Enya 'predecessors'

[disneyteletubby]

Enya is highly uninfluenced and does her own thing for the most part, but takes a lot of her inspiration subconsciously. Similar artists did exist before Enya, of course.

Similar to the 'wannabes', just that they existed before Enya or particular Enya songs (people, artwork, music).

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I didn't know where to start with this but I saw Annie Lennox in the banner and thought Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics:

Her style I may come back to

Spoiler: This edit featuring Enya exists too XD

Also Master Blaster (Jammin') by Stevie Wonder:

Enya reportedly used a Kurzweiler synth model in the 80s that Stevie helped in consultation with developing

Spoiler: This too, the mix of both songs!

And an 8D upload I did here

(These two 80s songs that almost everybody knows, are what I consider 'predecessors' of Boadicea, maybe due to the key signature C minor, or that synth bass rhythm.
I am yet to find an entirely humming song that existed before Enya's recording circa 1986.)

And, of course, Master Blaster took inspiration from Bob Marley's Jamming

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Share more that you know!

 

[Kratz]

These are people she murdered, yes?

 

[Finn]

A highly disrespectful thread

Before Enya, there was only darkness.

 

[VoR]

Apparently she was a huge fan of queen of the ivories, miss Winifred Atwell.

 

[Shoat]

I am looking forward to this going the same way as the Enya Wannabes thread

We'll be discussing Lieutenant Pigeon, Vera Lynn, and Gary Glitter imminently.

 

[Kratz]

A highly disrespectful thread

Before Enya, there was only darkness.

There must have been the odd waning moon or starry skied night? Otherwise where did she come from?

 

[disneyteletubby]

I have mentioned this before - Enya does have some resemblance to Laura Branigan.

Spoiler: I still believe this:

Trains and Winter Rains

is a subtle tribute to Self Control


"Red and blue city lights"

"City light painted girl"

I mixed them here of course

Of course, Laura's a more outgoing performer and powerful singer, more interactive on stage, acted a bit and did drama school, but she was inherently shy and reserved. She preferred to have control of the musical content whilst being taken in by the emotional side, being a logical person on the whole.

There are so many fun and insightful interviews featuring Laura in addition to the performances
Here's one where I'm kind of reminded of Enya:

Laura was Irish-American, which could explain a bit of the resemblance.

Spoiler: Enya's brother also described a similar thing from when they were little

In this:

All of which led to Ciaran creating his first compositions during his early teens and to one memory he delights in.
"I started to compose when the girls would be standing round the piano and we didn't even have a tape recorder. I'd give them two-part harmonies and say, 'You go into the kitchen, you go into the bathroom' and they were fascinated by this because musically it was very melodic, even though they wouldn't finally hear their parts until they sang together. That was when Moya and Enya were just wee girls."

Interestingly, prior to being noticed in mainstream music (in the 70s) she also was part of a short-lived folk band at 20, called Meadow.
(Clannad on the right of course, beginning of the 80s.)

(Moya looks a bit similar to Laura there. They were indeed born the same year; Laura older by about a month.)
Of course, Enya left her family band, whereas Meadow were unrelated members who split, plus Laura rarely mentioned the band, whereas Enya did (or was questioned about it more).
It seems Enya's management was far better, more constant, and she was promoted much better in the 90s than Laura at the same time.
I suppose Laura had heard of Enya, but I doubt they'd interacted or mentioned each other in interviews thus far (you never know, Enya could mention her out of the blue as an inspiration).

As previewed in the linked interview, the song Didn't We Almost Win It All (not to be mistaken with Whitney's Didn't We Almost Have It All, haha) to me, sounds like a 'predecessor' to Only Time:

Spoiler

Sad thing is that the living individuals here have all passed on (Laura in 2004, her brother in 2022, dog not sure )
Mixed rather powerfully with Enya's Only Time here

I'll gradually share more examples.

 

[disneyteletubby]

Gina Lollobrigida
(just remembered that she died a year ago today, aged 95 )

The late Gina Lollobrigida definitely inspired Enya for some photos, especially TVBOE

She was of course quite an active performer in her prime; this later (90s?) song performance kind of reminded me of Enya ️

 

[POP!]

LAURA BRANIGAN FORUM NOW

 

[disneyteletubby]

I mentioned Maggie Reilly in the Enya Wannabes thread, but of course she came before Enya (choice to sing Moonlight Shadow aside). Whilst I'd heard the song a while before, I discovered Maggie and more of her music the year before the same for Enya, in 2020.

Something more Celtic - I quite like Maggie Reilly, and her re-recording of Moonlight Shadow is rather good

Enya was actually asked to collaborate with Mike Oldfield c. 1983 (likely to sing Moonlight Shadow) but contracts prevented her somehow. Imagine if Enya did a cover

I also like Maggie's cover of These Dreams by Heart, and some other bits and bobs she recorded. Her early songs with Cado Belle were also quite cool and soulful

Edit: this 2023 remastered version too
(I kind of prefer the older live version)

Spoiler: Random fun 'welcome to my channel' 2023 clip

I imagine Enya remembers her own songs much better overall, but Maggie is a great performer to this day.
This kind of reminded me of early Enya videos, partly the Gaelic (Scottish) lyrics and the landscapes.


Also Maggie did this catchy rain song in 1992


Overall both ladies have a sweet voice, do some rather wistful yet catchy songs, they're fairly content and not particularly tragic, and simply carry on with music doing things in their own lovely way.

 

[OutSynk]

JUSTICE FOR MAGGIE. Especially after Cascada BUTCHERED one of her songs and made it a hit for the chavs.

 

[disneyteletubby]

I knew there were many covers though I'd never heard any of that version until today

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Another one by Maggie that came to mind today was this one, You Brightened Up The Darkness

It'd sound a bit cringey by most other artists but works wonderfully just as Maggie sings it.
The closest thing Enya has to this (sentiment-wise, not the music itself) is probably So I Could Find My Way.

 

[disneyteletubby]

Oksana Linde – I discovered her in 2022, around when she finally released a full album of aquatic-themed works from the 1980s (mentioning more soon).

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Many of the names mentioned here:

Oksana Linde and the forgotten pioneers of electronic music

The recent release of an album 39 years in the making is part of a global movement shedding a light on women composers who have been overlooked, writes Allyson McCabe.

www.bbc.com

I've yet to discover the works of some 🎛

Previously I hadn't read or heard much about Wendy Carlos; she transitioned to a woman in the 1970s, and was involved in developing the Moog synthesiser. Read this

Spoiler: and watch this 🎹🎚🪄

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I also just read/watched a bit here about Daphne Oram and Delia Derbyshire, who were both at the BBC, respectively involved with the Oramics machine and arranging the original Doctor Who theme.

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Sometimes I wonder about how academically inclined (or not) Enya was/is – also to what extent she knows about the studio equipment, and how much was learnt from her own experiments besides Nicky Ryan.

Spoiler: This kind of idea :D

Now that's rather cool if true

Enya got the honorary doctorates but in between albums she could have completed an actual degree.
She sings in addition of course, and seems to have fared better in life and career than many of these ladies got to.
Still, all the better for Enya and the growing number of listeners!

 

[disneyteletubby]

Adrienne Rich, who originally wrote about comphet in this 1980 book, and also lots of poetry, some summarised here:

Adrienne Rich Poems - Poem Analysis

Adrienne Rich was one of the most influential feminist writers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Her collections of poems and essays won numerous awards.

poemanalysis.com

I suppose Roma was aware of Adrienne's writings (and probably shared with Enya).
There are kind of similar little snippets from Roma's poems, also making their way into the lyrics of Enya's songs.

 

[disneyteletubby]

Back to Oksana Linde (born 1948), she is actually from Venezuela, of Ukrainian descent.
There are some insightful translated articles and interviews she has done, like this and this ️

She composed this piece named Orinoco (presumably in the early 80s)

(The full album is here; it was released in 2022 but the pieces themselves recorded between 1983-89) ️

Also a piece called Playa Caribe (Caribbean Beach) which Caribbean Blue doesn't really sound like beyond layered synths, but obviously comes to mind


This piece, Ensueño (Dream)

reminds me of The Memory of Trees (the opening)


Oksana may have been an even slower composer than Enya, or just that she didn't have people like Nicky, Roma and Rob Dickins in the 80s to help get her music out there. It's fascinating to hear it in a proper release, and learn of her story.

 

[disneyteletubby]

The Police of course
Not so much the rock elements nor Sting's singing, haha, but the tunefulness of the songs, and interesting, flowing rhythms.

Stewart Copeland also finds himself in New Age charts with his music since The Police, haha, but calls Enya’s music 'lame'

All three are brilliant musicians, but Andy Summers is the best one, amazingly 81 now, and his Twitter is fun and abstract

Anyway, Eithne mentioned that she got a copy of their 1979 album Regatta De Blanc.
Listen here; the 1st half is better overall

Singles are Walking On The Moon and Message In A Bottle
Rated E for the 2nd track of the 2nd side

Just a random observation; the first Police album Outlandos d'Amour has some art theme and red, like Watermark (though Watermark is a much nicer album ). Shepherd Moons has the deep blue tones like Regatta.

Bring On The Night (Andy Summers's guitar) is magical in a Caribbean Blue kind of way

The one called Deathwish (the guitar rhythm in particular) reminded me of Enya’s song Lazy Days (mixed here)

Every Breath You Take is good, but it's an easy "what's your favourite song" answer for Enya.
I bet she prefers some earlier songs by them.
She went to this concert in 1980 after all

 

[disneyteletubby]

The other three ladies in this post


Interestingly, I initially discovered/delved into the catalogue of their music (including Enya's) in the month of February

Eithne Carmel Ní Uallacháin - Eithne (pronounced closer to the spelling, Eth-na) was an Irish singer, flautist and composer. She was one of 8 siblings, and spoke Irish since childhood.
She has an older sister named Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin (I wonder if Enya's grandfather knew these sisters too, naming Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, haha) who released a new album quite recently, which has song previews here.

Zohra Mama was an Algerian (Kabyle) singer and songwriter, who moved to France in the 80s, sang songs and hosted galas, also known for her largely melancholic music. She was also one of five sisters, and according to this (no Wiki page) she was born exactly 6 months after Enya. (I'd say she resembled Enya a lot, too. )

Zohra Aïssaoui - also known as Dihya. She is Algerian Chaoui/Shawiya (and also Amazigh/Berber, which includes Moroccans, like Loreen) and began singing, guitar and songwriting, also with links to France, in the 1970s. You've probably heard her singing from this Avanti advert

I'll suppose those who are younger/born later than Enya but have already passed away, also count as predecessors
I could go on forever about what I know about each of these ladies, and their significantly more sad lives than Enya's, but instead will add little posts or articles if you want to read more.

Here are a couple of songs (from so many lovely ones) from each of them

Spoiler: Eithne Ní Uallacháin songs

Eithne was part of a duo with her husband Gerry O'Connor, as Lá Lugh, and they did some awesome 'traditional-sounding' but original Irish songs.
He worked on her posthumous album released 2014, Bilingua, as well as her son Donal. This article tells a fair bit about her and some songs on it.
Anyway, this song is probably my favourite Irish (ft. Scottish band) song (lyrics here)

Another one is I Am Stretched On Your Grave (which was also covered by Sinéad O' Connor - I'll do one of these for her soon too ♡) but this tune was written and breathed by Eithne Ní Uallacháin:

Spoiler: Zohra songs

Interestingly I found this Zohra from searching about the other Zohra (Dihya) - I just paused at the thumbnail of one because I almost thought she was Enya.
I wouldn't really know much lyrically, but a lot of her songs sound similar instrumentally (I know some South Asian music is similar, just not sure of the name of the style if any).


Also this long one (which has another title and version, Azedjig N Tayri, meaning The Flower of Love ) which is an example of her slower-lower range voice.

Spoiler: Zohra (Dihya) songs

A decent summary of her story, plus recent-ish photos, here. Her most recent public photo was around August last year (see thread) which, as of this post, was even more recent than of Enya
Zohra's music doesn't particularly remind me of Enya's, but she has a cool-headed vibe about her, and despite setbacks, continues music to this day.
Of course, the famous Badala Zamana ('times are changing', where she mentions girls' names, possibly also Algerian singers, who win a lottery/sweepstake and celebrate it). It was originally composed as Vent du désert by French composer Joel Hannier (who has an interesting website haha) and is a very uplifting song!

Another song, which I think is a sort of peaceful protest song:

 

[disneyteletubby]

Okay, back to the revisit-type posts, Laura Branigan, especially this video:

A lot of that is more emotionally charged than you'd see from Enya, but it's not completely foreign to the music videos. The scattered blown-in leaves, the quaint interior, a cliff by the moon and sunset, bedsheet-type gown, and the fire (although just for Enya's debut music video a year or so before this one of Laura's)

Spoiler

But then there's Amarantine

with the digitally painted background and CGI firefly, described in this that I just found. The guy who directed Amarantine and It's In The Rain was the late Tim Royes, who also notably directed music videos for Sugababes and Mel C.
Couldn't say if this similar setting was intentional or coincidental, but Eny-way:

Then again Enya's dress there precedes Frozen II Elsa's nightgown and that of Idina Menzel's music video Brave a couple of years later (though Enya wouldn't dare dream of being the star of the city like that. )

I couldn't think of much else similar, but then remembered that they both have one of Aesop's Fables behind the lyrics (The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Rose and the Amaranth, respectively). The flower one is nice

These ladies basically are a rose and amaranth in music, respectively.

 

[disneyteletubby]

Even further back, some classical music
The main motif of the 3rd movement Poco allegretto (in C minor) of Symphony No.3 by Brahms (mentioned on Reddit yesterday that it sounds like Boadicea - vice versa :-)

The first three notes above and the lower line here where the right hand melody/Enya's humming begins:

And in 1989 Enya mentioned a few of the classical composers' music she played on the piano at boarding school

Well she still liked the popular artists including Bryan Ferry, but didn't share the non-Irish mainstream side of her music taste much until this century.

I wonder if Enya knew at the time that she'd picked up on something she probably heard/played before, or realised a while later. (It wouldn't be copyright/plagiarism because of it being from 1883, plus only 3 notes in a similar pattern).

Similar or not, Boadicea is still an iconic tune

 

[Penelope]

Absolutely SCREAMING at "Enya hasn't listened to a note of music other than her own since studying classical music at the boarding convent" and "Peace and quiet are my main sources of inspiration"

 

[Penelope]

HOW DID SHE KNOW TO SIGN OFF THE SAMPLE OF BOADICEA IN READY OR NOT?! OR MARIO WINANS? OR THE PIRATES FEAT. ISHANI, NAILA BOSS AND SHOLA AMA?!?!

 

[VoR]

Apparently the one exception to this strict pledge of silence is an occasional Cinzano-fuelled frug around the castle to the hits of Anastacia.

“I just think she’s neat” expressed the elusive Irish songstress.

 

[Shoat]

Which is apt because like Enya, Anastacia also famously HATES music

 

[VoR]

That was the gag

 

[disneyteletubby]

Absolutely SCREAMING at "Enya hasn't listened to a note of music other than her own since studying classical music at the boarding convent" and "Peace and quiet are my main sources of inspiration"

HOW DID SHE KNOW TO SIGN OFF THE SAMPLE OF BOADICEA IN READY OR NOT?! OR MARIO WINANS? OR THE PIRATES FEAT. ISHANI, NAILA BOSS AND SHOLA AMA?!?!

The full article has even more to scream about
That was early career Enya avoiding others' music to willingly listen to. By the late 90s she obviously heard more, though with Ready or Not she was showed the song (unauthorised sample) and was going to sue. With Mario Winans she signed that off fine, and The Pirates with Ishani, Shola and Naila I'm not sure, they probably got it permitted easily enough through being the response song to I Don't Wanna Know.

Enya (as of maybe 3 years ago) being the one, it seemed, conjuring up better titles for 'IDWK' (Creepin', the song by Metro Boomin' and The Weeknd) is what intrigues me.

Spoiler