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May It Be

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"May It Be"
SinglebyEnya
from the albumThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
B-side
  • "Isobella"
  • "The First of Autumn"
Released10 December 2001(2001-12-10)
StudioAigle (Dublin, Ireland)
GenreNew-age[1]
Length4:19(album version) 3:31(single/radio edit)
LabelWEA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nicky Ryan
Enyasingles chronology
"Wild Child"
(2001) 		"May It Be"
(2001) 		"I Don't Wanna Know"
(2004)
Licensed audio
"May It Be"onYouTube

"May It Be"is a song by the Irish recording artistEnya.She andRoma Ryancomposed it forPeter Jackson's 2001 filmThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.[2]The song entered theGerman Singles Chartat number one in 2002, and Enya performed it at the74th Academy Awards."May It Be" was acclaimed by music critics and received nominations for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song,theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song,and theGrammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

Composition

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DirectorPeter Jacksonapproached Enya (under the suggestion ofHoward Shore), asking if she would be interested in writing a song forThe Lord of the Rings.[3]Thrilled at the prospect, Enya headed to New Zealand to see the preliminary edits of the film.[3]Enya worked on the song withNicky Ryan,her producer, andRoma 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[4]in the Ryans' Dublin studio, Aigle Studio.[5]

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 theLondon VoicesandLondon Philharmonic Orchestra.[6]Compositionally, the piece is simple, featuring a backdrop of choir and strings. AsDoug Adamscommented, Enya's contributions "coexist so neatly," with Shore'sscore,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

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The lyrics of this theme song include English words, as well as words in the fictional Elvish language,Quenya,created byJ.R.R. Tolkien.[5]While Enya wrote music, Roma Ryan studied the languages and wrote the lyrics in English and Quenya.[7]There are two lines with phrases written in Quenya. The first,Mornië utúlië,translates to "Darkness has come."[5]Mornië alantiëtranslates as "Darkness has fallen."[5]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. "[5]

Critical reception and awards

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"May It Be" was nominated for the2002Academy Award for Best Original Song,but lost toRandy Newman's "If I Didn't Have You"fromMonsters, Inc.,sung byJohn GoodmanandBilly Crystal.It won the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Song and the 2002Critics' Choice Movie Awardfor Best Song.[8][9]It was nominated for the 2002Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song,but lost to "Until"fromKate & Leopold.[10]The song received a 2003Grammy Awardnomination forBest Song Written for Visual Media.

Enya performed her song at the Academy Awards on 24 March 2002. She was "absolutely" excited about the performance.[3]For her it was the "first time to be nominated, and to get to perform, it's just wonderful, absolutely wonderful."[3]

Release

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Enya's "May It Be" has been featured on various albums. On 20 November 2001, it was released onThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringsoundtrack, along with composerHoward Shore's original score "The Road Goes Ever On (Part 2)".[11]It also came out as a single in Europe on 10 December 2001 and in the United Kingdom on 21 January 2002.[12][13]"May It Be" entered theGerman Singles Chartat number one. It was Enya's second consecutive single to do so, following her song "Only Time".[14]In 2005, it was released as part of the compilationThe 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.[15]

Music video

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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.[16]

Track listings

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European CD single and UK cassette single[17][18]

  1. "May It Be" – 3:30
  2. "Isobella" – 4:27

European maxi-CD single and UK CD single[19][20]

  1. "May It Be" – 3:30
  2. "Isobella" – 4:27
  3. "The First of Autumn" – 3:08

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "May It Be"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Silver 200,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "May It Be"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Europe 10 December 2001 CD WEA [12]
United Kingdom 21 January 2002 [13]

References

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  1. ^May It BeatAllMusic.Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  2. ^"Albums".Enya.Aigle Music. Archived fromthe originalon 16 December 2010.Retrieved20 December2010.
  3. ^abcdEnya Fan Studio. Enya Fan Studio, 2005. Web. 22 October 2010.
  4. ^"Enya".Aigle Music. Archived fromthe originalon 29 March 2014.Retrieved20 December2010.
  5. ^abcde"May it Be".The Enya Discography.Enya. 1997–2006. Archived fromthe originalon 11 October 2015.Retrieved20 December2010.
  6. ^Booklet of the collectionThe Fellowship of the Ring: The Complete Recordingspublished in 2005
  7. ^Adams, Doug (2005).The Fellowship of the Ring(PDF).The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films. The annotated Score. Vol. 1. p. 23. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 July 2011.Retrieved20 December2010.
  8. ^"The 7th Critics' Choice Awards Winners and Nominees".The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards.Broadcast Film Critics Association. 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2012.Retrieved20 December2010.
  9. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 23 June 2011.Retrieved15 August2011.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^"The 59th annual Golden Globe Awards".Golden Globes.Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 9 May 2011.Retrieved20 December2010.
  11. ^The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Original Motion Picture SoundtrackatAllMusic.Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  12. ^abc"Enya – May It Be "(in German).GfK Entertainment charts.Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  13. ^ab"New Releases – For Week Starting January 21, 2002: Singles".Music Week.19 January 2002. p. 29.
  14. ^"Enya".Artistopia.iCubator Labs, LLC. 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2011.Retrieved20 December2010.
  15. ^The very Best of EnyaatAllMusic.Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  16. ^"May it Be, 2002. Directed by Peter Peter Nydrle".EnyaOne.Felipe Dario. 2007–2009.Archivedfrom the original on 22 November 2010.Retrieved20 December2010.
  17. ^May It Be(European CD single liner notes).Enya.WEA Records.2002. 5439 16709 2.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^May It Be(UK cassette single sleeve). Enya. WEA Records. 2002. w578c, 5439167094.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^May It Be(European maxi-CD single liner notes). Enya. WEA Records. 2002. 936 2424292.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^May It Be(UK CD single liner notes). Enya. WEA Records. 2002. w578cd, 936 2424292.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^"Enya – May It Be "(in German).Ö3 Austria Top 40.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  22. ^"Enya – May It Be "(in Dutch).Ultratop 50.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  23. ^"Enya – May It Be "(in French).Ultratip.Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  24. ^"Top 100 Singles".Jam!.Archived fromthe originalon 12 May 2002.Retrieved27 May2024.
  25. ^"Enya – May It Be ".Tracklisten.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  26. ^"Hitparada radia - 13/2002"(in Czech).IFPI CR.Archived fromthe originalon 5 April 2002.Retrieved8 February2021.
  27. ^"Eurochart Hot 100 Singles"(PDF).Music & Media.Vol. 20, no. 6. 2 February 2002. p. 9.Archived(PDF)from the original on 15 July 2020.Retrieved11 February2020.
  28. ^"Enya: May It Be "(in Finnish).Musiikkituottajat.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  29. ^"Enya – May It Be "(in French).Les classement single.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  30. ^"Top 50 Singles"(in Greek).IFPI Greece.Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2002.Retrieved3 June2021.
  31. ^"Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ "(in Hungarian).Single (track) Top 40 lista.Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  32. ^"The Irish Charts – Search Results – May It Be ".Irish Singles Chart.Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  33. ^"Enya – May It Be ".Top Digital Download.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  34. ^"Enya – May It Be "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  35. ^"Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 19, saptamina 13.05–19.05, 2002"(in Romanian).Romanian Top 100.Archivedfrom the original on 17 July 2020.Retrieved9 May2020.
  36. ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  37. ^"Enya – May It Be ".Singles Top 100.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  38. ^"Enya – May It Be ".Swiss Singles Chart.Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  39. ^"Official Singles Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  40. ^"Jahreshitparade Singles 2002".Austriancharts. Hung Medien.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2015.Retrieved22 October2015.
  41. ^"Year in Review – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 2002"(PDF).Music & Media.Vol. 21, no. 2–3. 11 January 2003. p. 14.Archived(PDF)from the original on 15 July 2020.Retrieved10 February2020.
  42. ^"Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 2002".Offiziellecharts.de.Archivedfrom the original on 19 November 2015.Retrieved22 November2015.
  43. ^"British single certifications – Enya – May It Be".British Phonographic Industry.Retrieved9 December2022.
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