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Music Trivia World's Band Names Page
AC/DCThe band took their name from a sewing machine that had these letters on it. Obviously in reference to 'alternating current/direct current', it has nothing to do with the other slang reference of bisexuality. AGENT ORANGE This punk band hailed from Orange County, California. Agent Orange was a highly carcinogenic defoliant used by The U.S. during the Vietnam War. AMBOY DUKES Before Motorcity Madman Ted Nugent was a solo performer, he had this band in the '60s. The name came from a book by writer Irving Shulman about street gangs. The B-52s This Georgia band took their name from the popular hairstyle, not the U.S. Air Force bomber plane. BAND OF SUSANS This indie-guitar band originally had three members named Susan. BEASTIE BOYS According to Mike D, BEASTIE is an acronym for Boys Entering Anarchistic Stages Towards Internal Excellence. The term beastie is apparently part of the valley-girl lexicon from the '80s, and is mentioned in the Frank Zappa song Valley Girl. Submitted by T-BoneBELLE & SEBASTIANThis Scottish band took their name from a French television program from the early '70s, about a boy and his dog. BIG STAR Named after a supermarket that was located near the studio where the band was recording. BLUE CHEER Apparently this name also stood for a brand of high-grade LSD that was popular in the 1960s. CAMERA OBSCURA An optical device used for drawing, it is the precursor to the modern-day camera.CHICAGO This band was originally named The Chicago Transit Authority, but shortened it to Chicago after they were threatened with legal action by the City of Chicago, which happened to use the same name for their public transportation department. CROWDED HOUSE Whilst recording their debut in Los Angeles, the band was put up in a very small and very cramped house. DEACON BLUE Took their name from the Steely Dan song "Deacon Blues". THE DOORS Two stories circulate. The name originates from a William Blake poem, or else from Aldous Huxley's book, "The Doors of Perception". DURAN DURAN Named after a character from the science fiction movie "Barbarella". ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN "Echo" was the name of a drum machine used in their music during their early days. EVERCLEAR Named after the highly potent grain alcohol. THE FALL Inspired by a book by Albert Camus. FLEETWOOD MAC Named after the rhythm section of the band, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE Named after a garden supplies center in New Jersey, which has been also been referenced numerous times on the HBO TV series 'The Sopranos'. THE GO-BETWEENS From the film of the same name. GUNS 'N' ROSES An amalgam of two bands on the L.A. music scene, L.A. Guns and Hollywood Roses. Slash was originally in the former, and Axl Rose fronted the latter. HUSKER DU From an old board game of Norwegian or Danish origin, translates to "Do you remember?" JETHRO TULL Named after the agricultural pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. KILLDOZER From a 1940s book authored by Theodore Sturgeon. KMFDM Means KEIN MEHRHEIT FÜR DIE MITLEID, loosely translated as "No Sympathy For The Majority". Rumors have been circulated that it was an acronym for 'Kill Mother F@$#%$ Depeche Mode', which don't seem to have any basis. LEMONHEADS A kind of candy. LL COOL J Stands for "Ladies Luv Cool James", which would be James Todd Smith III. MC5 An acronym for Motor City Five, as there were five members and they hailed from Detroit. MISFITS A film starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. MOTORHEAD U.K. slang for an abuser of amphetamines. NINE POUND HAMMER Blaine Cartwright's band before Nashville Pussy. The name is a song by Merle Travis.PINK FLOYD Took their name from two American bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. The band fancied themselves as blues artists early in their career. POGUES Shortened from the original name "Pogue Mahone", which is Irish-Gaelic for 'Kiss my ass'. There is a Canadian band with a similar punk-celtic style of music, named The Mahones. RAMONES Took their name from a pseudonym Paul McCartney would use on tour when checking into hotels-Paul Ramon. SEX PISTOLS The band's manager Malcolm McLaren had a clothing shop named "Sex". The term sex pistol could be construed as slang for the male genitalia. SIMPLE MINDS Taken from a line from "Jean Genie" by David Bowie. SISTERS OF MERCY The name is a tribute to Leonard Cohen's song. SMASH MOUTH From former NFL coach Mike Ditka, a term to describe the physical nature of the game. STEELY DAN Taken from William Burroughs' book "Naked Lunch", this was the name of a giant dildo in the book. TESLA Named after the (in)famous inventor Nikola Tesla. THOMPSON TWINS Taken from the Tintin comic novels by Belgian artist Herge. UB40 In the U.K., this was a form one had to fill out to appy for 'dole', or public welfare/assistance. URGE OVERKILL From a song by the funk band Parliament. VELVET UNDERGROUND From a novel about the S&M scene that was found lying on the street. W.A.S.P. An acronym representing "We are sex perverts". YO LA TENGO Spanish for "I Got It", which was yelled by Elio Chacon, an outfielder for the New York Mets. Band guitarist/singer is reportedly a huge baseball fan. ZZ TOP The "ZZ" portion came from blues artist ZZ Hill, and the "Top" portion was originally meant to be "King", to emulate another blues hero, BB King. Since the name was too similar, the band changed it to "Top", which has an approximate connotation to 'king'. Check out the rest of Music Trivia World using the links at the top. We have a weekly music trivia quiz which is accessible through the link at the top of this page. Older music trivia quizzes can be found in our archives page. Be sure to try our lyrics quizzes, check out the random facts section for lots of interesting music trivia, and for some good fun, check out our "Dumb Stuff" pages. If you have a music trivia question or quiz you wish to submit, send it to us via the "Contact Music Trivia World" link.Click here to try this week's music trivia quiz!
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