Enola Gay (song)

"Enola Gay" is an anti-war song by the British synth-pop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), and the only single taken from their 1980 album "Organisation". Written by vocalist/bass guitarist Andy McCluskey, it addresses the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the aircraft "Enola Gay" on 6 August 1945, toward the conclusion of World War II. As is typical of early OMD singles, the song features a melodic synthesizer break instead of sung chorus.
"Enola Gay" met with positive reviews but was seen as unlikely to impact the charts; aside from its subject matter, the song faced some resistance due to its being perceived as a gay anthem. It eventually reached no. 8 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's first top 10 entry in their home country. It was also a hit throughout continental Europe, topping the charts in Italy and Spain. The song went on to enjoy lasting popularity, including within the LGBT community, achieving physical and download sales in excess of 5 million copies. It has been named as one of the best songs of its era and genre, and, along with 1986's "If You Leave", is regarded as OMD's signature song.
Composition.
Arrangement.
Typical of early OMD compositions, the track does not feature a vocal chorus, and is recognisable by its strong, distinctive lead synthesizer hook and ambiguous lyrical content. Most of the melodic parts were recorded on a Korg Micro-Preset, and the drum machine sound was "about the last thing to go on" the recording. The song is based on the 50s progression, which repeats throughout the entire song.
Keyboardist Paul Humphreys and OMD manager Paul Collister were not fans of "Enola Gay" (the latter originally threatened to resign if it were released as a single). Collister did, however, believe it was a surefire hit – a view that drummer Malcolm Holmes did not share. Initially proud of the song, McCluskey's confidence wavered: he re-recorded his vocal, but was dissatisfied with the final mix of the track.
Title.
The song is named after the "Enola Gay", the USAAF B-29 Superfortress bomber that carried Little Boy, the first atomic bomb to be used in an act of war, dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, killing more than 100,000 of its citizens. The name of the bomber itself was chosen by its pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets, who named it after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets (1893–1983), who had been named after the heroine of the novel "Enola; or, Her fatal mistake".
Lyric.
The lyric to the song reflects on the decision to use the bomb and asks the listener to consider whether the bombings were necessary ("It shouldn't ever have to end this way"). The phrase "Is mother proud of Little Boy today?", is an allusion to both the nickname of the uranium bomb and pilot Paul Tibbets naming the aircraft after his mother. The phrase, "It's 8:15, and that's the time that it's always been", refers to the time of detonation over Hiroshima at 8:15am JST; as many timepieces were "frozen" by the effects of the blast, it becomes "the time that it's always been". It has been characterised as an "anti-war" track, although McCluskey stated he "wasn't really politically motivated to write the song", which was informed by a fascination with World War II bombers. He hoped it "conveyed an ambivalence about whether it was the right or the wrong thing to do".
Reception.
"Enola Gay" met with positive reviews on release. Lynden Barber of "Melody Maker" called it "the perfect follow-up to 'Messages'." "Canberra Times" critic Jonathan Green described it as "super", with "a lovely melody that makes for an utterly infectious song". Daniela Soave of "Record Mirror" called it "infinitely danceable, joyous and jumpy", while noting the music's juxtaposition with sombre lyrics. "NME" said the song has "considerable plusses" including a "glorious melody", but expressed reservations about its commercial prospects, feeling it was destined for "chartless oblivion". The track was perceived by some as a gay anthem; as such, it was banned from being played on popular BBC1 children's programme "Swap Shop".
Despite its subject matter, the single was released at a time of strong anti-nuclear sentiment in Britain. This, according to the BBC, helped it become an "unlikely hit". The track entered the UK Singles Chart at number 59, but climbed 51 places over the next four weeks to reach a peak of number 8, becoming the group's first top 10 entry in their home country. It was also a hit throughout continental Europe, topping the charts in Italy and Spain. "NME" readers voted "Enola Gay" the eighth-best song of 1980.
Legacy.
The BBC described "Enola Gay" as a "long-lasting hit"; the song's cumulative physical and download sales have exceeded 5 million copies. It has been described – along with 1986's "If You Leave" – as OMD's signature song. The track continues to be associated with LGBT culture; "Rolling Stone" critic Rob Sheffield wrote in 2020 that it is "about both coming out and nuclear destruction". "Gigwise" writer Josh Williams named "Enola Gay" as one of the most impactful songs to be featured in TV drama series "It's a Sin" (2021), which focuses on a group of gay men who lived during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the UK. Williams said, "It's clear to see why a young gay or bisexual male can place a different meaning on a lyric about dropping the nuclear bomb through coming out to their own families." OMD, aware of the song's perceived links to homosexuality, have embraced their large following within the LGBT community.
In a retrospective assessment, AllMusic's Ned Raggett lauded the song as "astounding... a flat-out pop classic – clever, heartfelt, thrilling, and confident, not to mention catchy and arranged brilliantly". Critic Dave Thompson called it a "perfect synth-dance-pop extravaganza". The track has featured in lists such as "NME"s "100 Best Songs of the 1980s", "Classic Pop"s "Top 100 Singles of the 80s", MusicRadars "40 Greatest Synth Tracks Ever" and Smooth Radio's "25 Greatest 1980s Synthpop Songs"; "NME" critic Rebecca Schiller described McCluskey's vocal as "brilliantly quizzical" and the song as a "pop classic". It was selected by Danny Boyle for use during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The song became a Celtic F.C. anthem in the mid-to-late 2010s, with fans changing the lyrics to revolve around player Stuart Armstrong.
The song has been praised by other artists. "Enola Gay" was the only cover version included in the early live sets of English musician Howard Jones, who "loved the simplicity of it and the electronicness of it". American electronic artist Moby called it a "beautiful song" that he has "loved for decades". German DJ/production team Sash! commended the track's production as "so genuinely strong". Al Doyle of Hot Chip called it a "perfect song".
Home computer influence.
"Enola Gay" is popular with early home computer enthusiasts, being used in demos such as "Swinth" (Commodore 64). Hackers have also enjoyed the song; it can be found as the "music bed" for numerous mega-demos and "cracktro" found on releases by warez groups like the Beastie Boys.
16-bit computers brought with them the popular music tracker format where no fewer than a dozen versions exist.
Music video.
The music video begins by showing sped-up footage of clouds passing through the sky. After the opening riff, which is shown as the keyboardist's hands playing whilst being animated using digital rotoscoping, it shows a transparent video image of McCluskey vocalising and playing bass guitar. The still photo from the "Organisation" album cover is taken from the video.
B-side.
The B-side on the UK release of "Enola Gay" was a track entitled "Annex". The song was not included on the ensuing "Organisation" album and remained unique to this release until being included in the 2001 compilation album "" and the 2003 remastered edition of "Organisation". Although the track was basically an improvisation "made up on the spot", Paul Humphreys described it in a 1980 interview as "the best thing we've done all year"; AllMusic critic Aaron Badgley later called it a "brilliant" song.
Track listing.
1980 original release.
The 12" single contained the same tracks as on the 7".
Alternate versions.
In 1998, David Guetta & Joachim Garraud and Sash! made remixed versions of the song for the intended second disc of "The OMD Singles". The second disc was dropped, and eventually only the Sash! remix appeared on "The OMD Remixes" EPs. In 2003 the double disc version was released in France only, which included the remixed versions by Guetta and Garraud as well. Hot Chip remixed the song to coincide with its 40th anniversary re-release.
An early version of the song with a slightly different arrangement appears on the group's "Peel Sessions 1979–1983" album. A live performance, recorded at the Guildhall in Portsmouth, England on 19 September 1980, is featured in the film "Urgh! A Music War".
Musician Howard Jones covered the song during early live performances. The bands Outloud and Ooberfuse are among those to have recorded cover versions. In 2010, Katy Perry's song "Teenage Dream" was "mashed up" with "Enola Gay" by the group DJs from Mars, under the title "Teenage Gay".