Listicle: 10 band names that were a major flop

Even hitmakers can have epic fails. Here are 10 bands that named themselves in haste, only to repent at leisure

Death Cab for Cutie (1997-). Named after a song by the ’60s Brit group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Death Cab... shot to fame in 2009, when their song, Meet Me on the Equinox, was featured in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. They’ve faced so much flak from fans that they no longer address the matter publicly. Frontman Ben Gibbard has admitted that if he knew his band would still be popular 15 years later, he would’ve picked something “more obvious”.

The English folk rock group named themselves after their frontman, Marcus Mumford.

Mumford & Sons (2007-). Never focus on one person if it’s a band of equals. The English folk rock group named themselves after their frontman, Marcus Mumford. “It’s rubbish. It’s a rubbish name,” Mumford said in 2016. “You never really think about it when you’re in the pub, you’ve done your first rehearsal, you’ve written your first song, and someone’s like ‘You need a band name now.’”

Lady A admit to feeling embarrassed that they didn’t know that the word antebellum had connections to slavery.

Lady Antebellum, aka Lady A (2006-). The Need You Now hitmakers dropped Antebellum from their name in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests. The term refers to the period before the American Civil War (1861-1865), when slavery drove economic and social life. The band admitted to feeling “regretful and embarrassed at only just realising the association of the word with slavery and the hurt it must have caused fans”.

Guitarist Jamie Cook came up with the name for his English rock band on a whim.

Arctic Monkeys (2002-). Guitarist Jamie Cook came up with the name for his English rock band on a whim. The band’s popularity rose alongside the spread of the Internet. Frontman Alex Turner has admitted that their band name is “so bad, the tribute bands don’t sound worse.” But since it was the first band they had ever been in, it might be forgivable.

Frontman Billy Corgan has said the name was a divine revelation.

Smashing Pumpkins (1988-). There are origin stories aplenty. Frontman Billy Corgan has said it was a divine revelation. It might have been a suggestion by Gene Simmons (of KISS). It might be a memory of a childhood friend who wanted to smash pumpkins on Halloween. The American alternative band’s bassist D’Arcy Wretzky has called it “a stupid name, a dumb bad joke, and a bad idea.” Where’s the lie?

The country trio dropped Dixie from their name in 2020.

Dixie Chicks, aka The Chicks (1995-). The mutinously liberal country trio dropped Dixie from their name in 2020 after they realised that the confederate flag (with all its associations to slavery and White supremacy) was being called the Dixie Swastika. They’ve had hits such as There’s Your Trouble. They’ve found trouble too. A New Zealand duo from the 1960s is already called The Chicks.

Frontman Dave Grohl drew from the nickname that World War II pilots used to report UFOs.

Foo Fighters (1994-). Frontman Dave Grohl drew from the nickname that World War II pilots used to report UFOs. He also picked it because he wanted to release new work following Nirvana’s break-up after Kurt Cobain passed away in 1994. Grohl hates the name: “It’s the dumbest band name ever. I would’ve gone with another name if I’d known our career would last more than a month-and-a-half. I didn’t want people to say, like, “Oh, that’s the guy from Nirvana.’”

Simon and Garfunkel were originally known as Tom and Jerry.

Tom and Jerry, aka Simon and Garfunkel (1956-2010). Paul Simon and Arthur Garfunkel, who gave us The Sound of Silence and Mrs Robinson, started recording in 1956. Originally, Simon decided to go as Jerry, Garfunkel went for Tom. After college, when they got back together in 1964, they used their real names. Good call.

EMI Records asked Radiohead to change their name in the 1990s.

On a Friday, aka Radiohead (1985-). The OG name made sense when the Oxfordshire high-schoolers would rehearse after classes every Friday. They soon realised that their name was limiting their availability to just one day of the week. EMI Records asked them to change their name in the 1990s. And since the group loved Talking Heads, it was an easy jump.

Maroon 5 was originally named Kara’s Flowers.

Kara’s Flowers, aka Maroon 5 (1994-). It was a Beautiful Mistake that Adam Levine and Co rectified in time. Kara’s Flowers is named after a groupie. Maroon 5 emerged with the release of Songs About Jane in 2002. The name change affected the sound too. Guitarist Jesse Carmichael, says the vibe used to be “like Fugazi and System of a Down meets Sesame Street – the Sesame Street part was in our lyrics, which were nonsense.”

From HT Brunch, May 18, 2024

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