Saturday, October 16, 2004

You're named after what!?

Sometimes I stumble across music trivia that I find intriguing. Like the origins of band names. For example:

10CC - from the metric total of semen ejaculated by the average male
3 Dog Night - from an Australian expression describing low nocturnal temperatures in the outback (the colder the night, the more dogs needed to keep warm while sleeping)
B-52s - from the Southern slang for the mile-high bouffant wigs sported by their female singers
Crowded House - a reflection of their living conditions in LA
Devo - from their concept of "de-evolution" -- the idea that instead of evolving, mankind has actually regressed, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society
Everything But The Girl - from a sign placed in the window of a local furniture shop, which claimed "for your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl"
Foreigner - due to Mick Jones being the only non American in the band
Guess Who - when the Expressions (as they were known before) recorded an album, its record company listed them as "Guess Who?" on the jacket, hoping to fool buyers into thinking that the British Invasion influenced music was actually by a more famous group in disguise
Kraftwerk - German for power station
Luscious Jackson - from a '60s basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers
Pink Floyd - from the first names of two ancient bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council
REM - settled on the name after flipping randomly through the dictionary
Steely Dan - from a dildo in William Burroughs' Naked Lunch
Tears For Fears - from Arthur Janov's primal scream therapy

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