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It isn’t an anti-nuclear song, nor is it a celebration… and certainly, the way the lyrics are delivered, it isn’t at all positive: ‘You should have stayed ay home yesterday/This kiss will never fade away’”. “I wasn’t interested in the politics of it or the morals of it. “The idea that a Superfortress, which wasn’t really a fantastic plane by modern standards – it was all riveted together and pretty poky – could drop an atomic bomb and kill so many people, was intriguing” commented Andy in the OMD biography Messages. Andy had already developed a fascination with military aircraft and the morbid decision by the mission pilot to name the plane after his mother was an aspect that struck his imagination. It remains a controversial episode of the Second World War and debate still continues today on the moral issues that revolve around the decision to drop an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945.
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While researching the history of the Messerschmitt aircraft in the process of writing that particular song, Andy had chanced upon an article discussing the Enola Gay. ‘Bunker Soldiers’ is one such track, while ‘The Messerschmitt Twins’ is another. OMD had already toyed with inspirations that had sprung from a curious interest in war themes. Paul’s mum was at work at the time, while Paul was involved in the rebuilding of Hoylake outdoor swimming pool in order to claim his dole money. ‘Enola Gay’ (along with ‘Motion And Heart’) had been written by Andy in the back room at Paul’s mum’s house in the week before the first album had been released. ‘Enola Gay’ actually dated back to the era of OMITD, in particular a period where Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys were penning new material (much of OMITD’s content actually dates back to the days of The Id). Yet, in the midst of all this solemnity, was a pop song which seemed curiously out of place with its broody neighbours. The death of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis earlier that year had also overshadowed the songwriting process at the time – which had lent inspiration to the funereal tones of ‘Statues’. The album owes some of its inspiration, in part, to Joy Division’s second album Closer – an album that Peter Saville had played constantly and which had subsequently seeped into the writing of OMD’s darker album. From the ‘garage punk’ aesthetics that had dominated their debut album, Organisation instead featured gothic, broody tones and soundscapes. The release of OMD’s second album Organisation in 1980 had seen a shift in OMD’s sound. ‘Enola Gay’ remains a classic OMD song, yet its evolution has taken it through some turbulent skies. It’s one of OMD’s most iconic songs and gained them their first UK Top Ten – as well as their first international hit single. With the 75th Anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, it seems like a timely opportunity to explore the history of the song that was inspired by the tragedy.