# Guess the band by the origin of its name. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 4, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502 "2011-03-04T18:17:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/81 "2011-03-07T15:59:41Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > 1. This band named itself after an early model of pickup truck, one that became very popular among fire departments in the 1930s. REO Speedwagon. 1. This all-girl group took its name from the street on which their first rehearsal space was located. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/82 "2011-03-07T16:08:57Z")
1. All Saints ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/83 "2011-03-07T16:13:56Z")
1. Supposedly, this duo got its name when an engineer employed by their label marked their demo tape for deletion. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/84 "2011-03-07T16:15:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 1. All Saints The answer I was looking for was Sleater-Kinney, but wikipedia informs me that this is also correct. Partial credit. 1. This California-based group borrowed part of its name from an old slogan for Olympia beer. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/85 "2011-03-07T16:25:02Z")
Smapti got #51- it is REO Speedwagon. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/86 "2011-03-07T16:42:19Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > 1. This California-based group borrowed part of its name from an old slogan for Olympia beer. I’m really curious about this one. I grew up in Olympia Beer territory (even toured the brewery once, as it was located in the same city where my aunts lived), and I’m familiar with the slogans “It’s the Water” (the oldest, most well-known slogan) and the “I seen 'em” campaign based on the fictional race of Artesians (derived from the artesian spring water supposedly used to make the beer). But neither of those rings a bell as far as band names. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/87 "2011-03-07T20:13:35Z")
1. This band was named for a member’s cat, whose name was Latin for “Beyond those things.” 2. This group took its name from a recurring Junior Sample sketch on “Hee Haw.” ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/88 "2011-03-07T20:21:09Z")
1. This band was named after an American expansionist slogan. **54-40**. The slogan was 54-40 or fight, which [according to wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Allen_(governor)) was an anti-expansion slogan put forward by opponents of US senator William Allen and the Western Democrat expansionists. > [@](#): > > He suggested that the United States should be prepared to go to war with the United Kingdom in order to annex the entire Oregon Country up to Russian-owned Alaska at latitude 54°40′N (fifty-four forty). This position ultimately produced the famous line “54 40 or fight!”, coined in 1846 by opponents of such a policy (not, as popularly believed, a slogan in the Presidential campaign). ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/89 "2011-03-07T20:44:54Z")
Love this thread. 1. This featherweight Britpop band was named after the phrase a sitcom character used to answer the phone at work. 2. This Scottish band was named when their lead singer explained why so many high school boys started bands. At their first concert the promoter refused to announce their name, so the band quickly changed the second word of their name to something that didn’t refer to female genitalia. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/90 "2011-03-07T22:51:23Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I’m really curious about this one. I grew up in Olympia Beer territory (even toured the brewery once, as it was located in the same city where my aunts lived), and I’m familiar with the slogans “It’s the Water” (the oldest, most well-known slogan) and the “I seen 'em” campaign based on the fictional race of Artesians (derived from the artesian spring water supposedly used to make the beer). But neither of those rings a bell as far as band names. I can confirm that “It’s the water” is the slogan the band took part of their name (the middle part) from. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/91 "2011-03-07T22:56:18Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > 1. This band was named for a member’s cat, whose name was Latin for “Beyond those things.” Procul Harum. 1. The frontman of this group says it was named for his penis, though they’d have had to go with a different name if he were not a Caucasian. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/92 "2011-03-07T22:59:33Z")
1. Whitesnake. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/93 "2011-03-07T23:17:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 1. Supposedly, this duo got its name when an engineer employed by their label marked their demo tape for deletion. Erasure? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/94 "2011-03-08T00:16:27Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I can confirm that “It’s the water” is the slogan the band took part of their name (the middle part) from. [del]The The???[/del] ETA: No, that’s just stupid… ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/95 "2011-03-08T01:02:11Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I can confirm that “It’s the water” is the slogan the band took part of their name (the middle part) from. That is to say, the middle part of the band’s name comes from the slogan. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/96 "2011-03-08T01:20:32Z")
> [@gregorio](#): > > 1. This band was named after an American expansionist slogan. > **54-40**. The slogan was 54-40 or fight, which [according to wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Allen_(governor)) was an anti-expansion slogan put forward by opponents of US senator William Allen and the Western Democrat expansionists. Interesting. I was thinking of [these guys](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl3PYk_s4Kk) when I gave my answer (Go West), but a quick search of YouTube showed me [these guys](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEjmQGyYILY) (54-40). > [@Smapti](#): > > I can confirm that “It’s the water” is the slogan the band took part of their name (the middle part) from. Still drawing a blank. Maybe the band is in a genre I’ve just never listened to… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/97 "2011-03-08T01:44:44Z")
1. The Marshall Tucker Band 2. This band took its name from the father of Irish republicanism. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/98 "2011-03-08T01:58:01Z")
1. Named for the comic strip, not the lead singer. 2. This band got their name from a blended version of the Gaelic for “the family from Dore.” 3. This band took its name from a parody name for a blues musician a friend came up with. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/99 "2011-03-08T02:35:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 1. Named for the comic strip, not the lead singer. > > 2. This band got their name from a blended version of the Gaelic for “the family from Dore.” 1. Blondie. 2. The Wolfe Tones. Re: 52. My clue may have been too oblique, so i’ll simplify it. This California band derived its three part name from the first name of a friend of the band, a slogan for Olympia beer, and its’ members’ renewed commitment to the band after early struggles. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502/100 "2011-03-08T02:43:43Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 1. This band took its name from a parody name for a blues musician a friend came up with. WAG: Blind Melon? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-the-band-by-the-origin-of-its-name/573502.md?page=6)