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Names -> Band Name Origins -> misc, Page 2
Do you know why a band picked out it's name? Feel free to let us know.
I can't verify all of these stories, so do take them with a grain of salt. I try and delete the ones that I know to be bogus, but I don't know the origins of every band name (and some bands intentionally tell different stories about picking their band name).
Latest Entries
There are 4771 Band Name Origin entries on the site.
Name | Origin | Submitted by: | ||
| 50 Cent | he took it from a gangster in jamaca queens, who was killed, as a medifore for change | rob | ||
| 50 Cent | Curtis Jackson III named himself 50 Cent as either an homage to, or an attempt to capitalize on the reputation of, Kelvin "50 Cent" Martin from Fort Greene projects in Brooklyn, not Queens. The real+ 50 Cent, or 50 Cents, acquired the name, according to some, by winning five hundred dollars on a fifty cent bet shooting dice, or, alternately, as a reference to his diminuitive physical stature, which, if the latter origin story is true, would make it extremely unbefitting Curtis Jackson, who stands six feet and appears to weigh, at this point, at least two hundred and thirty pounds, although physical similarity isn't really the purpose of attempting to draw parallels between oneself a figure whom, by way of his/her uniqueness, earned the fear and/or respect of many, and ensured that they would not soon be forgotten. | Cobra | ||
| 50 Cent | There was a gangsta who rolled in South Jamacia, Queens when Curtis Jackson was growing up, called 50 Cent. He was killed in some gang war or gang shooting when Curtis was young, and when Curtis broke onto the scene, he decided to take the name 50 Cent as a tribute to this old school gangsta. As evidenced by the following lines from "300 Bars" by The Game: "You ain't 50 Cent, he went out like a gangsta/you dated Vivica 3 weeks after 'Wanksta.'" | John Lennon | ||
| 50 Cent | He was getting on a bus one day and didn't have any money. So he got on and saw Rosa Parks sitting there. She gave him two quarters to ride, and then he called himself 50 Cent. | SHANEEE | ||
| 50 Cent | There was an interview with him and he said that he calls himself 50 cent because it's a metaphor for "change". | Alisha | ||
| 504 Boys | 504 is the area code in New Orleans | Rainbeaux | ||
| 54-40 | There is a post regarding the band 54-40 that claims it has to do with an unemployment form. Now although UB40 takes it's name from a tax form, 54-40 most certainly has to do with American History. The Democratic slogan in the 1844 election was "54-40 or fight!", referring to the expansionist view that the U.S. was destined by God to spread the American democratic system as far as possible. 54-40 refers to the 54'40' parallel, which Presidential candidate James K. Polk was willing to fight Britain to gain control of (north of Oregon into present-day British Columbia). The British compromised with the 49th paralllel, extending the northwest boundary of the US to it's current position. | Paul Arena | ||
| 54-40 | Vancouver's 54-40 take their name from James K. Polk's presidential campaign slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight," which sought to expand the U.S. border northward. | Bobo | ||
| 54-40 | It wasn't 54-40 that had to fill out a form for unemployment benefits, it was UB-40. 54-40 came from President James K. Polk's 1844 campaign slogan "54 40 or fight!", refering to a US border dispute with Great Britain over what is now Canada. | J | ||
| 54-40 | It is actually a reference to the parallel that borders the US and canada throughout the praries. LBJ said once, that Canada and the US will soon be one, and then the number 54-40 will not matter. | Noah Spencer | ||
| 54-40 | In 1980 Vancouverite Brad Merritt was looking for a name. Along with Neil Osborne hed put together a rock group . Merritt found his name in a slogan from the 1844 American presidential election: 54"40 or fight! were the words of James Polk; it refers to the southern border of Alaska -- 54°, forty minutes latitude -- and indicated that Polk would try to seize all the territory that now makes up British Columbia. Polk's failure to do so is saluted in the band's name. | Canuck | ||
| 54-40 | The band came up with the name based on a political and historical reference that was put forth when the Canadian-American border was being determined. The slogan was "54-40 or fight" meaning the latitude and longitude of where the one policital aggregate was wanting. The political aggregate was based in Vancouver, BC where the band is from originally. | Jeff Kahl | ||
| 54-40 | Before the band became a band, they spent time in the unemployment line. Form Number 54-40 had to be filled out to apply for unemployment benifits. | Bill | ||
| 67 Special | 67 Special were without a name for some time. According to 67special.com, Drummer Ben Dexter had a phone conversation with singer Ash Santilla that went; (Ben) "What's the model of your car?" "HR," Ash replied. "What year?" " '67." "67 Special?" "Yeah." | Jizzwiz | ||
| 6th String Augie | 6th sring came from six strings on a guitar and that same day the lead guitarist and singer got his first 6th string his dog, Augie, died. | michael bettis | ||
| 7 Mary 3 | Jon Baker's call sign on "CHiPs". (Just for the record, Ponch's was 7 Mary 4.) | Brian Kelly | ||
| 7 Year Bitch | A play on the title of the movie 'Seven Year Itch'. | Lauren | ||
| 702 | This all girl band is or I guess you could say from Las Vegas, NV. The area code for Vegas is this and they took their name after it. | Rebel With a Cause | ||
| 702 | 702 was named after the area code in their hometown Las Vegas, Nevada. | tia | ||
| 752B | The band's name was based on a scientific name used to identify an specific star. | Bobo | ||
| 764-HERO | Being a native of Seattle, I can reaffirm the other story about the name being on signs next to the highways. They are signs to give people a number to call when they see someone misusing the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes. Originally the signs had just the numbers, 764-HERO. But with the boom in number of phone numbers, the area codes for the area in which the sign is in has been added, 206, 425, 253, etc. | Mark | ||
| 764-Hero | Apparently signs in the Seattle area of the US say "Report Car Pool Lane Violators (360) 764-Hero." Being from Seattle, they passed through them all the time, and the name stuck | Bobo | ||
| 8 Seconds To Live | It was just the lead singer's favorite number, so they just added the punk rock part. | Max | ||
| 808 State | Not too sure sbout the "State". But I was reading in some paper about how the 808 comes from the famous TR 808 drum machine, an important force in their music. | Coolio | ||
| 808 State | 808 is the area code for the state for HAWAII | kote 1 | ||
| 808-state | hawaii's area code is 808 and its often called the 808 state | eric | ||
| 808-State | Named after the Roland TR 808 drum machine. | Bobo | ||
| 98 degrees | they wanted something that would represent heated passion. According to Nick Lachey and Jeff Timmons. | Virginia Bowden | ||
| 999 | Named after the emergency number in London (like the American 911) | Michelle | ||
| ? and the Mysterians | They were a Mexican band from Saginaw, Michigan. Singer Rudy Martinez thought a ? would give the band mystery. | Al | ||
| ? and The Mysterians | The lead singer "?" apparently wished to remain anonymous (see Pseudonyms page). "The Mysterians" is the name of an obscure science-fiction movie. | oldsongs | ||
| ? and the Mysterians | The lead singer had his name legally changed to ? (read: question mark). The Mysterians is an old sci-fi film. | martymarinez |
New entries in this section are currently reviewed by Brian Kelly. Previous editors (if any) are listed on the editors page.
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