The interesting origins of 16 band names

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Steely Dan named their band after a dildo in the book Naked Lunch



Dire Straits comes from the band’s financial situation when they were forming



AC/DC picked their name after seeing it on an electric sewing machine

Lynyrd Skynyrd was named after gym teacher Leonard Skinner who was notorious for strictly enforcing the school’s policy against boys with long hair



R.E.M randomly selected their name from the dictionary. It stands for rapid eye movement (a sleep stage).



Blind Melon is the term bass player Brad Smith’s father used in reference to some hippies who lived in a commune near his house.



Wilco is short for “Will Comply” in CB radio voice procedure (two-way radio communication used in the military, aviation, fire & police dispatch, etc.)



UB40‘s name comes from the form number on UK government’s Unemployment Benefit Attendance Card.



Spandau Ballet got their name from the wall of a bathroom in a Berlin nightclub. This gallows humor graffiti was in reference to the jerky movements that prisoners made (“ballet”) when they were hanged at the Spandau Prison in Berlin.



The Ramones‘ name comes from the alias Paul McCartney used when booking hotel rooms, Paul Ramon.



The Backstreet Boys were named after a flea market in Orlando, Florida.



Jimmy Eats World got their name from a cruel inside joke between guitarist Tom Linton’s little brother Jimmy and singer Jim Adkins’ little brother Tommy. Jimmy had a bit of a weight problem, so Tommy decided to draw a picture of Jimmy with a globe in his mouth and titled it “Jimmy eats world”.


Porno for Pyros‘ name was inspired by the Los Angeles Riots of 1992.



Molly Hatchet was named after a 17th century southern prostitute who allegedly beheaded and chopped up one of her clients.



311 is the Omaha police code for indecent exposure.



Foo Fighters adopted their name from a term used by Allied aircraft pilots in World War II to describe UFOs and other mysterious aerial phenomena.

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