I just finished reading the fascinating and amusing e-book (2019) by Adam Dolgins – “The Big Book Of Rock And Roll Names”. The 190-page e-book lists the quirky and hilarious origins of 536 band names, listed alphabetically.
Most of the time, for starters, bands didn’t have a name. Fate would have it that when they were about to be famous, sign a contract, hit the stage – they would be in desperate need to hastily come up (within seconds) with a band name, with equally hasty consensus from the band members.
The lesson learnt is that whatever ridiculous name a band choses, if they make it BIG, their chosen name will become a respected brand name. Case in point – The Beatles, named after an insect, with a beat. On with the show!
I list below some of my favourite amusing origins of band names. I include quirky excerpts from Adam Dolgins’ delightful and entertaining book.
Spandau Ballet
“During the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany in the 1930’s, Spandau Prison was used to hold Hitler’s opponents. “”Spandau Ballet” refers to the method of hangings at the prison that would cause victims to drop suddenly and jerk violently.”
Whitesnake
In 1976, ex-Deep Purple singer David Coverdale recorded his first solo album, titled “White Snake” which featured the song “Whitesnake”. It included the lyrics, “Got a whitesnake mama/you want to shake it mama/ come and let it crawl on you.” If there was any any ambiguity about what a “whitesnake” might be, when asked point-blank by a fan, Coverdale said, “Whitesnake is named after my willy … What’s yours called?”.
The Pogues
Formed in 1981, the band began as Pogue Mahone, which is Gaelic for “kiss my arse”.
Simply Red
“Hucknall decided to try singing one night at the nightclub where he was working as a disc jockey. When the manager asked how he wanted to be billed, he replied, “Just “Red””, a nickname given to him as a child because of his bright red hair. “What was that?” the manager asked. “Simply “Red” he replied, and the rest is history.”
Little Feat
The name was inspired by Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention’s drummer Jimmy Carl Black, who used to tease Lowell George’s “little feet”.
Neon Trees
The band took their name from the neon trees on a sign at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant where lead singer Tyler Glenn and guitarist Chis Allen grew up in Murrieta, California.
In a strange coincidence, the band later learned that bassist Branden Campbell’s father, Steve, installed the neon trees at the very same In-N-Out Burger that inspired the name while working for a Las Vegas-based sign company.
Stone Temple Pilots
One day, inspired by the logo for STP motor oil spotted on a bumper sticker at Weiland’s apartment, the band decided to change their name to three words beginning with the initials STP. Shirley Temple’s Pussy eventually lost to Stone Temple Pilots.
Nickelback
The band name was suggested by bass player Mike Kroeger who worked in a coffee shop. “A lot of people would come into the coffee shop to purchase a coffee that was for $1.45 and would give me $1.50 and very often I would find myself saying, “Here’s your nickel back””. The band thought it was a good band name.
The 1975
According to Matty Healy, when he was about nineteen he came across an artist in Majorca and whilst in the artist’s home, he caught sight of a book with the words “1st June. The 1975” on a page. “It was the perfect band name.”
Scritti Politti
The band took their name from an Italian phrase meaning “political texts”.
Night Ranger
Drummer and vocalist Kelly Keagy shared, “It’s about a guy named Eddie who was a homeless man in San Francisco that used to hang out around the clubs we played. Eddie was homeless, but he took care of other homeless people. Everyone called him the Night Ranger, and when we met him and got to know him and what he was about, he was really an inspiration to us.”
Hot Tuna
Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassady formed a splinter group from Jefferson Airplane in 1968, originally calling the band “Hot Shit” before renaming it “Hot Tuna” at the record label’s insistence.
Stiff Little Fingers
The band christened themselves Stiff Little Fingers from a song of the same name by the Vibrators that includes the lyrics, “If it wasn’t for your stiff little fingers, nobody would know you’re dead.”
Third Eye Blind
The name not only refers to the metaphysical third eye in Eastern religions, “but it’s also kind of taking the piss out of that phoney spiritual thing. Third Eye Blind has always been about real things.”, Stephan Jenkins said.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Despite rumours, the band’s name is not a musical reference to the Beatles’ “She loves you, yeah yeah, yeah.” Singer and pianist Karen O explained: “It’s something you’ll commonly hear in New York City. I don’t know if it’s, like, a neurotic thing or it’s a remark, like “Yeah yeah yeah, whatever,” you know?”
Soul Coughing
“The name is taken from a poem Doughty once wrote about Neil Young throwing up in the back of a bus. Doughty claims the only good thing about the poem was its title, and so he used it when forming his band. When Soul Coughing performed with Neil Young at the 1997 HORDE Festival, neither party mentioned it.”
Yo La Tengo
The band’s love for the New York Mets helped inspire their name when they formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. The name has its origin in an anecdote from the team’s first season in 1962 when among other mishaps, centerfielder Richie Ashburn and shortstop Elio Chacon, frequently collided chasing popups. Ashton would yell, “I got it!” only to run into Chacon, who grew up in Venezuela and didn’t speak English. Ashburn learned to shout “Yo la tengo’ – Spanish for “I have it” or “I’ve got her” – and was pleased to see Chacon back off in a game as a ball was hit in his direction. Ashton got into position to make the catch only to have leftfielder Frank Thomas barrel into him. Thomas, who didn’t speak Spanish, reportedly said to Ashburn after the collision, “What the hell is a yellow tango?”
Lightning Seeds
“Prince sang this line, “The thunder drowns out what the lightning sees”, but I heard it as “the lightning seeds””, drummer Budgie explains.
Real Estate
The indie band from New York City chose the name because singer and guitarist Martin Courtney was studying for his real estate license at the time. His parents ran a real estate agency and whose home the band often practiced, encouraged him and the rest of the band to get real estate licenses in case their careers on music didn’t pan out.”
Ten Years After
The band name is a reference to the birth of rock and roll a decade earlier.
I hope the above 20 juicy stories of how famous bands got their quirky names will inspire you to purchase Adam Dolgin’s enjoyable book – “The Big Book Of Rock And Roll Names” to read the rest of the 516 fascinating origins of band names.
