Internet on 11 November 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 copies overall.[3] The success of the album kept it for 9 months and 2 weeks (38 weeks, from 10 December 2005 to 26 August 2006) in the No. 1 spot of the Billboard New Age Albums chart.[4][5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic55/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Billboardmixed[6]
E! OnlineC[6]
Entertainment.ie[8]
Entertainment WeeklyC[9]
The New York Timesunfavorable[10]
Uncut[6]
USA Today[11]

Amarantine received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 55, which indicates "mixed or average reviews", based on 7 reviews.

Album editions

Standard release

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

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 four 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.

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

All lyrics written by Roma Ryan, except "Adeste, Fideles" (traditional) and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (traditional), all music composed by Enya and all songs produced by Nicky Ryan. All instruments and vocals performed by Enya.

No. Title Length
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
Special Christmas Edition

Production

Loxian

Main article: Loxian

Loxian is an artistic language created by writer and lyricist Roma Ryan. It was 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 the 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 19 September 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 television 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 Andrew Stevenson's Vesper Hymn.

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
2007 Amarantine Best New Age Album[12]Won

Japan Gold Disc Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
2006 Amarantine Best International Pop Albums of the Year[13] Won

Charts

Peak positions

Chart Position
Australian ARIA Album Chart[14] 13
Austrian Albums Chart[15] 4
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[16] 1
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[17] 2
Canadian Albums Chart[18] 4
Danish Albums Chart[19] 7
Dutch Albums Chart[20] 5
Finnish Albums Chart[21] 22
French SNEP Albums Chart[22] 5
German Media Control Albums Chart[23] 3
Hungarian Albums Chart[24] 7
Irish Albums Chart[25] 15
Italian Albums Chart[26] 8
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[27] 2
New Zealand Albums Chart[28] 10
Norwegian Albums Chart[29] 13
Portuguese Albums Chart[30] 5
Spanish Albums Chart[31] 9
Swedish Albums Chart[32] 4
Swiss Albums Chart[33] 3
UK Albums Chart[34] 8
US Billboard 200[18] 6

Year-end charts

Chart (2005) Position
Australian Albums Chart[35] 91
Austrian Albums Chart[36] 59
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[37] 26
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[38] 19
Dutch Albums Chart[39] 35
French Albums Chart[40] 47
Italian Albums Chart[41] 45
Swedish Albums Chart[42] 31
Chart (2006) Position
Australian Albums Chart[43] 84
Austrian Albums Chart[44] 28
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[45] 61
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[46] 31
Dutch Albums Chart[47] 20
Japanese Albums Chart[48] 34
Swiss Albums Chart[49] 10
US Billboard 200[50] 35

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)[51] Gold 20,000
Australia (ARIA)[52] Platinum 70,000
Belgium (BEA)[53] Platinum 50,000
Brazil (ABPD)[54] Gold 50,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[55] Gold 20,000
France (SNEP)[56] Platinum 200,000
Germany (BVMI)[57] 2× Platinum 400,000
Hungary (MAHASZ)[58] Gold 10,000
Ireland (IRMA)[59] Platinum 15,000
Japan (RIAJ)[60] 2× Platinum 500,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[61] Gold 50,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[62] Platinum 80,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[63] Platinum 15,000
Poland (ZPAV)[64] Gold 10,000
Portugal (AFP)[65] Platinum 20,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[66] Gold 40,000
Sweden (GLF)[67] Gold 30,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[68] 2× Platinum 80,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] Platinum 300,000
United States (RIAA)[70] Platinum 1,000,000
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[71] Platinum 1,000,000
Worldwide 6,000,000

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

References

  1. ↑ "New Age Albums | Billboard.com". billboard.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  2. ↑ http://unity.enya.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11520 Unity.enya.com
  3. ↑ LIVEDAILY
  4. ↑ Billboard http://www.billboard.com/charts/2005-12-10/new-age-albums
  5. ↑ Billboard http://www.billboard.com/charts/2006-08-26/new-age-albums
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Critic Reviews for Amarantine". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  7. ↑ AllMusic review
  8. ↑ Entertainment.ie review
  9. ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
  10. ↑ The New York Times review
  11. ↑ USA Today review
  12. ↑ "Past Winners Search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  13. ↑ "第20回日本ゴールドディスク大賞" [The 20th Japan Gold Disc Awards]. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  14. ↑ "australian-charts.com Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "austriancharts.at Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "ultratop.be Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "ultratop.be Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Hung Medien (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  18. 1 2 "allmusic ((( Amarantine > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  19. ↑ "danishcharts.com Enya – Amarantine". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "finnishcharts.com Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "lescharts.com – Enya – Amarantine" (ASP) (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "Album Search: Enya – Amarantine" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  24. ↑ "Hungarian Albums Chart". Mahasz.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  25. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 01 December 2005". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "italiancharts.com Enya – Amarantine". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  27. ↑ "エンヤ-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of Amarantine by Enya]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  28. ↑ "charts.org.nz Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  29. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  30. ↑ "poruguescharts.com Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  31. ↑ "spanishcharts.com Enya – Amarantine" (ASP). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  32. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Enya – Amarantine" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  33. ↑ "Enya – Amarantine – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  34. ↑ "Enya > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  35. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2005". aria.com.au. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  36. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 2005" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  37. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2005". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  38. ↑ "Rapports annuels 2005". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  39. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2005" (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  40. ↑ "Classement Albums – année 2005". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  41. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 2005" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  42. ↑ "Årslista Album – År 2005" (in Swedish). Hitlistan.se. Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  43. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2006". aria.com.au. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  44. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 2006" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  45. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2006". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  46. ↑ "Rapports annuels 2006". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  47. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2006" (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  48. ↑ "2006年 アルバム年間TOP100" [Oricon Year-end Albums Chart of 2006] (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  49. ↑ "Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2006" (ASP). Swiss Music Charts (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  50. ↑ "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 2006". billboard.biz. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  51. ↑ "Argentinian album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.
  52. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  53. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2005". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  54. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
  55. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". IFPI Denmark. Click on næste to go to page if certification from official website
  56. ↑ "French album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  57. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Enya; 'Amarantine')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  58. ↑ "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2005" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
  59. ↑ "Irish album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  60. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Enya – アマランタイン" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2006年09月 on the drop-down menu
  61. ↑ "Certificaciones – Enya" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.
  62. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
  63. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". Recorded Music NZ.
  64. ↑ "Polish album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  65. ↑ "Portuguese album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa.
  66. ↑ "Spanish album certifications – Enya – Amarantine" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select the "Chart", enter ' in the field "Year". Select ' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
  67. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2005" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  68. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Enya; 'Amarantine')". Hung Medien.
  69. ↑ "British album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Amarantine in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  70. ↑ "American album certifications – Enya – Amarantine". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  71. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2005". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

External links

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