A Flock of Seagulls
Ben Folds Five (not that strange until you realize there were only three of them)
Bachman Turner Overdrive
Squirrel Nut Zippers (taken from the name of a candy)
The Who (How can you say their name without sounding like your doing a “Who’s on first?” bit?)
Logically, that has to be the case. Assuming that each name is unique (and that all of the “normal” ones were taken decades ago), and assuming that there are 100 bands for every band any of us have heard of, then the vast majority of band names have to be strange. It would be weird if they weren’t.
I’m trying to think of a band name that isn’t “strange” in some way.
The Steve Miller Band, I guess?
You’d think that, but looking at the list of artists in my music library, a good number of them are literally just the artist’s name (unless you consider “artist” and “band name” to be different things). Or names, like Crosby, Stills, and Nash, or Simon and Garfunkel, or Fleetwood Mac. Or they’re something like [Artist Name] Band, like the aforementioned Steve Miller Band. Or I realized Bachman Turner Overdrive is really just the founding members’ last names with the word “overdrive” tacked on, and doesn’t seem so strange to me now. I’m considering removing it from my list.
Guess Who.
Yes.
Eagles of Death Metal
The Dayglo Abortions
Yes, I consider that. If you really think about it, even most of the classic bands of the sixties had strange names, the aforementioned Beatles, Velvet Underground, the Doors and the Who, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, you name it.
I used to wonder what Ben folded five of.
Five bucks of course, the sum he paid his bandmates for a gig.
The obligatory Animaniacs clip for this one.
Also SCTV:
Johnny Winter And
“Originally to be called ‘Johnny Winter and the McCoys,’ the name was shortened to “Johnny Winter And”, which was also the name of their first album.”
I guess it depends on the threshold of “hitting it big,” but all these bands sustained multi-year, multi-album, and/or multi-tour careers:
Gong
Van Der Graaf Generator
Queens of the Stone Age
X-Legged Sally
Acid Mothers Temple
Djam Karet
And then you had people arguing, “The black guy is ‘Hootie’!”
Mötley Crüe
Led Zeppelin
Def Leppard
Oingo Boingo
The funny thing is…it was the worst kept secret ever. Even back then, pre-internet, we’d heard about the father in the CIA. Maybe the Secret Police was a bridge too far.
Strange names never stopped. These groups all had Billboard Mainstream Rock number one songs in the 2020s.
Five Finger Death Punch
Theory of a Deadman
I Prevail
Falling in Reverse
Mammoth VWH
Asking Alexandra
Motionless in White
Twelve Toes
Beartooth
The Funeral Portrait
Nothing More
Sleep Therapy
I think I’ve heard of one of them. Anybody know more?
Just to test, one of those names is phony.
I think I saw that list on yesterday’s racing form.
Nitpick: the Bangles changed their name from the Bangs because there was another band already using the name.
Didn’t see it mentioned yet.
Mott the Hoople.