The Very Best Of Enya is the second compilation album by the Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya, released on November 23, 2009 by Warner Bros. Records. After promoting her previous studio album And Winter Came… (2008), Warner Music asked Enya to release a new compilation of her favourite songs of her career, and chose a selection with her longtime collaborators, producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan.
The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics and peaked at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart and number 55 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. It has spent over 200 weeks Billboard New Age Albums chart, more than 130 of them at No 1, and has topped the year-end chart consistently since 2020. In a departure from her previous releases, Enya did not promote the album with interviews, appearances, or live performances.[1][2]
Background[]
After promoting her seventh studio album And Winter Came… (2008), Enya's label Warner Music requested that she release a new greatest hits album of her favourite songs of her career. She agreed to the project, and chose a selection with her longtime collaborators, producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. It is Enya's first greatest hits release since Paint The Sky With Stars (1997), but unlike the first collection, Enya did not record new tracks for the release. It includes a previously unreleased version of "Aníron" a song Enya wrote for the soundtrack to The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001). The DVD included in the album's Limited and Deluxe Editions marks the first release of Enya's music videos in North America, following the cancellation of the proposed The Video Collection in 2001.
Track listing[]
| Standard edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | From the album | Length |
| 1. | "Orinoco Flow" | Watermark | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Aníron (I Desire)" | The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | 2:52 |
| 3. | "Storms In Africa" | Watermark | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Caribbean Blue" | Shepherd Moons | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Book Of Days" | Shepherd Moons | 3:58 |
| 6. | "The Celts" | Enya | 2:55 |
| 7. | "Only Time" | A Day Without Rain | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Wild Child" | A Day Without Rain | 3:46 |
| 9. | "Water Shows The Hidden Heart" | Amarantine | 4:38 |
| 10. | "Anywhere Is" | The Memory Of Trees | 3:57 |
| 11. | "Cursum Perficio" | Watermark | 4:07 |
| 12. | "Amarantine" | Amarantine | 3:09 |
| 13. | "Aldebaran" | Enya | 3:05 |
| 14. | "Trains And Winter Rains" | And Winter Came… | 3:42 |
| 15. | "Watermark" | Watermark | 2:25 |
| 16. | "Boadicea" | Enya | 3:31 |
| 17. | "A Day Without Rain" | A Day Without Rain | 2:35 |
| 18. | "May It Be" | The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | 3:31 |
| Total length: | 63:59 | ||
| US edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | From the album | Length |
| 19. | "Oíche Chiúin (Chorale)" | And Winter Came… | 3:31 |
| Total length: | 67:30 | ||
| Canadian edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | From the album | Length |
| 20. | "How Can I Keep From Singing?" | Shepherd Moons | 4:26 |
| Total length: | 71:56 | ||
| Japanese edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | From the album | Length |
| 19. | "To Go Beyond (II)" | Enya | 2:50 |
| 20. | "Only If…" | Paint The Sky With Stars | 3:19 |
| 21. | "Dreams Are More Precious" | And Winter Came… | 4:25 |
| Total length: | 74:33 | ||
| Amazon MP3 release bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | From the album | Length |
| 23. | "Oíche Chiúin (Chorale)" | And Winter Came… | 3:49 |
| 24. | "Only Time (Remix)" | Only Time (Remix & Original Version) EP | 3:13 |
Photoshoot[]
Booklet[]
Release and reception[]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
The album was released on 23 November 2009 by Warner Music internationally and on 1 December 2009 by Reprise Records in the United States. It peaked at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart and number 55 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. It spent over 100 weeks at number one on the Billboard New Age Albums chart.
The Very Best Of Enya received mostly positive reviews from music critics. James Christopher Monger of AllMusic wrote that the collection "was one of those rare 'greatest-hits' collections that goes deep without depriving the listener of the essentials. With tunes like 'Orinoco Flow', 'Caribbean Blue' and 'Book Of Days' in the pot and out of the way, it's easier to appreciate hidden gems like 'Cursum Perficio', 'Boadicea', 'Trains And Winter Rains' and 'Anywhere Is'.
Personnel[]
Credits adapted from Allmusic and the album's sleeve notes.
Musicians[]
- Enya – vocals
- Nicky Ryan - additional vocals
- Roma Ryan - additional vocals
Production[]
- Enya - lyrics written by (6-8, 13), music composed by (1-18), musical arrangement
- Nicky Ryan – lyrics written by (7), music composed by (1, 3-18), musical arrangement, producer, recording engineer
- Roma Ryan – lyrics written by (1-15, 18), quotation author
- Franz Gruber - lyrics written by, music composed by (NA19)
- Traditional - lyrics written by, music composed by (NA19)
- Daniel Polley – digital technical advisor
- Dick Beetham – mastering at 360 Mastering, London
- Peacock – art direction, design
- Simon Fowler – photography
- David Scheinmann – photography
- Russell Young – photography
- Max Adelman – photography
- Ruth Rowland – lettering
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
| Chart (2009–2023) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Argentine Albums (CAPIF) | 10 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 19 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 18 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) | 19 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) | 23 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) | 6 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) | 12 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 11 |
| Dutch CombiAlbum (Dutch Charts) | 95 |
| Europe (European Top 100 Albums) | 18 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 19 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI) | 9 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) | 14 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) | 22 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) | 34 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 6 |
| Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico) | 60 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) | 14 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV) | 23 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) | 13 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) | 11 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) | 20 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 8 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 32 |
| US Billboard 200 | 55 |
| US New Age Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
Year-end Charts[]
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 87 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 31 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 157 |
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 10 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) | 69 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 64 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 68 |
Certifications and sales[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Belgium (BEA) | Gold | 15,000* |
| Denmark (IFPI Denmark) | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI) | Gold | 100,000^ |
| Ireland (IRMA) | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Italy (FIMI) | Gold | 30,000* |
| New Zealand (RIANZ) | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Poland (ZPAV) | Gold | 10,000* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Gold | 30,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | — | 905,000 |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history[]
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | November 23, 2009 | CD Digital Download |
Warner Bros. |
| United States | December 1, 2009 | Reprise | |
| Various | August 25, 2017 | LP | Warner Bros. Reprise |