In the miountains...

Enya - Boadicea 1987

Enya is the debut studio album by Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya, released in March 1987. The album features a selection of music that Enya recorded for the soundtrack to The Celts, a BBC documentary series about the origins, growth, and influence of Celtic culture. Enya worked with her longtime recording partners, producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. Several track titles are titled or based on various historical and mythological figures and stories associated with the Celts, and established Enya's sound of keyboard-oriented music and layered vocals.

Enya received mostly mixed reviews from critics when it was initially released. It was a commercial success in Ireland, peaking at number 8, and number 69 on the UK Albums Chart. After the commercial success of her next two albums, Enya was reissued as The Celts and outperformed its original sales; it went to number 10 in the UK and was certified Platinum in the UK and the US. In 2009, The Celts was reissued in Japan with a bonus track.

"Boadicea" has been sampled by many artists, most notably in 1996 by the Fugees. They sampled it without Enya's prior permission on the track "Ready or Not" featured on their debut album The Score and were consequently sued by WEA. Their label Sony agreed to add a sticker to all existing copies of The Score with the words: "We are very grateful to Enya for her kindness and consideration in allowing us of her track "Boadicea", from her album The Celts, which appears on the title "Ready or Not", which was used initially without her permission" and she dropped the lawsuit.

Boudica, or Boadicea, was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She is considered a British national heroine and a symbol of the struggle for justice and independence. When Boudica's husband king Prasutagus died, he had left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and to the Roman Emperor Nero in his will. The Romans ignored the will, and the Iceni kingdom was absorbed into the province of Britannia. The Romans' next actions were described by the Roman historian Tacitus, who detailed pillaging of the countryside, the ransacking of the king's household, and the brutal treatment of Boudica and her daughters. In 60/61, Boudica led the Iceni and other British tribes in revolt, and they destroyed Camulodunum (modern Colchester). Upon hearing of the revolt, the Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus hurried to Londinium, the 20-year-old commercial settlement that was the rebels' next target. Unable to defend the settlement, he abandoned it. Boudica's army defeated a detachment of the Legio IX Hispana, and burnt both Londinium and Verulamium. In all, an estimated 70,000–80,000 Romans and Britons were killed by Boudica's followers. Suetonius, meanwhile, regrouped his forces, possibly in the West Midlands, and despite being heavily outnumbered, he decisively defeated the Britons. Boudica died, by suicide or illness, shortly afterwards. The crisis of 60/61 caused Nero to consider withdrawing all his imperial forces from Britain, but Suetonius's victory over Boudica confirmed Roman control of the province.

"Boadicea" received a total of 76,2% yes votes! Previous Enya polls: #433 "Orinoco Flow".