Sail Away to These 4 Fictional Locations in Enya's 'Orinoco Flow'

The music video to Enya's 'Orinoco Flow' was painted over to resemble the cover of the 'Watermark' album

From Bali to Cali, "Orinoco Flow" name-checks paradisiacal places on earth—the travel bucket list to top all travel bucket lists. With an ethereal sound unlike anything else on pop radio at the time, Enya's hit song sailed to the top of the charts in 1988.

“Orinoco Flow” is less a tribute to the South American river and more a reference to the London facility where the "Watermark" cut was recorded: Orinoco Studios, now named Miloco Studios. 

Not all places mentioned in the song exist, and the Irish singer even used archaic names for those that do. For example, she calls the Hebrides by their ancient Latin name, "Ebudæ," which became the title of a later song of hers. A few of the "Orinoco Flow" locations were "made up, very romantic places," she confirmed in an interview with MuchMusic in 1988. 

Enya knows a thing or two about romantic locations, for she lives in one. But for now, let's meander through the fanciful places of "Orinoco Flow." 

Avalon

Glastonbury Tor, England. Photo via Neil Howard

Born in Gweedore, Ireland, Enya grew up in a place steeped in mythology and folklore. Arthurian legends tell of an island of plenty called Avalon. "The shade of Avalon" likely alludes to the lush, tree-covered landscape of the mythical island, the Celts (the title of another Enya song) even referring to Avalon as the "Isle of Apples." Today, many people believe Avalon to be somewhere in Glastonbury, England, but this is most likely lore perpetuated by monks who lived in the area. 

The Isles of Ebony

Isle of Oxney, England via N Chadwick

The Isles of Ebony refer to someone very near and dear to the song's lyricist, Roma Ryan. "That’s her daughter, Ebony," Enya confirmed in the MuchMusic interview. 

If you visit the Isle of Oxney in Kent, England, you’ll find a small hamlet called Ebony. "Isle" is a misnomer though—the area is no longer that. It was surrounded by water centuries ago, when the neighboring marshlands were still tidal.

The Island of the Moon

Lake Titicaca from Isla de la Luna, Bolivia via Christopher Walker

Not only did Roma conjure Isles of Ebony but she also made up the Island of the Moon. Coincidentally, there is an Isla de la Luna (literally "Island of the Moon") in Bolivia.

The Sea of Clouds

Where Mare Nubium is located on the Moon. Photo via Silvercat

Nevertheless, the Moon has a place called Mare Nubium, Latin for "Sea of Clouds." Lunar mares are actually dry, basaltic plains on our satellite; they just looked like water to early astronomers. Otherwise, seas of clouds are phenomena that naturally occur on Earth, given the right altitude and weather conditions. 

As Ryan herself put it in a 1992 interview, "Orinoco Flow" has to do with "a journey of the imagination." She most probably didn't pull out an encyclopedia to write the lyrics to the song. 

"With ‘Orinoco’ it was a case of me coming out to the studio to listen, to the pizzicato, and while I was listening to it, I was looking out the window and I could see my two children skipping, and that’s actually what sparked off the idea for ‘Orinoco.'"

Now, will Enya ever go on tour and sing "Orinoco Flow" live to us adoring fans? "Only Time" will tell.