# List of bands named after songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644 "2011-04-08T10:55:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/1 "2011-04-08T10:55:27Z")
Just thinking about The Rolling Stones and Judas Priest getting their name from Bob Dylan songs and wondered what other bands were named after other people’s songs or lyrics from a song. And by that I mean relatively well-known bands, not some obscure local ones. Anyone can name a few more? ---
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/2 "2011-04-08T11:02:03Z")
Oh. Wait. The Rolling Stones were named after a Muddy Waters song. And that makes a lot more sense… with the timeline and all. _facepalm_ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/3 "2011-04-08T12:06:59Z")
Godsmack, after Alice in Chains’ song on Dirt ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/4 "2011-04-08T12:10:27Z")
Radiohead, after the song “Radio Head” from Talking Heads’ _True Stories_ soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/5 "2011-04-08T12:13:50Z")
The [Pretty Things](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Things), named after the Bo Diddley song “Pretty Thing”. [Deacon Blue](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deacon_Blue), after “Deacon Blues” by Steely Dan. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/6 "2011-04-08T12:24:07Z")
Got one more: The Lovin’ Spoonful, named after a phrase in Mississippi John Hurt’s “Coffee Blues”. And we all know what a “lovin’ spoonful” means. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![williamweigand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@williamweigand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williamweigand)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/7 "2011-04-08T12:32:42Z")
Death Cab for Cutie, named after a song by the Bonzo Dog (Doo Dah) Band. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/8 "2011-04-08T12:38:44Z")
The Moody Blues are named after Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo.” Deep Purple after Richie Blackmore’s grandmother’s favorite song. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/9 "2011-04-08T12:40:12Z")
After reading the post for Radiohead, another band came to my mind: Motörhead. From [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mot%C3%B6rhead): > [@](#): > > Now on his own, Lemmy decided to form a new band, originally to be called ‘Bastard’. Douglas Smith, the band’s manager, advised him that, “It’s unlikely that we’re going to get on Top of the Pops with a name like Bastard”. Lemmy concurred and decided to call the band Motörhead, inspired by the final song he had written for Hawkwind. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/10 "2011-04-08T12:41:10Z")
Perhaps Talk Talk was named after their own song of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/11 "2011-04-08T12:48:03Z")
Not really famous, but **Stiff Little Fingers** took their name from a **Vibrators** song. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/12 "2011-04-08T12:50:04Z")
Between the Buried and Me took their name from a line in a Counting Crows song. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/13 "2011-04-08T12:59:24Z")
_Counting Crows_ from “A Murder of One” which is based on an old nursery rhyme. _Panic At The Disco_ from “Panic” by _Name Taken_. _All Time Low_ from “Head On Collision” by _New Found Glory_. _A Certain Ratio_ from “The True Wheel” by _Brian Eno_ (who got it from Hitler). _The Dixie Chicks_ from “Dixie Chicken” by _Lowell George_ of _Little Feat_. “The Maine” from “Coast of Maine” by Ivory. _Jet_ from the _Paul McCartney and Wings_ song of the same name. _The Killers_ comes from the music video for the _New Order_ song “Crystal” (it was written on the bass drum of a fictional band in the video). > [@WordMan](#): > > Godsmack, after Alice in Chains’ song on Dirt Maybe, but maybe not: > [@](#): > > The band’s name, according to Merrill in the _Smack This!_ DVD, was taken from the Alice in Chains’ song “God Smack”. However, Erna stated in a 1999 interview, “I was making fun of somebody who had a cold sore on his lip and the next day I had one myself and somebody said, It looks like God just smacked you in the face for making fun. The name stuck and they went by Godsmack from then on. We were aware of the Alice in Chains song but didn’t really think much about it. It’s a cool song and the name had meaning for us.” > **[Godsmack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godsmack)** > > Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is currently composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna and bassist Robbie Merrill. Since its formation, Godsmack has released nine studio albums, one EP (The Other Side), four DVDs, one compilation album (Good Times, Bad Times... Ten Years of Godsmack), and one live album (Live & Inspired). Their final album, Lighting Up the Sky, was released in 2023. > Since its inception, Godsmack has toured... ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/14 "2011-04-08T13:10:45Z")
I see the OP joined in December, so he wasn’t around when we did this in November: [Bands that took their name from songs of other unrelated artists](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=584328) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/15 "2011-04-08T13:38:11Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Maybe, but maybe not: A band that sounds that much like Alice in Chains has the same name as an Alice in Chains song and he says it’s a coincidence? It sounds like a weird story to make up, but it’s hard to believe. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/16 "2011-04-08T13:55:04Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > Not really famous, but **Stiff Little Fingers** took their name from a **Vibrators** song. My word, that sounds dirty. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/17 "2011-04-08T14:02:29Z")
There is a self-described indie pop/rock group from Seattle called Shake Some Action! (“Shake Some Action” is a a classic rock song recorded by the Flamin’ Groovies). ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/18 "2011-04-08T14:20:20Z")
Pretty Girls Make Graves Shakespeare’s Sister …both named for **Smiths** songs. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/19 "2011-04-08T14:27:08Z")
I remember a band that named itself Steel Breeze, after a line in Pink Floyd’s “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond.” ---
**Author:** ![Stormcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644/20 "2011-04-08T14:31:05Z")
Were the Sisters of Mercy named after the Leonard Cohen song? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-bands-named-after-songs/577644.md?page=2)