This is the thread for bands who got their names from other band's songs.

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Such as....

nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Radiohead, whose name was taken from a Talking Heads song called "Radiohead". It went "Radioheeeaaaaddd/I'm picking up something good". In the film True Stories, a mariachi band played the song.

nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)

"Life Without Buildings" from a Japan track

rex jr., Friday, 28 February 2003 15:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Eric's Trip, from a Sonic Youth song

Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh, there's also a band out in the Midwest somewhere called "Life During Wartime" (I'm quite pissed they beat me to that one!) that's based on, why yes, a Talking Heads song.

nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

cocteau twins (simple minds), rolling stones (bob dylan?)

A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

the sea and cake (Gaster del Sol)

A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

a perfect circle. yuck.

pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

of course, we're not going to get into tribute bands here, right?

Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

the sea and cake (Gaster del Sol)

The Sea and Cake existed before the Gastr song ("The C in Cake"). The Gastr song was a play off their name, not the other way around.

hstencil, Friday, 28 February 2003 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought this looked somewhat familiar:

Who inspired the most band names?

christoff (christoff), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)

a perfect circle.


I thought they got their name from some ancient Taoist parable or something?

nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

A Certain Ratio - from a Brian Eno song that I can hear in my head, but I can't remember what it's called.

Nick A. (Nick A.), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

A Certain Ratio - Wasn't it The True Wheel?
The Pretenders (Drifters' The Great Pretender)
Ramones (Was that actually a lyric?)

rolling stones (bob dylan?)
Muddy Waters

dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not a band but a song - Into Another by Blur has the lyrics "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt" - is that a direct Vonnegut quote or is that an old saying that I never heard before I read him? I noticed that Vonnegut page had a band listed because that was their album title as well.

Alexis, Friday, 28 February 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

i might be confused - ancient Taoist parables and REM songs perform a pretty similar function in my life.

pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Velocity Girl

Aaron W (Aaron W), Friday, 28 February 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Pale Saints (from Eyeless in Gaza - 'Pale Hands I Loved so Well')
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her (from XTC - 'The Big Express')

summerslastsound (summerslastsound), Friday, 28 February 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

The Gastr song was a play off their name, not the other way around.

This is contradictory to every single article I've read about how the Sea and Cake got their name. What's your source, hstencil?

jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 28 February 2003 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

That other thread posted here answers pretty much everything.

Did Catherine Wheel get their name from a David Byrne score?

More stuff here:
http://www.naughtysecretaryclub.com/namegame1.htm

omit, Friday, 28 February 2003 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Also: Death Cab for Cutie (from Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band)

jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 28 February 2003 16:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Did Catherine Wheel get their name from a David Byrne score?

Hardly. The term refers to the instrument used to kill the saint of the same name, and as a phrase is at least a thousand years old plus.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 February 2003 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

i've asked this before but did rocket from the crypt take their name from the ace cleveland punx0rs rocket from the tombs?

schnell schnell, Friday, 28 February 2003 16:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Yup.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 February 2003 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Didn't the Ramones take their name from a pen-name ('cos I can't spell psuedonym) that Paul McCartney used in the Beatles' Hamburg days?

Rob M (Rob M), Friday, 28 February 2003 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

The Ramones got their name (or so the legend goes) because Lennon/McCartney used to check into hotels with the name Ramon fairly regularly, to avoid fans.

jodi shapiro (burun), Friday, 28 February 2003 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Whoa, jinx on the Ramones thing.

jodi shapiro (burun), Friday, 28 February 2003 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Pretty Girls Make Graves

alex in montreal, Friday, 28 February 2003 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Mansun = A man Called Sun by Verve.

Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 28 February 2003 17:22 (twenty-two years ago)

What's your source, hstencil?

The horse's mouth.

hstencil, Friday, 28 February 2003 17:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Other Kurt Vonnegut isms:
Ambrosia - the song "Nice Nice Very Nice"
Billy Pilgrim (the band)
Ice-9 (Grateful Dead publishing company)


+ a ton of lesser known references, I'm sure...

dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 28 February 2003 17:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Love Like Blood

rex jr., Friday, 28 February 2003 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Who's the horse? O'Rourke?

jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 28 February 2003 17:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Grubbs-y.

hstencil, Friday, 28 February 2003 17:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Radio 4 pil

timmy towtruck, Friday, 28 February 2003 18:36 (twenty-two years ago)

el diablo en el ojo (spanish indie band) - tindersticks

joan vich (joan vich), Friday, 28 February 2003 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Pretty Things = Bo Diddley tune

Mr. Diamond (diamond), Friday, 28 February 2003 21:57 (twenty-two years ago)

'til tuesday (bowie)

A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 28 February 2003 22:29 (twenty-two years ago)

deacon blue

bahtology, Friday, 28 February 2003 23:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Radio Birdman, from the Stooges' "1970" ("radio birdman up above/beautiful baby be my love"). (Plus, their debut Radios Appear took its name from a Blue Oyster Cult song, if I remember correctly.)

Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Saturday, 1 March 2003 00:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Curved Air, from A Rainbow in Curved Air by Terry Riley

chris j (chris j), Saturday, 1 March 2003 00:23 (twenty-two years ago)

the tedious britpop band Mover were originally called Passion Fruit and Holy Bread (after the Stone Roses lyric)

oh, and Tugboat

electric sound of jim (electricsound), Saturday, 1 March 2003 00:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Burning Airlines (from an Eno song)

j.lu (j.lu), Saturday, 1 March 2003 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Slowdive (Siouxsie)
Blind Mr. Jones (two tracks from the Talking Heads' Naked album)
The Darkside (the Shadows Of Knight)
Flying Saucer Attack (The Rezillos)
Negativland (Neu!)
Lagartija Nick (Bauhaus)

Chris Barrus (xibalba), Saturday, 1 March 2003 06:25 (twenty-two years ago)

59 TIMES THE PAIN from the Husker du album

panico (panico), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

59 TIMES THE PAIN from the Husker du album
sorry......song off the album new day rising........not that anybody's reading this thread anymore....if you are....Hello!

panico (panico), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

nine months pass...
i always thought Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her was a little mermaid reference.

reo, Friday, 5 December 2003 04:12 (twenty-one years ago)

The Young Gods took their name from a Swans album/song.

latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 5 December 2003 04:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Velocity Girl

Also Spirea X (same single)

ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 5 December 2003 04:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I keep seeing people say Cocteau's are from a Simple Minds song but I've never actually seen a song by them called "cocteau twins". Does one exist, or was it a lyric?

Trayce (trayce), Friday, 5 December 2003 06:57 (twenty-one years ago)

seagull screaming kiss her kiss her is definitely from xtc, not little mermaid.

emsk, Friday, 5 December 2003 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"Stiff Little Fingers" took their name from the Vibrators song.

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 5 December 2003 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I keep seeing people say Cocteau's are from a Simple Minds song...

It was an early track, which got reissued on this compilation.

NickB (NickB), Friday, 5 December 2003 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

zep/stones 80's side projet: Willie & The Poor Boys
Local classic rock cover band: Benny & The Jets

BrianB, Friday, 5 December 2003 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Crap Zoe-Ball-associated also-rans The Warm Jets.

ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 5 December 2003 15:00 (twenty-one years ago)

dEUS - Sugarcubes.

nathalie (nathalie), Friday, 5 December 2003 15:24 (twenty-one years ago)

age of chance = the pop group lyric.
madness = prince buster lyric/track name.

mark e (mark e), Friday, 5 December 2003 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Death of Samantha = Yoko Ono song
The 88 = Radio 4 song

dlp9001, Friday, 5 December 2003 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

Poledo, from a Dinosaur Jr. song, but they suck.

Zoot, Friday, 21 September 2007 14:00 (eighteen years ago)

Cap'n Jazz begot We Are Scientists and Scary Kids Scaring Kids, regrettably.

danray, Friday, 21 September 2007 14:45 (eighteen years ago)


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