Short Take: Orchestral Manoeuveres In The Dark - "Enola Gay"

[Short Take: Wherein I just toss off a quick burst of jabber about whatever tune I'm stuck on today. Think of it as me trying to explain a songcrush, knowing full well it won't work and you can't ever describe instant infatuation, but damn well talking about it anyhow 'cause I can't help it.]



The beat comes to life. A metronomic old-school drum machine clicks along. It's quickly joined by the steady siren call of keyboards and a bassline picking up momentum... And then, liftoff. Skywards we go. Swooping synth floating in midair, vocals calm and cool and steady. We're airborne amongst gloriously infectious melody line and an eerily detached lyric.

Next up, three short verses, painting pictures of regret and resignation. There's great distance between the sound and subject, between the vocalist and the content, between the narrator and the action on display. The words and music echo with resignation and inevitability, fitted perfectly to project images of a moment trapped in time. A quick break back to siren and percussion before all the instruments return and build and expand and head toward a grand finale. And the lyrics drive it all home. Event. Something happens, beautiful catastrophic destruction ensues; the world changes in an instant and there's no turning back. It's lovesong as atomic warfare. Or atomic warfare as a lovesong. Or possibly both.

And then three minutes have passed and just like that----- It's over. The instruments disappear first, drumtrack following close behind. The music doesn't stop, it just fades from earshot; ensuring that the moment hangs in eternity and it remains 8:15 forever.