"Oíche Chiúin" (English translation subtitled as "Silent Night") is a hymn cover song by Irish musician, songwriter and singer Enya. The song was originally released as "Evening Falls..."'s B-Side single, and was later released by WEA as a Japan-exclusive promotional single in 1988 under the title “Oíche Chiún (Silent Night, Holy Night) きよしこの夜（イーハ・ヒューイン）“.[1] In 1992, American label Reprise Records officially released a maxi-single version of the song in the United States, and peaked No. 48 on the Australian charts in 1993 with the Irish language version of the song. In 2006, the song was reproduced into a choral version named as "Oíche Chiúin (Chorale)" and included as the twelfth track on Enya's seventh studio album And Winter Came... which released in 2008 by Warner Bros. Records.
Background[]
The song originally titled Gemran "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", which is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The song was first recorded in 1905 and has remained a popular success, appearing in films and multiple successful recordings, as well as being quoted in other musical compositions. It is the world's most recorded Christmas song, with more than 137,000 known recordings.[2]
Liner Notes[]
| “ | This is a Gaelic rendering of the famous Christmas Carol "Silent Night". Little more needs to be said about this universally known carol. The version on the video was sung for the BBC programme "Christmas Day in the Morning" and was recorded at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. | ” |
Notes by Roma Ryan
Only Time - The Collection, 2002[3]
Lyrics[]
Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé
Cach 'na suan, dís araon
Dís is dílse 'faire le spéis
Naíon beag gnaoigheal ceananntais caomh
Críost, 'na chodhladh go seimh
Críost, 'na chodhladh go seimh
Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé
Aoirí ar dtús chuala 'n scéal
Allelúia aingeal ag glaoch
Cantain suairc i ngar is i gcein
Críost an Slánaitheoir Fein
Críost an Slánaitheoir Fein
Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic De
Cach 'na suan, dís araon
Dis is dílse 'faire le spéis
Naion beag gnaoigheal ceananntais caomh
Críost, 'na chodhladh go seimh
Críost, 'na chodhladh go seimh
Silent night, night of God's son
Everyone is asleep, the pair together
The most faithful pair, watching with hope
A little baby, a mild and gentle child
Christ, calmly asleep
Christ, calmly asleep
Silent night, night of God's son
Shepherds were first to hear the tale
The angels crying out Alleluia
Lovely chanting near and far
Christ, the saviour himself
Christ, the saviour himself
Scans[]
Music Video[]
On December 25, 1996, Enya recorded a music video for the song at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, for the BBC television program "Christmas Day in the Morning", which was later included on the fourth disc of 4CD compilation Only Time - The Collection, released on November 5, 2002 by WEA, as the final fifteenth track. In addition to the computer playable data track video, there is also a screensaver in the purple velvet cover art motif and a slideshow of pictures from the booklet.
Charts[]
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 48 |
| US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 17 |