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. Title Įnola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress, pictured in 1945 Initially proud of the song, McCluskey's confidence wavered: he re-recorded his vocal, but was dissatisfied with the final mix of the track. Collister did, however, believe it was a surefire hit – a view that drummer Malcolm Holmes did not share. 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). The song is based on the 50s progression, which repeats throughout the entire song. 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. 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. 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.Ĭomposition Arrangement
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The track went on to enjoy lasting popularity, including within the LGBT community, and achieved sales in excess of 5 million copies. It was also a hit throughout continental Europe, topping the charts in Italy and Spain. 8 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's first top 10 entry in their home country.
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"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. As is typical of early OMD singles, the song features a melodic synthesizer break instead of sung chorus. 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. " 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. Luke didn’t break the Roland drumpads.Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology The crowd laughed and Noah from The Stealers came to the rescue by loaning the lads his snare, which was dutifully incorporated to the drumset. His utterance to the band being “How much do you love The Stealers now?” after they had earlier on thanked them for their great support slot. You can always rely on jovial regular Brighton concert attendee “Two Pints Jules” (one in each hand) to come up with a witty quip and tonight was no exception.
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I haven’t witnessed that for many a year. I could obviously hear Luke Beirne’s drums being pounded and on that note, I can reveal that he did actually get a tad over enthusiastic and physically broke his snare drum midway through the set. I couldn’t even hear Joe McVeigh’s guitarwork on the opposite side of the stage. But the only thing they are stealing tonight is the crowd’s hearts!įionn Reilly from Enola Gay live at The Prince Albert, Brighton 1.4.22 (pic Nick Linazasoro)įor the duration of the Enola Gay performance I was stationed at the front immediately in front of Adam Cooper’s rumbly Fender Jazz bass on stage left (our right) and oh what a joy it was! That top ‘E’ note was rarely strayed from all night. It’s the Irish charm, whether it’s North or South of the border! Hypothetically speaking, if back in the day the police were to somehow find Enola Gay parked in their tourmobile near a church in the early hours of the morning, the rozzers would wrongly assume that the band were intent on stealing the lead off of the roof. I must also flag up that my own encounters with all four of these Irish bands begins with them asking my name and shaking my hand and saying “pleased to meet you!”. Maybe this was to reflect that they were coming at us from the Emerald Isle or possibly it was to mimic the shade of spring green (shamrock green) found on the Irish flag? But I must ‘flag’ up that these lads hail from north of the border in Belfast, home of Stiff Little Fingers as opposed to Thumper from Dublin and The Undertones from Derry.
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Unusually the lighting on stage this evening remained on green all night, instead of the burn-out red. We were given a whole dozen compositions this evening and the longer their set went on for, the more intense the crowd became. Luke Beirne from Enola Gay live at The Prince Albert, Brighton 1.4.22 (pic Nick Linazasoro)