Wouldn’t That Be A Great Band Name?
I know you've had this thought at least once... you and your friends are sitting around, drinking a few brewskis (or shooters or whatever it is you drink). One of your friends says something completely off the wall and you think, "that'd be a great band name." Oddly enough, that is how some of the best known bands get their names. Other bands have their names chosen for them by record producers or managers (how boring). In the end, how a band gets its name seems to be as different from one band to the next as their various playing styles. Here is a comprehensive list, in alphabetical order, of some of the most popular bands in recent history and where their names come from. I admit that the list itself is not particularly weird, but the way some of the bands ended up with their current names definitely is.
Comments
AC/DC - not very shocking, if you ask me
David Bowie - I always thought him to be quite sharp
Cream - I'm surprised it's not a sexual reference
David Bowie - I always thought him to be quite sharp
Cream - I'm surprised it's not a sexual reference
Posted by Matt in Florida on 06/03/09 at 10:58 AM
Green Day - A "green day" is an entire day spent smoking marijuana. (Obviously something the band enjoys 😉)
Judas Priest - Named after Bob Dylan's song The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest from the 1967 John Wesley Harding album. (Yup, Bob Dylan. Not who you first think of when you think Judas Priest.)
Megadeth - An American military term standing for "one million deaths". (Although I doubt they spell it the same.)
Queen - Originally called Smile, singer Freddie Mercury came up with this new name for the band. To the band members, Queen sounded regal, universal, simple and humorous in a risqué way. Later on, Mercury's declared homosexuality made the name even more risqué. (Smile? Seriously? Anyone think they would be as famous today if they had kept that name?)
Sid Vicious - The name came from an ironic joke involving the name of John Lydon's (aka Johnny Rotten) pet hamster "Sid," which had apparently bitten Sid and subsequently been dubbed "Vicious" by him. (A hamster. Go figure.)
Judas Priest - Named after Bob Dylan's song The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest from the 1967 John Wesley Harding album. (Yup, Bob Dylan. Not who you first think of when you think Judas Priest.)
Megadeth - An American military term standing for "one million deaths". (Although I doubt they spell it the same.)
Queen - Originally called Smile, singer Freddie Mercury came up with this new name for the band. To the band members, Queen sounded regal, universal, simple and humorous in a risqué way. Later on, Mercury's declared homosexuality made the name even more risqué. (Smile? Seriously? Anyone think they would be as famous today if they had kept that name?)
Sid Vicious - The name came from an ironic joke involving the name of John Lydon's (aka Johnny Rotten) pet hamster "Sid," which had apparently bitten Sid and subsequently been dubbed "Vicious" by him. (A hamster. Go figure.)
Posted by Nethie on 06/03/09 at 01:31 PM
The origin of Steely Dan is by far my favorite
"Being fans of Beat Generation literature, vocalist Donald Fagen and guitarist Walther Becker named the band after a steam-alimented dildo mentioned in the 1959 William Burroughs novel Naked Lunch"
"Being fans of Beat Generation literature, vocalist Donald Fagen and guitarist Walther Becker named the band after a steam-alimented dildo mentioned in the 1959 William Burroughs novel Naked Lunch"
Posted by Matt in Florida on 06/03/09 at 01:40 PM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.
Category: Art | Entertainment | Music | Odd Names