The Memory of Trees is the fourth studio album by Irish singer, songwriter, and musician Enya, launched on 20 November 1995 by WEA. After travelling worldwide to promote her previous album Shepherd Moons (1991), and contributing to movie soundtracks, Enya took a brief break earlier than she began writing and recording a new album in 1993 with her longtime recording partners, arranger and producer Nicky Ryan and his spouse, lyricist Roma Ryan. The album is Enya's first to be recorded totally in Ireland, and covers themes that embody Irish and Druid mythology, the idea of 1's home, journeys, religion, desires, and love. Enya continues to show her sound of multi-tracked vocals with keyboards and elements of Celtic and new age music, although Enya doesn't consider her music to be within the latter genre. She sings in English, Irish, Latin, and Spanish. The Memory of Bushes received principally constructive opinions from music critics. It grew to become a worldwide industrial success, reaching quantity 5 within the United Kingdom and neural entrainment audio number 9 on the Billboard 200 within the United States.

In 2000, it was certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for promoting three million copies. Two tracks have been launched as singles; "Anyplace Is" in November 1995, which reached quantity seven in the United Kingdom, followed by "On My Manner House" in November 1996, which peaked at quantity twenty-six. Enya supported the album with a promotional tour that included a number of interviews and televised performances. After travelling worldwide since late 1991 to promote her previous album Shepherd Moons (1991), and dealing for the soundtrack to the romantic journey drama film Far and Away (1992), the 31-year-outdated Enya took a break from music that lasted for roughly one yr. She spent most of the time with her family, trying "to unwind", and neural entrainment audio visiting completely different places all over the world to provide further inspiration for her songwriting. She returned to work in 1993 when she felt it was the fitting time to begin writing and recording a brand new studio album along with her longtime recording companions, arranger and producer Nicky Ryan and his spouse, lyricist Roma Ryan.

Enya acquired further soundtrack gives throughout the recording of The Memory of Bushes, but turned them down as she wished to concentrate solely on the album. Throughout Enya's break from music, the Ryans moved residence from Artane, a northern suburb of Dublin, to Killiney, County Dublin, which concerned the relocation of Aigle Studio, their residence recording facility where Enya had recorded her previous three albums, Enya (1987), Watermark (1988), and Shepherd Moons. Previous to the move, Enya and Nicky would start to record in Artane however had been required to finish albums in London as Aigle lacked the appropriate tools to take action, which Enya discovered tough as working in town was met with frequent distractions and high studio rental prices, compared to the "very intimate and private" setting at dwelling. Aigle was rebuilt as a separate constructing on the grounds and upgraded with new tools designed and constructed in accordance with their specs, thus making The Memory of Bushes Enya's first to be recorded totally in Eire.

She described the two-storey studio: "It's extremely peaceful and quiet. Upstairs we have this long room with two large arc windows at both end with a piano looking out over the Wicklow Mountains". Enya's tempo and hours of working in the studio elevated through the last eight months of recording, waking up at seven or eight in the morning and working till late with the intention to "give as a lot as I might" on the album. Enya later mentioned she "gave 100 per cent" on it. When recording finished the album was mastered by Arun Chakraverty, who had also labored on the 1992 reissue of Enya, The Celts. Nicky was happy to have the album full as a result of length of time it took to document. The album's sleeve design was organized to a layout by Sooky Choi who, like Chakraverty, had labored on The Celts. Its front is an adaptation of The Young King of the Black Isles, a painting by American artist Maxfield Parrish from 1906, itself based on the story of the identical title from the collection of folktales, One Thousand and One Nights.

Enya is depicted as the crying younger king sitting on his throne in a costume designed by English fashion designer Elizabeth Emanuel. Dwell motion footage of Enya in the costume and pose is used within the music video to "Anywhere Is". Enya is the only real composer of the music on The Memory of Bushes and co-arranged them with Nicky. It is her first album not to feature visitor musicians. Along with the vocals, piano and an array of keyboards and synthesisers that outlined her sound, Enya plays the violin, cello, and percussion devices. Her methodology of songwriting had deviated little since the beginning of her career, which started by coming into the studio and forgetting about past successes. Concepts are then put on tape as either a vocal or a piano melody. When a collection of ideas have been recorded Enya presents them to Nicky, starting discussions on tips on how to develop them further into songs.