Paint the Sky with Stars

Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya
Greatest hits album by
Enya
Released3 November 1997 (Europe)[1]
Recorded1986–1997
Length57:46
LabelWEA
ProducerNicky Ryan
Enya chronology
The Memory of Trees
(1995) 		Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya
(1997) 		A Box of Dreams
(1997)
Singles from Paint the Sky with Stars
  1. "Only If..."
    Released: 10 November 1997

Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya is the first greatest hits album by Irish singer-songwriter Enya, released on 3 November 1997 by WEA. Following her worldwide promotional tour in support of her previous album The Memory of Trees (1995), Enya began selecting tracks for a compilation album in early 1997, as her recording contract with WEA permitted her to do so. The album contains songs from her debut album Enya (1987) to The Memory of Trees (1995) and two new tracks, "Paint the Sky with Stars" and "Only If...".

Paint the Sky with Stars received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, reaching number 4 in the United Kingdom and number 30 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. In the latter territory, the album continued to sell over the next eight years, reaching four million copies shipped in 2005. In Japan, it became the first non-Japanese album under the Warner label to receive a Japan Gold Disc Award in the Grand Prix Album category for selling over one million copies.[2][3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Music Week[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

Paint the Sky with Stars received universal acclaim from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic rated the album five stars out of five and says that Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya is an excellent 16-song overview of Enya's career, containing 14 selections from The Celts, Watermark, Shepherd Moons, and The Memory of Trees, including "Caribbean Blue", "Anywhere Is", "Marble Halls", "Book of Days" and, of course, "Orinoco Flow"—as well as two previously unreleased songs ("Only If...", "Paint the Sky with Stars") that fit comfortably with her past work.[4]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Roma Ryan, except for "Marble Halls", all music composed by Enya and all songs produced by Nicky Ryan.

No.TitleFrom the albumLength
1."Orinoco Flow"Watermark4:26
2."Caribbean Blue"Shepherd Moons3:58
3."Book of Days"Shepherd Moons2:56
4."Anywhere Is"The Memory of Trees3:46
5."Only If..." (previously unreleased) 3:19
6."The Celts"Enya2:57
7."China Roses"The Memory of Trees4:40
8."Shepherd Moons"Shepherd Moons3:40
9."Ebudæ"Shepherd Moons1:52
10."Storms in Africa"Watermark4:11
11."Watermark"Watermark2:26
12."Paint the Sky with Stars" (previously unreleased) 4:15
13."Marble Halls"Shepherd Moons3:55
14."On My Way Home" (Single Version)The Memory of Trees3:38
15."The Memory of Trees"The Memory of Trees4:19
16."Boadicea"Enya3:28
Total length:57:46
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleFrom the albumLength
17."Oíche Chiún (Silent Night)"B-side of "Evening Falls...", "How Can I Keep from Singing?", "The Celts" and "Only If..."3:48
Total length:61:34

Production

  • Produced by Nicky Ryan
  • Arranged by Enya and Nicky Ryan
  • Lyrics by Roma Ryan
  • Marble Halls (Traditional) arranged by Enya and Nicky Ryan
  • All tracks published by EMI Songs Ltd
  • Principal photography: David Scheinmann
  • Calligraphy and Design: Brody Neuenschwander
  • Mastered by Arun

Accolades

Japan Gold Disc Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1998 Paint the Sky with Stars Best International Pop Albums of the Year[3][7] Won

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Paint the Sky with Stars
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[47] 2× Platinum 120,000^
Australia (ARIA)[48] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[49] Platinum 50,000*
Belgium (BEA)[50] 2× Platinum 100,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[51] 2× Platinum 500,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[52] Gold 23,900[52]
Germany (BVMI)[53] Platinum 500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[54] Platinum 20,000*
Italy — 410,000[55]
Japan (RIAJ)[56] Million 1,078,000[57]
Netherlands (NVPI)[58] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[59] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[60] Platinum 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[61] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Sweden (GLF)[62] 2× Platinum 160,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[63] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[65] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[66] 3× Platinum 3,000,000*
Worldwide — 12,000,000[67]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates for Paint the Sky with Stars
Country Date Format Label
Europe 3 November 1997
WEA Records
United States 11 November 1997 Reprise Records

See also

References

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