Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Enola Gay

This song is the 4th or 5th where I discovered it

through a cover by another band. I first heard this played by The Faint, and always thought it was an original of theirs. For years I thought that, and then in my freshman year of college, I discovered the original. I think I heard it at a 7-11 (definitely was at a gas station) and was blown away. It's an amazing song, these guys were sample talented, they wrote some of the best "new-wave" stuff in my opinion.

This song is titled "Enola Gay",

and is about the B-29 bomber that carried the first atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. It is a poppy, catchy song, but when you know the lyrics, it feels a lot more ominous and dark. There is a line "Is mother proud of little boy today?", which sounds innocent, but when you know that the name of bomb was Little Boy, it changes the whole thing. It's an anti-war/anti-nuclear weapons song, and considering it was written in the early 80s, when the threat of nuclear war always seemed potentially imminent, it's pretty intense.

Enola gay, you should have stayed at home yesterday
Oho it can't describe the feeling and the way you lied
These games you play, they're gonna end it all in tears someday
Oho Enola gay, it shouldn't ever have to end this way
It's 8:15, that's the time that it's always been
We got your message on the radio, condition's normal and you're coming home
Enola gay, is mother proud of little boy today
Oho, this kiss you give, it's never ever gonna fade away
Enola gay, it shouldn't ever have to end this way
Oho Enola…

Songwriters: Andrew Mc Cluskey
Enola Gay lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management US, LLC