"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.

Typical of early OMD compositions, the track does not feature a vocal chorus,[7] and is recognisable by its distinctive lead synthesizer hook and ambiguous lyrical content.

[11] 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.

It is identified as an "anti-war" track,[b] although McCluskey stated he "wasn't really politically motivated to write the song", which was informed by a fascination with World War II bombers.

[11] Greg Reibman of Boston Rock wrote, "With 'Enola Gay', Orchestral Manoeuvres drop another devastating warhead on the world of inferior pop music... these guys are right on target.

"[23] Canberra Times critic Jonathan Green described the track as "super", with "a lovely melody that makes for an utterly infectious song".

[24] Daniela Soave of Record Mirror called it "infinitely danceable, joyous and jumpy", while noting an uneasy juxtaposition between the musical content and sombre lyrics.

[25] NME said the track has "considerable plusses" including a "glorious melody", but expressed reservations about its commercial prospects, feeling it was destined for "chartless oblivion".

[34][35][36] In a retrospective assessment, AllMusic's Ned Raggett lauded the song as "astounding... a flat-out pop classic – clever, heartfelt, thrilling, and confident, not to mention catchy and arranged brilliantly".

[40] Gaffa ranked "Enola Gay" the third-greatest track of the 1980s, while Classic Pop named it 15th; the song has appeared in multiple recountings of the best records of the 1980s, and of all time.

[49][55] The track continues to be associated with LGBT culture;[56][57] Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield wrote in 2020 that it is "about both coming out and nuclear destruction".

Williams said, "It's clear to see why a young gay or bisexual male can place a different meaning on a lyric about dropping the nuclear bomb through coming out to their own families.

In 1981, singer Bob Geldof and the duo Godley & Creme named "Enola Gay" one of their favourite singles of recent memory.

[61][63] The track has also been lauded by Al Doyle of Hot Chip,[64] Rudi Esch of Die Krupps,[65] and solo artist Moby, who called it a "beautiful song" that he has "loved for decades".

Although the track was basically an improvisation "made up on the spot", Paul Humphreys described it in a 1980 interview as "the best thing we've done all year";[73] AllMusic critic Aaron Badgley later called it a "brilliant" song.