Miscellaneous

Given the long history of protest music and anti-war songs, it’s perhaps not surprising that songs written about Hiroshima are largely dominated by those concerning the 1945 nuclear attack on the city. From country music in the immediate post-war years through to more contemporary punk, pop and electronic styles, many acts have turned their attentions towards that fateful event and its aftermath. Here are some of the most well-known along with a couple of lesser-known tunes worth checking out. Ultravox “Hiroshima Mon Amour” (1977) Before they were a top-selling 1980s pop act fronted by Midge Ure, Ultravox was one of the most innovative and exciting British bands to emerge in the late 1970s punk scene. Their second album “Ha Ha Ha” featured the single “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, influenced by the classic 1959 film of the same name that tells the story of a love affair between a French actress and a Japanese architect in the aftermath of the atomic bombing. The song is eerie and oblique, not mentioning the city by name and referencing “riding intercity trains/dressed in European grey”, but it has become one of the most quintessential tracks inspired by Hiroshima in western popular culture. OMD “Enola Gay”…