The Inspiration Behind 11 Famous Band Names

For many bands, the most difficult part of the creative process is not composing songs or writing lyrics, it is coming up with a band name that represents the band as a whole. Since a band’s name is often the first impression a listener gets, its success or failure, persistence or transience, relies heavily on the stickiness and marketability of their name. Led Zepplin, The Beatles and AC/DC are some of the most well-known and iconic names in the music industry. But, where did their names come from? Well, here are some of the stories behind some of the most memorable names in our music lexicon.

Led Zeppelin

Few can deny the impact Led Zeppelin has had on rock and roll music, but the band’s name comes from a comment that suggested the opposite would occur. When Jimmy Page asked Keith Moon and John Entwistle of The Who if they wanted to start a band, the two stated that such a group would work out about as well as a “lead balloon.” “Balloon” was replaced with “Zeppelin” for emphasis and the “a” was removed from “Lead” to prevent mispronunciation, thus giving us “Led Zeppelin” and one of the most influencial rock groups of all time.

The Smiths

In a musical era that saw bands with names like Bananarama and INXS, The Smiths stand apart because of a name that is rather, well, ordinary. And ordinary is just what they were aiming for. When asked why he chose the name in an interview with Melody Maker magazine, Morrissey replied, “because it was the most ordinary name and I think it’s time the ordinary folk of the world showed their faces.” In an effort to have his band stand out from the rest, Morrissey decided to go with a name that would turn heads for its simplicity, not for its complexity. And he succeeded.

Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys started as a hardcore punk band that was inspired by fellow punk group Black Flag before becoming the hip-hop icons that they are today. Their name also shares its roots in the punk subculture, as “Beastie” is actually an acronym that stands for “Boys Entering Anarchist States Towards Internal Excellence.” They may have ditched the punk style of music, but they kept the name and turned it into one of the most well known names in hip-hop.

AC/DC

AC/DC helped pioneer heavy metal music with the aid of their literally and figuratively powerful name. The name originated when brothers Angus and Malcolm young saw the abbreviation printed on the back of a sewing machine (or a vacuum cleaner, depending on who you ask). The brothers did not know what the letters stood for, but they knew they had something to do with power and electricity. And thus, the band AC/DC was born, by accident and out of ignorance. It’s a good thing they were able to live up to their own lofty expectations.

Bob Dylan

Did you know that Bob Dylan’s name was not Bob Dylan? In fact, it wasn’t even Robert Dylan; it was Robert Allen Zimmerman. While performing at a coffee shop near the University of Minnesota, Robert Zimmerman first introduced himself as Bob Dylan, and the rest is history. The poet Dylan Thomas, from whom Bob Dylan drew his lyrical inspiration, inspired the name change. When asked about the name change in an interview with CBS news, Bob Dylan responded, “You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free.”

Chumbawamba

Few names are as memorable, or confusing, as Chumbawamba. The members of the British group, who only saw major success in the United States with their single “Tubthumping,” have given a number of explanations for their band name over the years. One story claims that the name comes from one band member’s dream in which the signs on the bathroom doors read “Chumba” and “Wamba” rather than “Men” and “Women.” Another story claims that the word originated when a monkey typed it on a typewriter during an experiment. Chumbawamba themselves were once quoted as saying “Chumbawamba doesn’t mean anything,” and, regardless of which story is true, they were right.

Pearl Jam

When one thinks about the grunge/alternative music scene of the early 1990’s, one of two names is bound to come to mind: Nirvana or Pearl Jam. Yet, if the members of Pearl Jam had had it their way, the names coming to mind would be Nirvana and Mookie Blaylock. When Pearl Jam first formed, they named themselves Mookie Blaylock, after the former all-american basketball player who’s Oklahoma University teams were some of the highest scoring in NCAA history. But after they signed with Epic Records, they changed their name to Pearl Jam to avoid any trademark disputes. Where the name Pearl Jam came from is still a mystery. One story says that Jeff Ament came up with the name Pearl, but the band decided to use Pearl Jam after watching a Neil Young jam session. Another, much more entertaining story, but one that was admittedly made up by Eddie Vedder himself, claims that Pearl Jam was named after Vedder’s great-grandma Pearl’s recipe for peyote jam.

Black Flag

The members of Black Flag are known around the punk world as some of the earliest pioneers of the hardcore punk sub-genre. Yet, the origin of the band’s name is much less well known. Some claim that their logo, four black bars that form a black flag, came first, and the name followed suit. Others claim that it was influenced by Black Sabbath, one of the bands from which they drew influence. Others still believe that the name came from the black flag as a symbol for anarchy. The most entertaining story, however, states that Black Flag named themselves after the pesticide of the same name, even going so far as to create buttons that read “Black Flag kills Ants” to hand out at an Adam Ant show.

The Beatles

If anyone had a bigger impact on rock music than Led Zeppelin, it was The Beatles. And, just as many who were influenced by The Beatles would go on to forms bands with names inspired by the Fab Four, The Beatles got the inspiration for their name from a band that influenced them. The name “The Beatles” is a nod to Buddy Holly and The Crickets, though it’s spelling was not always set in stone; the gang also tried out “The Beetles,” “The Beatals” and “The Silver Beatles” before settling on the current spelling. One story regarding this spelling decision claims that John Lennon had a vision in which a flying pie told him, “You are Beatles with an ‘A,’” while another claims that Lennon was simply combining the words “beetles” and “beat.”

Hot Water Music

Though not as well known as the other bands on this list, Hot Water Music has had a profound impact on contemporary punk music. They derived their band name from a Charles Bukowski short story collection of the same name. The short story collection focuses heavily on the themes of sex, drugs and gambling, three themes that lend themselves perfectly to the world of punk rock and rock and roll in general.

Grateful Dead

The members of the Grateful Dead are some of the forefathers of psychedelic and improvisational rock and roll. Their name also has one of the most interesting literal definitions in all of music. In fact, according to a number of stories, the Grateful Dead got their name when Jerry Garcia found the phrase in a dictionary. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a “grateful dead” is character that appears in folktales from cultures around the world, and that this character is “the spirit of a deceased person who bestows benefits on the one responsible for his burial.” What better name could there be for a band whose members have become characters in the folklore of American music?

What are some of the stories behind your favorite band names? Let us know in the comments section below!