Here’s How 40 Iconic Bands Got Their Names

Dave Grohl Went Full Conspiracy Theorist With The Foo Fighters

Nerds and conspiracy theorists love the Foo Fighters as a result of they’re named after UFOs. Allied pilots used the time period “foo fighters” to explain mysterious plane that they could not make sure was the enemy.

Former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl started the band as a solo undertaking in 1994 after Kurt Cobain’s premature loss of life. Grohl has mentioned he was actually into studying about UFOs and that the books had a “treasure trove” of band names. He selected Foo Fighters as a result of he thought the plural may make individuals suppose it was extra than simply him within the band.

The Intercourse Pistols Had been Named After Their Sponsor

Like many different bands, The Intercourse Pistols identify developed slowly over a number of years. The unique core of the band was shaped in 1972 and named The Strand. In between reveals, the group spent a number of time at an “anti-fashion” S&M clothes retailer owned by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood known as Intercourse.

In 1974, McLaren turned the band’s supervisor. McLaren renamed the group after the store’s identify and added Pistols to the tip as a result of he mentioned he simply appreciated the sound of it. The identify caught and the band embodied the alt-rock punk vibes that it lends itself to.

30 Seconds To Mars Received Philosophical

Various rock band 30 Seconds To Mars are smarter than they appear. The identify got here after the band members seen an fascinating phrase in a thesis paper the place the creator mentioned that humanity was transferring so quick that they had been principally “thirty seconds to Mars.”

Effectively, the band appreciated the phrase and used it to symbolize a bunch of concepts. Over time the band members have associated the identify to Mars because the god of battle and mentioned in an interview that the identify is “lyrical, suggestive, cinematic, and stuffed with immediacy” similar to their songs.

Frankie (Blue Eyes) Goes To Hollywood

British new wave group, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, started because the Hollycausts however determined they wanted to tone down among the controversies. The band mentioned they practiced in a room the place there was a reducing from the entrance web page of The New Yorker hanging up. The headline on it mentioned “Frankie Goes To Hollywood” in reference to Frank Sinatra, and the remainder is historical past.

Effectively, sort of. The band caught with that identify and that story for a few years till lately when a couple of band members mentioned that “Frankie” was impressed by British singer Frankie Vaughan.

Jane’s Dependancy Was Truly About Jane’s Dependancy

In probably the worst tribute ever, rock band Jane’s Dependancy was really named after an actual individual named Jane with an actual drug dependancy. The band’s founder Perry Farrell had a roommate named Jane Bainter. In line with Farrell, when one thing went improper in the home, the working joke was in charge it on Jane’s dependancy.

The band additionally used her in for a tune, “Jane Says.” The tune describes Jane’s real-life issues, her heroin dependancy, and abusive drug-dealing boyfriend. Jane even lent her handwriting to the band’s album paintings. For all that inspiration, the true Jane by no means even noticed a dime.

Daft Punk Loves Their Critics

It is a bit stunning to listen to that one in every of electronic-pop duo Daft Punk’s most important influences is The Seaside Boys. The pair liked them a lot that they started their profession underneath the identify Darlin’, which was a Seaside Boys single in 1967.

They started releasing their groundbreaking music within the early Nineties, and never everybody appreciated it. One evaluate in journal Melody Maker trashed the duo and dubbed their music to be “daft punky thrash.” They thought the commentary was hilarious and selected to run with it and win a bunch of Grammys. Let the haters hate.

Alice Cooper Wished To Throw Off The Followers

“Godfather of Shock Rock” Alice Cooper selected his stage identify properly. Born Vincent Damon Furnier, the singer initially selected the identify to entrance the band. Tales have claimed that the spooky group was named after a ghostly spirit that they “met” throughout an Ouija board session.

Cooper himself says that is an city legend that individuals solely believed due to the band’s picture. Cooper mentioned that they needed a reputation that did not match with how they sounded. To them, a reputation like Alice Cooper appeared like a grandmother greater than a shock rock band.

Blink-182 Simply Wanted To Keep away from A Lawsuit

Blink-182 acquired their identify the best way a stunning quantity of bands do: to keep away from a lawsuit. The band recorded their first album underneath simply the identify Blink, however sadly for them, an Irish band had the identical identify and had launched an album simply months earlier than them.

Blink was compelled to vary and added the “182” to the tip. An city legend says that the 182 stands for the variety of occasions Al Pachino drops the f-bomb in Scarface nevertheless it has by no means been confirmed. By all accounts, the “182” is fairly meaningless.

The Velvet Underground Had been The Authentic 50 Shades Of Gray

The Velvet Underground wasn’t very well-known throughout their unique run between 1964 and 1973 as a result of, in all actually, they had been means forward of their time. The band combined rock with the Avante-Garde, which wasn’t stunning since Andy Warhol managed them for a couple of years.

Their identify is as surprising and Avante-Garde for the time too. The band was impressed by a novel known as The Velvet Underground, which explored many grownup themes. In 1967, that was not going to endear the general public, however within the Nineties, they’d grow to be worshipped as pioneers in various music.

Jethro Tull Modified Their Identify Every Week

One-of-a-kind blues-rock band, Jethro Tull, acquired their identify as a result of they could not ebook a repeat present. The group was struggling to get invitations again to a venue and started to suppose up a brand new identify every week in order that bookers would not comprehend it was the band who performed the weekend earlier than.

They ended up hiring an agent to ebook their reveals till at some point that agent booked the band underneath the identify Jethro Tull, after the 18th-century British farmer who invented the horse-drawn seed drill. Tull won’t precisely be the face of rock music, however underneath that identify the band booked their first repeat gig and noticed it as an indication to maintain the identify.

KISS Is not An Acronym

Anybody that grew up with KISS has a special thought of what it might stand for. The preferred concept is that it is an acronym for “Knight’s In Devil’s Service.” Others suppose it might stand for “Hold It Easy, Silly.”

The band members have denied all guesses that the phrase is an acronym. The extra seemingly model is that they named the band KISS after assembly a member of a band named Lips. Nobody is bound why they selected to capitalize the phrase, however all it has achieved was open up the band to hundreds of hypotheses.

Queens Of The Stone Age Need To Rock With The Girls Of The World

The choice rock group, Queens of the Stone Age, are notable for interesting to a number of completely different populations. From the midwest bluegrass to ’70s energy rockers, all of the band was lacking was the feminine demographic. In line with the band’s lead singer Josh Homme, their identify was a aware alternative as a result of “Kings could be too macho.”

The band needed a reputation that might be “heavy sufficient for the boys and candy sufficient for the women.” Not precisely essentially the most inclusive, however we won’t blame them for making an attempt. It will need to have labored although as a result of they had been even praised by Rolling Stone for his or her means to enchantment to the plenty.

The Weeknd Left House Ceaselessly On A Weekend

Chart-topping R&B singer, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye modified his identify to The Weeknd for a fairly sentimental motive. The singer informed a Reddit Ask Me Something that he adopted the identify when he was 17 and dropped out of college then left house for good on a weekend.

What in regards to the lacking E although? As common with singers, it was dropped due to a copyright concern. A Canadian band already existed known as The Weekend, so as a substitute of getting to brainstorm a brand new identify he simply dropped the E. With out the E the identify seems to be means cooler, so it labored out in his favor.

Folks Thought Pleasure Division Had been Nazi Sympathizers

It is a shock to many once they hear that Pleasure Division named themselves after part of Nazi focus camps. In WW2, the “pleasure division” of a camp was what Nazi’s known as the world of focus camps the place all of the youthful ladies had been held in. It is because most of the officers would go to the world to assault the younger ladies.

The band mentioned they needed a reputation that associated to WW2 as a result of a number of their dad and mom fought throughout it, and so they needed to pay homage to the battle, however selecting Pleasure Division actually would not look like it was the best choice.

Bob Dylan Simply Knew His Actual Identify Would By no means Take Off

Solely the die-hard Dylan followers will know that his final identify is not really Dylan. Born Robert Zimmerman, the singer-songwriter started performing in his late teenagers underneath his unique identify. His biographer wrote that the singer was an enormous fan actor Matt Dillon and selected to undertake his final identify. The identify was modified from Dillon to Dylan after the singer learn the works of poet Dylan Thomas.

Dylan has at all times been trustworthy that he knew the identify given to him was not fitted to him. And, let’s be trustworthy, Robert Zimmerman would not have the identical ring to it so it was a great name to undertake the identify change.

The Barenaked Women Can Thank Bob Dylan For Their Identify

Even when you do not know in regards to the treasure of Canadian alt-rock, everybody seems to be twice once they learn this band’s unusual identify. Steven Web page and Ed Robertson, the 2 founders of the Barenaked Women, had been attending a Bob Dylan live performance in Toronto in 1988. The 2 acquired bored and started brainstorming some band names to move the time.

Quick-forward a couple of months later, Robertson entered right into a battle of the bands and needed to give you a reputation for his makeshift identify on the fly, and “Barenaked Women” stood out in his reminiscence from the Dylan live performance. Web page could not consider Robertson really used that identify, nevertheless it has served them nicely. I imply, what different bands usually function an electrical double bass and may pull it off?

Stone Temple Pilots Reverse-Engineered An Acronym

Generally it is not the identify that comes first, however an acronym. The grunge-rock band signed to their first file deal underneath the identify Mighty Joe Younger however the file label needed them to vary it. In line with the band members, they had been impressed by STP Motor Oil and liked the initials, however wanted to connect some phrases to it.

They performed round with a bunch of choices together with “Shirley Temple’s [expletive]” and “Stereo Temple Pirates” and Smelly Bathroom Paper” till they lastly landed on Stone Temple Pilots. So as to add some extra enjoyable, STP can also be a slang time period for a psychedelic drug.

Weapons N’ Roses Had been Simply Plain Lazy

The legendary rockers might have had some fairly inventive and masterful songs, however their band identify was fairly uncreative. Lead singer Axl Rose and guitarist Izzy Stradlin had been within the band Hollywood Rose. Stradlin had a roommate in a band known as L.A. Weapons who wanted a brand new lead singer.

The 2 bands joined forces and mixed the names in Weapons and Roses. They ultimately determined the “and” was too wordy and adjusted it to Weapons N’ Roses. Combining the 2 names might sound lazy however their different concepts weren’t superb. Some rejected names had been “AIDS” and “Heads of Amazon.”

Duran Duran Was Named After A Horny Sci-Fi Movie

Duran Duran shaped in 1978 and started performing small gigs round England. One membership that they performed at typically was known as Barbarella’s, which was named after a 1968 sci-fi movie. Within the movie, Jane Fonda (sure, Jane Fonda) performs Barbarella, an attractive house adventurer who’s tasked with discovering the mad scientist who invented a superweapon laser.

That scientist was Mr. Durand Durand. He wasn’t the nicest man and at one level even tried to kill Barbarella by inserting her in a machine that kills the individual with “deadly sexual pleasure.” Possibly Duran Duran was simply making an attempt to offer the world extreme pleasure of their music.

Linkin Park’s Identify Was A Matter Of Practicality

Linkin Park’s iconic identify really finds its origins in California. The platinum-selling artists named their band after Lincoln Park in Santa Monica. The identify was created by Chester Bennington, the beloved lead singer who sadly handed away in July 2017.

Chester would drive previous Lincoln Park on his option to the studio however came upon that the net area for Lincoln Park was already taken. As an alternative, they altered the spelling. It was merely a matter of practicality.

Arcade Fireplace Received Their Identify From A Literal Arcade Fireplace…Possibly

Arcade Fireplace’s identify is nearly as impossibly hip because the band’s stay reveals. Bear in mind once they needed to set a gown code for a rock efficiency? Why not? Frontman Win Butler admitted that he named his stadium indie rock undertaking after a literal fireplace in an arcade. Butler isn’t certain whether or not or not the story is a real one, however in his thoughts, this arcade positively lit up.

“It’s based mostly on a narrative that somebody informed me. It’s not an precise occasion, however one which I took to be actual. I might say that it’s in all probability one thing that the child made up, however on the time I believed him,” he informed Pitchfork.

What The Heck Does Chumbawamba Imply?

Chumbawamba dominated airwaves with their 1997 hit “Tubthumping.” It was sufficient to boost a band constructed on punk beliefs to mainstream success – if just for a second. Tubthumper hit quantity three on the Billboard 200 and bought over 3.2 million information, however the band left many ’90s kids questioning, “what the heck does that identify imply?”

Chumbawamba’s identify could also be one of many largest mysteries of the ’90s, nevertheless it’s really fairly easy. It’s pure nonsense that was used to label loos in a membership. The ladies’s room was “wamba” and the lads’s was “chumba.” Chumbawamba featured vocals from women and men, so it is sensible.

Vampire Weekend Was Initially The Identify Of A Movie Challenge

The indie rock band that principally outlined Pitchfork’s sound choice for the higher a part of the early 2000s shaped at Columbia College. It additionally took that Ivy League sense of dedication to give you a reputation. Whereas in faculty, frontman Ezra Koenig was engaged on a movie undertaking titled Vampire Weekend (this was again when Twilight was tremendous stylish and vampires had been the “it” monster).

The movie adopted a person named Walcot who needed to save Cape Cod from a vampire invasion. Koenig by no means completed his movie, however he did borrow the identify for his model new band. Walcot even acquired his personal tune.

Daft Punk Impressed Phoenix

In case you like Phoenix, you have to be kissing the bottom Daft Punk walks on. Although the bands sound nothing alike, Phoenix couldn’t have existed with out the French digital duo – at the least not the identify. Earlier than Phoenix launched their first album, guitarist Lauren Brancowitz was in a band with Daft Punkers Thomas Bangalter and Man-Manuel de Homem-Christo known as Darlin’.

Darlin’ ultimately broke up and lead Bangalter and Man-Manuel to idiot round with digital music. Brancowitz went on to kind an unnamed indie rock undertaking. When Daft Punk launched Homework, the tune “Phoenix” impressed Brancowitz and he adopted the identify. Pheonix started releasing singles in 1999 and dropped their debut album United in 2000.

Eddie Vedder’s Grandma’s Jam Impressed The Identify Pearl Jam

Nineties rock legends Pearl Jam haven’t been utterly upfront over the best way they landed on their iconic identify. Generally it’s reported that the band was named after the peyote jam Eddie Vedder’s great-grandmother used to make. It’s additionally reported that they’re named after NBA star Mookie Blaylock’s nickname. It’s additionally slang for male ejaculation, however Vedder completely denies that one. Vedder claimed they named themselves Pearl Jam merely due to how pearls are made.

“The identify is in reference to the pearl itself … and the pure course of from which a pearl comes from. Principally, taking excrement or waste and turning it into one thing stunning,” he mentioned. This isn’t actually correct contemplating pure pearls are shaped when an irritant (like a parasite) finds its means inside an oyster, however who’s going to inform him? He’s a musician, not a marine biologist!

Aerosmith’s Identify Was Rejected By Bandmates

Joey Kramer really got here up with the identify Aerosmith earlier than he ever performed with Stephen Tyler or Joe Perry. He was listening to Harry Nilsson’s “Aerial Ballet” together with his girlfriend when the couple determined to ring off cool, fictional band names that had the phrase “aero” in them.

He stumbled upon Aerosmith however the band he was in on the time rejected his thought. As quickly as Kramer joined up with the poisonous twins, he satisfied them to make use of the band identify, however he first needed to guarantee them that it didn’t have something to do with Arrowsmith, the Sinclair Lewis novel they learn in highschool.

The Identify Def Leppard Occurred Earlier than The Band Even Shaped

Def Leppard rose to fame with their 1981 album Excessive n’ Dry and rapidly turned one of many bands to outline Eighties hair metallic. Hysteria, the band’s fourth album, has been licensed platinum 12 occasions and bought over 25 million copies worldwide. Like Aerosmith, the identify Def Leppard occurred earlier than the band Def Leppard occurred.

Throughout English class, singer Joe Elliot wrote critiques of imaginary bands. Certainly one of these imaginary bands was known as “Deaf Leopard.” The identify sounds fairly darn heavy, so Tony Kenning, the percussionist within the band’s unique lineup, instructed altering the spelling to make it sound much less punk.

Chvrches Was Drained Of Competing With Jesus In Web Searches

Scottish indie pop band Chvrches is a reputation born within the Web age the place search energy is virtually foreign money. The band picked the identify “Church buildings” for the very unglamorous motive many bands select their names – it simply sounds cool. Lauren Mayberry, the undertaking’s high-energy frontwoman, mentioned their identify “has no spiritual connotation, [they] simply thought it sounded cool.” So the place did the “V” come about?

The band was “drained” of competing with Jesus on Web searches, and in Amy Burrows’ single paintings for the band, the U already seemed like a V. One swap and so they had been immediately searchable on Google. Drawback solved.

The Rolling Stones Had been Impressed By Muddy Waters

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards first met at major college in Dartford, England. Collectively, the pair went on to revolutionize rock music, however they didn’t begin out that means. Earlier than the Rolling Stones ever existed, the band was known as Blues, Inc. They reduce a demo that was mercilessly rejected by EMI and drummer Tony Chapman left to go to artwork college.

It was round this time that the band determined to vary their identify. Muddy Waters was a huge affect on the band’s blues-tinged rock ‘n’ roll. They determined to call their band after his tune “Rollin’ Stone” — and the remainder is historical past.

P!ATD Took Their Identify From A Band Referred to as Identify Taken

Panic! At The Disco had a type of names that epitomized Myspace-era emo – the random punctuation and the truth that it was nearly a whole sentence by itself. Some individuals consider the identify was taken from “Panic” by the ’80s British pop band The Smiths. This isn’t the case.

In line with singer Brendon Urie (who now stars in Kinky Boots on Broadway), the identify comes from “Panic,” a tune by the U.S. indie band Identify Taken. The lyrics go “Panic on the disco/Sat again and took it sluggish/Are you nervous?/Are you shaking?” Relaxation assured, there’s no means an artist as well-versed as Urie doesn’t see the irony in the truth that he took his band identify from a band known as Identify Taken.

Fall Out Boy Received Their Identify From The Simpsons

Earlier than Fall Out Boy ever thanked you for the mmrs, the band had been younger musicians with out a identify. That they had the drive, that they had the songs, and so they even performed the reveals, however the identify was an afterthought. It wasn’t till they performed their second gig {that a} fan would rechristen them “Fall Out Boy” after a personality in The Simpsons.

The incident occurred when singer Pete Wentz had modified their identify to one thing extra mental for his or her second gig. As quickly as the brand new identify rolled off his tongue, a fan screamed, “[expletive] that! No, you’re Fall Out Boy!” It was what it was. Some issues are supposed to be.

Rivers Cuomo Has Bronchial asthma, Begins Weezer

Weezer’s identify got here out swinging from the trenches of an elementary college playground. It was a type of endearing insults kids so carelessly throw round earlier than they study that you just shouldn’t make enjoyable of individuals (at the least to their faces!).

Rising up, singer Rivers Cuomo suffered from bronchial asthma, and in consequence, his buddies (and certain a couple of playground bullies) would name him “Weezer.” It was a nickname he was unable to shake and the proper identify for a band so closely rooted in nerd tradition and faculty radio rock. Weezer proves {that a} bully’s insult might simply rework right into a platinum-selling artist with a decades-long profession so long as you have got the fitting spin.

The 1975 Had Almost 10 Different Names

The 1975 went by a number of completely different incarnations since frontman Matty Healy assembled the band in 2002. Their most acknowledged former identify is Drive Like I Do (and a pair music movies of beforehand launched, pre-1975 tracks are nonetheless floating round YouTube). Additionally they glided by Me And You Versus Them, Ceaselessly Having fun with Intercourse, Talkhouse, The Slowdown, and Bigsleep. As Drive Like I Do, the band usually carried out Fall Out Boy covers and wrote among the 1975’s largest hits (that sounded barely much less like hits with out the label’s recording price range). The 1975 stumbled upon their eventual identify in a ebook of beat poetry Healy acquired from an artist.

“On the again web page there have been a great deal of suicidal messages and it was dated ‘1st June, The 1975’,” he informed Fame Journal. “The usage of the phrase ‘The’ previous the date actually caught with me.”

Pink Floyd Combines The Names Of Two Blues Musicians

Pink Floyd is one other artist who’s gone by a litany of names. One of the regrettable was “Tea Set” (yup, it could at all times be worse). Again when Pink Floyd was known as Tea Set, they discovered themselves on a invoice with a band that had the identical identify – what are the percentages?

In a pinch, one of many members got here up with another: The Pink Floyd Sound. The identify got here from two blues musicians – Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. The band flip-flopped between Tea Set and The Pink Floyd Sound till they lastly settled on The Pink Floyd. “The” wasn’t dropped till the ’70s.

System Of A Down Is Poetic

You don’t ever anticipate actual, real poetry to be flowing from a rap-rock band like System of a Down, however the band’s guitarist Daron Malakian is definitely a poet. He wrote the very poem that led to the band’s iconic identify. The poem was known as “Victims of a Down.”

“It comes from a poem our guitarist, Daron [Malakian], had written known as ‘Victims Of A Down’. He introduced it to us and ‘System’ was chosen as a greater, stronger phrase as a result of it makes it into the ‘complete’ as a substitute of the individuals particularly. It’s the society,” mentioned singer Serj Tankian in an interview.

Chubby Checker Wished To Rival Fat Domino

Chubby Checker invented the twist, a dance transfer that’s stored alive on the dance flooring of weddings and bar mitzvahs. The Fifties rocker’s dance strikes had been as soon as a reliable craze again within the days when Fat Domino dominated the airwaves.

Ernest Evans considered his identify to rival his up to date Fat Domino, who had eleven prime 10 hits between 1955 and 1960. Evans already had the nickname “Chubby” and determined to offer himself the surname “Checker.” It was an excellent transfer which helped launch the artist into huge success and pave the best way for contemporary rock ‘n’ roll.

Lana Del Rey Is not Her Actual Identify

Earlier than she was Lana Del Rey, she was Elizabeth Grant. However for Grant, she needed her music to evoke particular emotions, and her identify needed to evoke these emotions too. So, the “Summertime Disappointment” singer envisioned a reputation to form her music round.

“I needed a reputation I might form the music in direction of,” Grant informed Vogue journal. “I used to be going to Miami quite a bit on the time, talking a number of Spanish with my buddies from Cuba – Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside.”

Coldplay Was Nearly Referred to as Starfish

Coldplay is already an obscure identify, however frontman Chris Martin needed the group to be known as Starfish. However when Martin’s fellow good friend and musician who was in a band named Coldplay ditched the identify, Martin requested if his group might use it.

The unique Coldplay too their identify from an anthology of youngsters’s poem known as Youngster’s Reflections: Chilly Play. Right this moment, the second Coldplay has bought greater than 72 million albums worldwide.

Film Subtitles Impressed !!! (Chk Chk Chk)

!!! is already one of many weirder band names on the market, prompting almost everybody to marvel how their identify is even pronounced. Unsurprisingly, the origin of the band’s identify is simply as obscure because the identify itself.

The post-punk group acquired their identify from the ’80s South African film known as

The Gods Should Be Loopy. Within the fil, the Khoisan language was subtitled utilizing solely a collection of exclamation factors. The band thought it was fascinating and selected ‘!!!’ in consequence. For these questioning, it is pronounced “chk, chk, chk.”