Enola Gay (song)

"Enola Gay"
Cover of the original 7" single, designed by Peter Saville.
Single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
from the album Organisation
B-side	"Annex"
Released	26 September 1980 (1980-09-26)[1]
Studio	Ridge Farm Studio (Dorking)
Genre	Synth-pop[2][3] new wave[4]
Length	3:33
Label	Dindisc
Songwriter(s)	Andy McCluskey
Producer(s)	Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Mike Howlett
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology
"Messages" (1980) "Enola Gay" (1980) "Souvenir" (1981)
Music video
"Enola Gay" on YouTube

"Enola Gay" is an anti-war song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), and the only single taken from their second studio album Organisation (1980). Written by lead vocalist and bassist 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 a sung chorus.

"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.