:: what's in a name?

Here's some more, band name fans.

MC5

It stands for 'Motor City Five'. Simple.

METALLICA

Lars Ulrich was helping to name a fan magazine. They picked 'Metal Mania' and Lars kept Metallica. Okay.

NAZARETH

From The Band's song "The Weight" ("I pulled into Nazareth / Was feelin' 'bout half past dead."). Bandy.

THE O'JAYS

Named after the Cleveland disc jockey Eddie O'Jay. Jockey.

GILBERT O'SULLIVAN

Manager Gordon Mills needed a clever name for his artist. So he took Ray O'Sullivan's last name and the musical team: Gilbert and Sullivan. Mikadoesque.

PAPER LACE

The Nottingham group took their name from lace products created from a special grade of high quality paper. Hoody.

PEARL JAM

According to lead singer, Eddie Vedder, "The name is in reference to the pearl itself... and the natural process from which a pearl comes from." Jammy

QUEEN

Freddie Mercury liked the name for the transvestite connotation and the glamorous image of royalty. Campy.

QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE

A few of the band were born in the House of Mercury. As Mercury is the name for both the messenger of the gods and the liquid metal, quicksilver, Quicksilver Messenger Service was chosen. Cosmic.

RAMONES

After Paul McCartney, who used to call himself Paul Ramone. Brotherly.

R.E.M

'Rapid Eye Movement' is a state of sleep. Dreamy.

THE SEARCHERS

They took their name from the classic 1956 John Wayne western. Dukey.

SEX PISTOLS

Malcolm Mclaren came up with the name, inspired by his shop called 'Sex'. Flowers also have a sex pistil. Rotten.

TAVARES

After band members, Ralph, Arthur, Antone, Feliciano and Perry Tavares. Obvious.

THREE DOG NIGHT

The band had three lead singers and nearly chose 'Tricycle', until singer Danny Hutton's girlfriend read an article about the aborigines who, on cold nights, would sleep beside their dogs for warmth. The coldest night was called a "three dog night". Doggy.

U2

Although the U2 is a type of spy plane, Bono says the name grew out of an idea of audience interactivity - 'you too.' Short.

URIAH HEEP

Based on the horrible character from Charles Dickens' novel, 'David Copperfield'. Dickensian.

VELVET UNDERGROUND

The name of an S&M magazine in New York. Whippy.

VILLAGE PEOPLE

All of the group members had been recruited from Greenwich Village. Navy.

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