"Barrel of a Gun" is Depeche Mode's 31st UK single, released on 3 February 1997 (28 January in the US), and the first single from the band's ninth studio album Ultra.

"Barrel of a Gun" came after some difficult times for the band and its members. Musician Alan Wilder left the band in 1995. Lead singer Dave Gahan entered the hospital briefly in August 1995 after slashing his wrists in a suicide attempt, thought to be a result of his long battle with heroin addiction. In May 1996, Gahan overdosed on a speedball at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles, which resulted in his heart stopping for two minutes until he was revived by paramedics. The lyrics are thought to be an allusion to these events (and perhaps, how the media had portrayed Gahan at the time).

Martin Gore had a string of seizures as well as battling alcoholism, and Andy Fletcher was suffering from depression. In mid-1996, Gore tried to get Gahan and Fletcher interested in recording new Depeche Mode material by writing a few songs to promote interest in working together again. It worked, and the band were back together, except now as a trio again—the first time since 1982's A Broken Frame.

"Barrel of a Gun" brings back the industrial music sound, and is one of the band's darkest songs. Gore wasn't sure if it was going to be a big hit, and was reluctant to recommend this song as the first single. Gore did eventually recommend the song and it turned out the rest of band, Daniel Miller, and producer Tim Simenon agreed. It reached number 4 in the UK singles chart in 1997, which at the time was their highest chart position jointly with "People Are People", released in 1984. Since then, "Precious" has also reached number 4 in the UK, in 2005.

The B-side is a 7+ minute instrumental called "Painkiller", which reflects the new dirty-electronic, vaguely rock angle of the band. A condensed (2+ minute) version shows up as a hidden track on the Ultra album as "Junior Painkiller".

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