The band will also perform a special live-streamed show from London's Indigo at The O2 on October 24th - set to raise money and awareness for their crew, whose livelihoods have been so affected in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Lyrically detailing the atomic bombing on Hiroshima during World War II by the B-29 Superfortress aircraft, the song scored a UK Top 10 on the singles charts and went on to become an International success, selling more than 5 million copies worldwide and ingraining itself as a synth-pop classic and arguably OMD's signature track. Recorded at Ridge Farm Studios in Dorking, and released on September 26th, 1980, 'Enola Gay' was the only single from the band's second studio album, Organisation. Listen to Hot Chip's remix of Enola Gay HERE It's already a perfect song, so this is just a tribute and an homage, made all the more meaningful with the occurrence this year of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombs on Japan. Van Kirk would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Silver Star, and 15 Air Medals for. Six and one-half hours later, they deployed the first atomic bomb in history over the city of Hiroshima. Of the remix, Al comments, "Getting your hands on the raw material of 'Enola Gay' feels like stealing into hallowed halls. On August 6, 1945, Van Kirk, Tibbets, and Ferebee, now aboard a B-29 Superfortress called the Enola Gay, took off from Tinian for mainland Japan.
The single has also received a sublime, hypnotic remix from Hot Chip's Al Doyle, out today. The band has also unveiled a special new and enhanced HD version of the original 'Enola Gay' video - watch here.
The digital version is available to purchase today, and pre-orders for the 12" colored vinyl are available now HERE. The second is a slowed down, chilled out rework that is far removed from the original but remains undeniably glorious. Richard Kohn, another member of the advisory committee who defended the exhibit, summed up the exhibit's initial purpose as not a his- torical investigation. One extended mix uses the original master multi-track, which sounds like the 12" version that never was, but should have been released in 1980. It was based on the controversy over how history should be represented for the decision of dropping an atomic bomb on Japan when the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum drafted an exhibit entitled The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb and the Cold War around the refurbished Enola Gay to. War is hell indeed, and the pain inflicted on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was no greater than that suffered by countless millions during the six years from 1939 to 1945.The release features two brand new mixes of the track by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys. The term History Wars was coined in the United States in 1994. However, these persons would do well to remember Sherman’s words. To this day, some critics condemn President Truman’s decision to use nuclear weapons. Today the Enola Gay is on display in a hangar at Washington Dulles international Airport. Officials did put the aircraft’s fuselage on display in 1995 several protesters were later arrested for throwing red paint, ash, and blood on the display.ĭespite the controversy, the planes restoration continued. Controversy led to the event’s cancellation. However, both the American Legion and the Air Force Association objected to elements of the planned exhibit, saying that they focused too much attention on the death and damage caused by the bombing. In 1995, the Smithsonian planned to display the aircraft in observance of the 50th anniversary of World War II’s end.
However, I thought of writing this post in order to connect several points related to the story. I guess you have had the chance to read about it in several places along the day. Restoration of the Enola Gay began on December 5, 1984. Today, August 6th, in 1945 the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped over Hiroshima (Japan) the first nuclear bomb, Little Boy, used in combat. His aircraft was transferred to an airbase in Roswell, New Mexico.Īfter the war, it was sent to Davis-Moncton Air Force Base in Arizona, and from there to various locations until 1961, when the Smithsonian took possession of its dismantled components. Colonel Tibbets landed his plane on a base at Tinian after a total of 12 hours and 13 minutes in flight, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross soon thereafter. The Enola Gay and its two companion aircraft returned safely from their mission.