"Enola Gay" met with largely 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, Portugal and Spain. The track achieved 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,[6] and is recognisable by its distinctive lead synthesizerhook and ambiguous lyrical content.[7][8] 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.[8] The song is based on the '50s progression, which repeats throughout the entire song. Speaking to Songwriting Magazine, McCluskey stated, "It's a typical linear OMD song, it is the same four chords all the way through and it never varies. The verse, the melody, the middle eight, it's all the same."[9]
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.[10]
The song is named after the Enola Gay, the USAAFB-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.[a][12]
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").[13] 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 is identified as an "anti-war" track,[b] 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".[21]
Critical reception
The song met with largely positive reviews.[10] Greg Reibman of Boston Rock wrote, "With 'Enola Gay', Orchestral Manoeuvres drop another devastating warhead on the world of inferior pop music... these guys are right on target."[22]Canberra Times critic Jonathan Green described the track as "super", with "a lovely melody that makes for an utterly infectious song".[23] Daniela Soave of Record Mirror called it "infinitely danceable, joyous and jumpy", while noting an uneasy juxtaposition between the musical content and sombre lyrics.[24]NME said the track has "considerable plusses" including a "glorious melody", but expressed reservations about its commercial prospects, feeling it was destined for "chartless oblivion".[25] The song was banned from being played on popular BBC1 children's programme Swap Shop, because it was thought to promote homosexuality.[26][27][28]
Despite its subject matter, the single was released at a time of strong anti-nuclear sentiment in Britain.[21][29] This, according to the BBC, helped it become an "unlikely hit".[21] The track entered the UK Singles Chart at number 59,[30] but climbed 51 places over the next four weeks to reach a peak of number 8,[31] becoming the group's first top 10 entry in their home country and one of the 50 best-selling singles in the UK in 1980.[32] It was also a hit throughout continental Europe, topping the charts in Italy, Portugal and Spain.[33][34][35]
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".[36] Critic Dave Thompson called it a "perfect synth-dance-pop extravaganza".[29] John Bergstrom of PopMatters wrote, "'80s synthpop takes a lot of flack, much of it deserved. But 'Enola Gay' is a resounding refutation of the notion nothing substantial, beautiful, or timeless could ever come from skinny English guys with synths... Everything a classic should be."[37]
Legacy
Readers of NME, Record Mirror and Smash Hits voted "Enola Gay" one of the 10 best singles of 1980;[38] it later placed eighth in a Slicing Up Eyeballs reader poll of the year's best songs.[39]88.5 XPN listeners positioned the track at no. 508 in the "885 All Time Greatest Songs".[40] It has featured in critics' lists such as NME's "100 Best Songs of the 1980s",[41]Classic Pop's "Top 100 Singles of the 80s",[42]PopMatters' "100 Best Alternative Singles of the 1980s",[43]MusicRadar's "40 Greatest Synth Tracks Ever"[44] and Smooth Radio's "25 Greatest 1980s Synthpop Songs".[45] "Enola Gay" was selected by Danny Boyle for use during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[46] The track became a Celtic F.C. anthem in the mid-to-late 2010s, with fans changing its lyrics to revolve around player Stuart Armstrong.[47] It also became popular with Burnley F.C. supporters.[48]
The BBC described "Enola Gay" as a "long-lasting hit";[21] the song's cumulative sales have exceeded 5 million copies.[28][45][49] It has been described – along with 1986's "If You Leave"[50] – as OMD's signature song.[45][51] The track continues to be associated with LGBT culture;[52][53]Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield wrote in 2020 that it is "about both coming out and nuclear destruction".[52]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 living 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."[53] OMD, aware of the song's perceived links to homosexuality, have embraced their large following within the LGBT community.[10][54]
"Enola Gay" is popular with early home computer enthusiasts, being used in demos such as Swinth (Commodore 64).[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.[65] The song was featured in the 2015 film Ex Machina, a sci-fi thriller about the implications of artificial intelligence.[66]
16-bit computers brought with them the popular music tracker format where no fewer than a dozen versions exist.[67]
Music video
The music video was shot at the ITN studios in three hours one afternoon.[68] It 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.
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 Navigation: The OMD B-Sides 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";[69]AllMusic critic Aaron Badgley later called it a "brilliant" song.[70]
Track listing
1980 original release
Side one
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Enola Gay"
3:33
Side two
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Annex"
4:33
The 12" single contained the same tracks as on the 7".
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Alternative 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.[60]
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 (1982).
Musician Howard Jones covered the song during early live performances.[84]
^Enola; or, Her Fatal Mistake (1886), by Mary Young Ridenbaugh is the only novel of the period to use "Enola".[11]
^"Enola Gay" has been identified as an "anti-war" song by multiple outlets.[14][15][16][17][18][19] It was also described as such in an official press statement regarding its 40th anniversary re-release.[20]
^Houghtaling, Adam Brent (2012). This Will End in Tears: The Miserabilist Guide to Music. HarperCollins. ISBN978-0-0617-1967-7. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) made the haunting shadows left behind by the flashburnt victims of the first atomic bombs into the synthpop hit 'Enola Gay', which imagines an eternal kiss that is 'never gonna fade away'.
^"Interview: Andy McCluskey, OMD". PRS for Music. 19 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013. [PRS:] 'They are best known for their trademark synth-led choruses and abstract lyrics' (...) [McCluskey:] 'Many of our songs use the synth melody as the chorus. There are verses but generally the melody is the chorus. If you think of 'Electricity', 'Enola Gay', 'Souvenir' – in a lot of our songs the melody was the chorus'.
^Houghton, pp. 387–388. Rudi Esch: "...'Enola Gay', propelled by that growling bass tone. It's a song I always loved and was part of my soundtrack to the summer of '81."
