"May It Be" is a song by the Irish recording artist Enya. She and Roma Ryan composed it for Peter Jackson's 2001 film The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. The song entered the German Singles Chart at number one in 2002, and Enya performed it at the 74th Academy Awards. "May It Be" was acclaimed by music critics and received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.[1]
Background[]
Liner Notes[]
| “ | Written for the Peter Jackson film epic of Tolkien’s "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" the song "May it be" is written in both English and the Elvish language, Quenya. Quenya means "speech" and was known as the "Forbidden language" or "the language of the kinslayers". It was a language used primarily in ancient song and ceremony and in the language of lore. "May it be" or "Nai" in Quenya, is usually used by the Elves to express a wish. | ” |
Notes by Roma Ryan
Only Time - The Collection, 2002[2]
Composition[]
Director Peter Jackson approached Enya (under the suggestion of Howard Shore), asking if she would be interested in writing a song for The Lord Of The Rings. Thrilled at the prospect, Enya headed to New Zealand to see the preliminary edits of the film. Enya worked on the song with Nicky Ryan, her producer, and Roma Ryan, her lyricist. Nicky produced Enya's vocals and arranged the music while Roma wrote the lyrics. They recorded the song through Enya's contract with Warner Music in the Ryans' Dublin studio, Aigle Studio.
The vocals were recorded in "Aigle Studios", Enya's Studio near Dublin and the orchestration was recorded in London, directed by Howard Shore and performed by the London Voices and London Philharmonic Orchestra. Compositionally, the piece is simple, featuring a backdrop of choir and strings. As Doug Adams commented, Enya's contributions "coexist so neatly," with Shore's score, that "neither Enya song is relegated to its own track."
| “ | I wanted Enya’s voice,” says Shore. “She wrote and I orchestrated, so it’s a seamless sound. Her singing grows right out of the choral music and the orchestra.” – Doug Adams, The Fellowship Of The Ring: The Complete Recordings | ” |
Lyrics[]
The lyrics of this theme song include English words, as well as words in the fictional Elvish language, Quenya, created by J.R.R. Tolkien. While Enya wrote music, Roma Ryan studied the languages and wrote the lyrics in English and Quenya. There are two lines with phrases written in Quenya. The first, Mornië utúlië, translates to "Darkness has come." Mornië alantië translates as "Darkness has fallen." Each line repeats twice in the song, with the remaining song lyrics written in English. They are intermingled with the Quenya lyrics, as in the second stanza; "Mornië utúlië, believe and you will find your way; Mornië alantië, a promise lives within you now." Enya also performed another song "Aníron" for The Lord of the Rings, which is sung in another of Tolkien's Elvish languages, Sindarin.
May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh! How far you are from home
Mornië utúlië (Darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornië alantië (Darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now
May it be the shadow's call
Will fly away
May it be you journey on
To light the day
When the night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun
Mornië utúlië (Darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornië alantië (Darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now
A promise lives within you now
Scans[]
Critical Reception And Awards[]
"May It Be" was nominated for the 2002 Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to Randy Newman's "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc., sung by John Goodman and Billy Crystal. It won the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Song and the 2002 Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song. It was nominated for the 2002 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but lost to "Until" from Kate & Leopold. The song received a 2003 Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Enya performed her song at the Academy Awards on 24 March 2002. She was "absolutely" excited about the performance. For her it was the "first time to be nominated, and to get to perform, it's just wonderful, absolutely wonderful."
Release[]
Enya's "May It Be" has been featured on various albums. On 20 November 2001, it was released on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack, along with composer Howard Shore's original score "The Road Goes Ever On (Part 2)". It also came out as a single in Europe on 10 December 2001 and in the United Kingdom on 21 January 2002. "May It Be" entered the German Singles Chart at number one. It was Enya's second consecutive single to do so, following her song "Only Time". In 2005, it was released as part of the compilation The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Complete Recordings. This time, the version of the song was identical as featured in the movie's ending titles. Enya also included the song on her 2009 album, The Very Best of Enya.
Music Video[]
The music video was directed by Peter Nydrle. It features clips from the film as well as Enya singing the song. The video runs for 3 minutes and 32 seconds.
Tracklist[]
European CD single and UK cassette single[]
- "May It Be" 3:30
- "Isobella" 4:27
European maxi-CD single and UK CD single[]
- "May It Be" 3:30
- "Isobella" 4:27
- "The First Of Autumn" 3:08
Charts[]
Weekly Charts[]
| Chart (2001-2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 12 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 47 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) | 4 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten) | 19 |
| Czech Republic (IFPI) | 7 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | 10 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) | 7 |
| France (SNEP) | 43 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 1 |
| Greece (IFPI Greece) | 42 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40) | 9 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 30 |
| Italy (FIMI) | 12 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 60 |
| Romania (Romanian Top 100) | 72 |
| Scotland (OCC) | 60 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 16 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 24 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 50 |
Year-end Charts[]
| Chart (2001) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 63 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | 86 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 37 |
Certifications[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000‡ |
Release History[]
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | December 10, 2001 | CD | WEA |
| United Kingdom | January 21, 2002 |