# Song Title As Band Name - Wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2001, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055 "2001-05-02T07:19:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Linsman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Linsman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linsman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/1 "2001-05-02T07:19:06Z")
My band is undergoing a name change. My favorite choice for a new name is also the title of a song by my favorite recording artist. Would my band be violating the copyright law in any way by using this title as our new name? We are not a tribute band; I just really like the title/name. Thank you for any advice/info. you can give. ---
**Author:** ![Astroglide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6de8d8/32.png) [@Astroglide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroglide)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/2 "2001-05-02T07:49:17Z")
It worked for **Godsmack**. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/3 "2001-05-02T07:50:46Z")
Hmm, it does cause confusion when I talk about Masters of Reality, since people think I’m talking about the Sabbath album… ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/4 "2001-05-02T08:08:39Z")
The copyright laws do not apply to song titles. There are many examples of two different songs with the same title. So, I can’t see how you could be prevented from using a song title as the name of your 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:** [May 2, 2001, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/5 "2001-05-02T12:37:08Z")
**Jeff** is right. You can’t copyright titles. You can trademark them (Star Trek™), but it’s highly unlikely anyone bothers with a song. ---
**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/6 "2001-05-02T13:58:44Z")
If song titles were subject to copyright, then the following wouldn’t be possible. There is a whole rash of “tribute bands” doing the pub and club circuit in Australia. These are acts who blatantly imitate famous bands as closely as possible: the songs, the look, the costumes. Most tribute bands pick on one particular subject, and occasionally take the name of a famous song or album as their own. Some examples are Abbey Road, who do Beatles shows; What’s Love got to do with it? does the Tina Turner stuff; Hells Bells do AC/DC; etc. {end hijack} ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/7 "2001-05-02T14:13:32Z")
You can use the title of a song as your band name. You could even use a song title as the title of a book or movie. You might remember the movie _Velvet Goldmine_, which is named after a David Bowie song. Bowie wouldn’t give the filmmakers the rights to any of his songs for the soundtrack, but they didn’t need his permission to use one of his titles. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/8 "2001-05-02T16:04:12Z")
Don’t bands name themselves after their own songs? The only instance I can think of offhand where a title was tripled (song title, album title, and band name all at once) is **Bad Company**. I imagine there must be other examples. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/9 "2001-05-02T17:07:19Z")
Jomo Mojo - This one comes pretty close: The 80’s song “In a Big Country,” on the album of the same name, by the band “Big Country.” ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2001, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-title-as-band-name-wrong/64055/10 "2001-05-02T19:27:23Z")
I can’t believe no one has mentioned The Rolling Stones, who took their name from the Muddy Waters song. Also, I believe there was a band called War, who had both an album and song by the same name.