Photo by David Gallard via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
Choosing a band name is a Zen-like exercise. It seems that the harder you look for one, the harder it is to find. This might be the reason that so many bands have ridiculous names. They had line-ups, they had sets, they may have had shows already booked, and club owners were asking, “So what do I call you?” Under pressure, musicians had to slap a name on their product.
How else do you explain “Pearl Jam,” “Hoobastank,” or “Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe”? Often, your perfect band name is staring right at you… in a review of your record or on the door to a public restroom, for example. Here are the surprising explanations behind a few famous names.
1. Daft Punk
Turning a negative into a positive, Daft Punk took their name from a bad review of their work under a previous name.
2. The Doors
Photo by Joel Brodsky via Wikimedia Commons
This perfectly hippie band name refers, of course, to the “doors of perception,” which is itself a reference to the poem “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by William Blake. It refers to the infinity of the universe and man’s inability to perceive it. Whoa, that’s heavy, dude.
3. Chumbawamba
It sounds like a nonsense word, and it is… but it’s a nonsense word that was used to label the bathrooms in a club. Instead of women and men, it was “wamba” and “chumba.” Which door would you choose?
4. The Rolling Stones
Photo by Andrea Sortarati via Flickr / CC BY 2.0
These icons cribbed a lot from American electric blues, including their name. “Rollin’ Stone” is a song by Muddy Waters (aka McKinley Morganfield). The groundbreaking music of Waters and his Chicago contemporaries was a huge influence on British acts from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd.
5. Brad
Photo by Sachin Mital via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
This cult-favorite alt-rock act used to be called Shame… but that name was already owned and copyrighted by musician Brad Wilson. Unable to reach an arrangement, they decided to title their debut album Shame and name their band Brad, dubiously honoring their copyright rival.
6. The Beatles
Image via Wikimedia Commons
A great example of a band with a silly name having a huge and influential career, the Beatles helped start the trend of English bands idolizing American rockers. They took this insect name in honor of Buddy Holly’s backing band, the Crickets.
7. Fugazi
Photo by Molly Stevens via Flickr / CC BY 2.0
The DC hardcore stalwarts took their name from Vietnam War slang. Contrary to popular word of mouth about the name, a “fugazi” does not simply mean a mistake or humorous screw-up; it’s an acronym, meaning “f’d up, got ambushed, zipped in” (to a body bag). Now that’s grim.
8. St. Vincent
Photo by Fred Von Lohmann via Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Guitarist and singer Annie Clark took her stage name from the song “There She Goes, My Everything” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It mentions Welsh writer Dylan Thomas who “died drunk in St. Vincent’s hospital.”
9. 311
Photo by Eli Watson via Flickr / CC BY 2.0
It’s not good if the police get called for a code 311, especially if your bandmates are the perpetrators. That’s the code for indecent exposure, and yes, the band did find out the hard way, being caught skinny-dipping in someone else’s pool.
10. Childish Gambino
Screencap via youtube.com
The rapper fed his real name (Donald Glover) into the infamous Wu-Tang Clan name generator and this is what came of it.
11. Linkin Park
Photo by Stefan Brending via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
One of many rock names that are purposely misspelled due to copyright issues, Linkin Park couldn’t afford to buy the domain “lincolnpark.com” which was already in use, so they reverted to bad English to get their point across.
Bonus: Fall Out Boy is another, because “Fallout Boy” was a copyrighted character on the TV show The Simpsons.
Next up: 8 Tips for a Strong Band Name
Jesse Sterling Harrison is an author, recording artist, and part-time farmer. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three daughters, and a herd of ducks.
