"Hiroshima" is an

anti-war song Some anti-war movement, anti-war songs lament aspects of wars, while others satirize war. Most promote peace in some form, while others sing out against specific armed conflicts. Still others depict the physical and psychological destruction that ...

performed by British band

Wishful Thinking Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire. Methodologies to examine wishful think ...

, written by David Morgan and produced by

Lou Reizner Lou Reizner (born Chicago 1934, died London 26 June 1977) was a record producer, A&R executive and head of Mercury Records European operations. He produced Rod Stewart's first two solo albums, the orchestral version of The Who's rock opera Tommy, ...

, which tells about the atomic bombing of

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

. The track was recorded at the Chappell Recording Studios in London in 1970. It was first released in 1971 as a single from their album of the same name, but achieved commercial success only upon its re-release in 1978, when it peaked at 8 in West Germany, staying on the chart for 44 weeks. It was one of the best-selling singles of 1978 in West Germany.

Track listing

* 7-inch single :A. "Hiroshima" – 4:42 :B. "She Belongs to the Night" – 2:47

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sandra version

German singer Sandra covered "Hiroshima" and released her version as a single in January 1990, with production by

Michael Cretu Michael Cretu ( ro, Mihai Crețu, ; born 18 May 1957) is a Romanian-German musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He gained worldwide fame as the founder and musician behind the musical project Enigma, which he formed in 1990. Cretu ...

. Sandra decided to cover the anti-war "Hiroshima" out of her concern about the political unrest happening in countries like Lebanon, China and Romania in the late 1980s. It was the first song recorded for her fourth album ''

Paintings in Yellow ''Paintings in Yellow'' is the fourth studio album by German singer Sandra, released on 26 March 1990 by Virgin Records. It was commercially successful and spawned the single "Hiroshima". Background and release The album was recorded at A.R.T. ...

'' and was released as the LP's lead single in February 1990. Sandra's cover was commercially successful, particularly in Germany and Switzerland, where it reached the top five and remains one of Sandra's highest-charting singles. In Switzerland, it also peaked at No. 11 on the

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

chart. The music video for the song was directed by Roland Willaert. The clip was released on Sandra's VHS video compilation ''18 Greatest Hits'' in 1992 and the 2003

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

''The Complete History''. In 1999, a

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

of the song was released on Sandra's compilation ''

My Favourites ''My Favourites'' is the third greatest hits album by German singer Sandra, released on 4 June 1999 by Virgin Records. Background ''My Favourites'' is a double album consisting of some of Sandra's hits and non-single tracks newly remixed by lon ...

''. The track was remixed again for her 2006 compilation '' Reflections''.

Critical reception

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' wrote, "A slow, moody number that is spoilt by the obviousness of the production but is, in fact, a charming song with a fine melody."

Track listings

* 7-inch single :A. "Hiroshima" – 4:11 :B. "La vista de luna" – 3:44 * 12-inch single :A. "Hiroshima" (extended version) – 6:44 :B1. "Hiroshima" (dub mix) – 3:08 :B2. " Heaven Can Wait" (US remix) – 7:11 * CD

maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

# "Hiroshima" (single version) – 4:11 # "Hiroshima" (extended version) – 6:44 # "Hiroshima" (dub mix) – 3:08 # " Heaven Can Wait" (US remix) – 7:11

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

* In 1982,

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

band

Puhdys The Puhdys () were a German rock band, formed in Oranienburg (Brandenburg), GDR, in 1969, although by then they had been performing together—with various lineups—as the Puhdys since 1965. Although they are especially popular in their nativ ...

released a single with a German-language version of the song. The cover appeared on their album ''Computer-Karriere''. * The song was also covered by German

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band

Freedom Call Freedom Call is a German power metal band formed in 1998. The band tours regularly and the current line-up includes two original members including lead vocalist and songwriter, Chris Bay. Freedom Call has released 12 albums in total, nine ...

and included in the special edition of their first live album ''

Live Invasion Freedom Call is a German power metal band formed in 1998. The band tours regularly and the current line-up includes two original members including lead vocalist and songwriter, Chris Bay. Freedom Call has released 12 albums in total, nine ...

'' (2004).

References

External links

"Hiroshima" by Wishful Thinking
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

"Hiroshima" by Sandra
at

{{Authority control 1970 songs 1971 singles 1990 singles Anti-war songs Atlantic Records singles Japan in non-Japanese culture Sandra (singer) songs Song recordings produced by Michael Cretu Songs about World War II Songs about nuclear war and weapons Works about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Songs based on actual events Songs written by David Scott-Morgan Virgin Records singles