Barrel of a Gun is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released as the first single from their ninth studio album, Ultra (1997), on 3 February 1997. The song reached number one in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain and Sweden while reaching the top 10 in several other countries, including Finland, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom. In North America, the song reached number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30.

Critical reception:
Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, One of the true pioneering acts of electro-pop ends a lengthy break from the airwaves with a thoroughly satisfying if often caustic blend of techno synths and metallic guitars. Singer Dave Gahan has a field day digging into Martin Gore’s typically heavy lyrics, comfortably swerving back and forth between hypnotic lethargy to white-knuckled intensity. Producer Tim Simenon wisely underlines the track with the kind of hip-hop motion needed to crack the pop market, while carefully weaving the instrumentation so that rockers and clubheads alike can happily jam on this one—and they will. Dominic Pride from Music & Media noted that Depeche Mode serve up the sombre, industrial sound for which they’ve become huge in Europe, but with Simenon adding some open space to the production. He added that Gahan’s distorted vocals bring a touch of Nine Inch Nails to the party.

Music video:
The music video for the song, shot in Morocco by Anton Corbijn, features Gahan with long hair singing with his eyes closed, with eyeballs drawn on his eyelids to make it seem like they are open.