Anywhere Is

"Anywhere Is" is a song by Irish singer Enya, released as the lead single from her fourth studio album, The Memory of Trees on 20 November 1995. The lyrics of the song are in English. It peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit in Austria, Iceland, Ireland, and Scotland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the song peaked at number 36.

"Anywhere Is"
Single by Enya
from the album The Memory of Trees
Released20 November 1995 (1995-11-20)[1]
Recorded1994
Genre
Length
  • 3:58 (album)
  • 3:47 (edit)
Label
Composer(s)Enya
Lyricist(s)Roma Ryan
Producer(s)Nicky Ryan
Enya singles chronology
"Marble Halls"
(1994)		 "Anywhere Is"
(1995)		 "On My Way Home"
(1996)
Music video
"Anywhere Is" on YouTube

Background

"Anywhere Is" is developed from a staccato line that Enya has described had a "march feel". Initially it was a track that she and producer Nicky Ryan wanted to reject for the album The Memory of Trees. But it was developed further after Rob Dickins, then chairman of Warner Music UK who had signed Enya, was invited to Ireland in August 1995 to listen to the album, roughly one year-and-a-half into the recording process.[2] It was only its backing tracks that had been put down, but Dickins sensed the song had the makings of a hit single and encouraged them to complete it; it was the final track of the new album to be worked on. Enya's melody for the song inspired Roma Ryan to write lyrics about, as Billboard magazine put it, "the search for the temporal heaven all cultures call 'home'", a subject that Enya felt was important as she only writes and rehearses her songs in Ireland. Dickins received a dedication on the album's sleeve in Gaelic.[3]

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Rick Anderson said that Enya "has a truly lovely voice", and "there's no point trying to resist the incantatory power of "Anywhere Is"". Larry Flick from Billboard called the song "an exhilarating uptempo pop waltz that will turn any car, den, or front stoop into an otherworldly tabernacle of sound." He complimented Enya for her "remarkable ability to inspire listeners is undiminished on this richly layered feast of melody-a throbbing secular hymn about life's search for fulfillment."[4] Crawley News wrote that the song "sounds fabulous".[5] Terje Carlsen from Norwegian newspaper Fredriksstad Blad described it as "something different" from the other songs of the album. He also noted the "staccato" expression of the song.[6] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented that "it's often easy to compare one artist to another, but Enya has developed a truly distinctive style. Those of us who became fans early on love to convert the unitiated, and this song is bound to bring many more into the flock. Count on another magnificent video to accompany this very commercial track."[7] Michelle Boucher from The Observer complimented the song for having "a nice rhythm".[8] Steven Johnson from The Record noted that it is a "spirited melody" that is the furthest away from her usual "tried-and-true" musical formula.[9] Toledo Blade called it "positively upbeat" in their review of The Memory of Trees.[10]

Chart performance

"Anywhere Is" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 12 on 19 November 1995 and peaked at number 7 the next week.[11] It was also a top-10 hit in Austria, Iceland, and Ireland and a top-20 hit in Poland and the Netherlands.[12][13][14] On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Anywhere Is" reached number 36 on 16 December.[15] Outside Europe, the song peaked at number 34 in Australia and number 62 in Canada.[12][16] It received a silver record in the United Kingdom, shipping over 200,000 units.[17]

Music video

The music video for "Anywhere Is" was directed by David Scheinmann.[18] It was uploaded to YouTube in October 2008. By August 2020, the video had more than 7.5 million views.[19]

Track listings
7-inch single, UK (1995)
No.TitleLength
1."Anywhere Is"3:44
2."Boadicea"3:31
CD single, Europe (1995)
No.TitleLength
1."Anywhere Is"3:44
2."Boadicea"3:31
3."Oriel Window"2:22
CD maxi, Japan (1995)
No.TitleLength
1."Anywhere Is"3:44
2."Book Of Days"2:55
3."Caribbean Blue"3:40
4."Orinoco Flow"3:45

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "Anywhere Is [UK #1]". Allmusic. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  2. Gorman, Paul (20 November 1995). "Enya: Conjuring up More Studio Magic". Music Week. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  3. Gritten, David (7 January 1996). "Enya Dreams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  4. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 16 December 1995. p. 100. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  5. "Band's hectic gig schedule". Crawley News. 17 January 1996. page 25. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  6. Carlsen, Terje (22 November 1995). "Velkjent Enya". Fredriksstad Blad (in Norwegian). p. 72. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  7. Sholin, Dave (24 November 1995). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 2082. p. 46. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  8. Boucher, Michelle (23 February 1996). "Enya falls into formulaic mediocrity". The Observer. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  9. Johnson, Steven C. (21 January 1996). "ENYA". The Record (Bergen County, New Jersey). Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
  10. "SOUNDS: "THE MEMORY OF TREES" Enya". Toledo Blade. 24 December 1995. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  12. "Australian-charts.com – Enya – Anywhere Is". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  13. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (23.12.1995–05.01.1996)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). p. 44. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Anywhere Is". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  15. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12 no. 50. 16 December 1995. p. 15. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  16. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2906." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  17. "British single certifications – Enya – Anywhere Is". British Phonographic Industry.
  18. "Anywhere Is (1995) by Enya". IMVDb.com. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  19. "Enya - Anywhere Is (Official 4k Music Video)". YouTube. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  20. "Austriancharts.at – Enya – Anywhere Is" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Enya – Anywhere Is" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  22. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2846." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Enya – Anywhere Is". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 1, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  25. "Dutchcharts.nl – Enya – Anywhere Is" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  26. "Notowanie nr726–727" (in Polish). LP3. 5 January 1996. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  27. "Major Market Airplay - Week 49/1995" (PDF). Music & Media. 9 December 1995. p. 23. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  28. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  29. "Swedishcharts.com – Enya – Anywhere Is". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  30. "Jaarlijsten 1995" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
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