A guest posting by Jonny the Friendly Lawyer (aka fiktiv)
There are hundreds of bands named after songs, but not necessarily bands named after good songs. Following is an ICA of great songs that bands took their names from. Have a listen and reply if you think there’s a song/band that should have made the top 10.
Radio Head – Talking Heads
True Stories might be the worst Talking Heads album, but the film of the same name is worth a look. It doesn’t hold together that well, but it features the unfortunate Spaulding Gray and you get to see an extremely awkward David Byrne in a cowboy hat. I’ve heard that Big Country took their name from ‘The Big Country‘, a song on Talking Heads’ second LP, but I couldn’t find any corroborating evidence.
Seether – Veruca Salt
I don’t know a whole lot about South Africa’s Seether, other than they took their name from Veruca Salt‘s killer debut single. (Actually, VS’s ‘Seether’ should be considered for the cracking debut series.) Wiki tells me the Pretorian group got together 20+ years ago and are still at it, having released multiple platinum albums in the US. I like that Veruca Salt got their own name from the bratty rich girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Baby Lemonade – Syd Barrett
I only learned from the readers of this venerable blog that there are two Baby Lemonades: a Scottish one and the boys from my adopted hometown of Santa Monica, California. Not too surprising as Syd Barrett was an iconic legend and loads of other bands have named themselves after his songs, notably Gigolo Aunts and Dolly Rockers.
Shakespeare’s Sister – The Smiths
Siobhan out of Bananarama named her band after the Mancunian foursome’s 1985 single. Another band named themselves after Pretty Girls Make Graves, from the Smiths‘ first album, but this is the better song.
Kooks – David Bowie
A charming tune from Hunky Dory about Dave and Angie’s baby son. I like the band Kooks okay, especially because they don’t sing in fake American accents. The UK folks will know that Simple Minds took their name from the lyrics of Bowie’s Jean Genie (and the Scottish folks will know that Cocteau Twins took their name from a song by Simple Minds predecessors Johnny & the Self-Abusers).*
Bad Brain – The Ramones
Bad Brains were the best hardcore band ever and they got their name from the best punk band ever. Second to last track on the classic Road to Ruin album.
Velocity Girl – Primal Scream
I love this 80-second gem from when Primal Scream were a jangly C86 band. For the life of me, I don’t know how they became so popular–Bobby Gillespie can’t sing and their songs are so derivative. They’re like the Glaswegian Tom Petty or something. The band Velocity Girl was a DC outfit that released three really listenable pop albums in the early 90’s. Try “Crazy Town” or “Sorry Again” if you’re not familiar.
Slowdive – Siouxsie & The Banshees
The unmistakable Miss Ballion, backed by the best line up of the Banshees. Damn, I wonder how much great music John McGeoch would have made in the last 20 years. Slowdive were perhaps unfairly labelled a shoegaze band, but they made a lot of pretty recordings over the years.
Spoon – Can
I like the band Spoon so much I wrote an ICA about them (#104), to mixed reviews. Can are also not for everyone, but when you’re in the mood there aren’t a lot of bands like them. And like Spoon, there’s a Can song for everyone. This is from 1972’s Ege Bamyasi, which, of course, the German band with a Japanese singer named after a Turkish vegetable.
Ladytron – Roxy Music
Also from way back in ’72, featuring maybe the best use of oboe in a rock song until Julian Cope got a hold of one. Early Roxy was exciting and different and experimental and showy. The Liverpool outfit named after this song from the eponymous debut are…showy.
Jonny
* JC ADDS………
I had long forgotten that Cocteau Twins took their name from a new wave song by the predecessors of Simple Minds. I recall dismissing the tale as an urban myth when I was first told it, and I can’t recall actually mentioning it on the blog when I’ve written about either band before. The song was never actually recorded, but t’internet being what it is, I’ve managed to get my grubby paws on a version.
mp3: Johnny and The Self-Abusers – Cocteau Twins
Later re-worked as No Cure and included on the 1979 album, Life In A Day
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Tangentially, the new and final St Etienne LP has a song called The Go-Betweens on it, but on first listen, no connection to classic Antipodean geniuses. (I would also like to associate myself with Jonny’s very accurate putdown of Primal Scream and his admiration of the Velocity Girl song).
A post (and a mix) that helps me start the day. It’s interesting and somewhat paradoxical that there are also bands named after their own songs. Like the Cure, for example.
I’m happy about the Spoon mention. I like this as an ongoing series.
Another excellent ICA by JTFL!! Looking forward to the list of bands named after lines from ICAs by JTFL, such as “Glaswegian Tom Petty.”
“Good” is, of course, subjective, so I’d like to offer up what I believe is the band name based on the shortest song: The band Fuck the Facts, named after the 14-second (arguably pretty bad, though it makes me smile) song by John Zorn and Naked City.
I was unaware of all of these. So I guess I learned my new thing for the day. That’s very cool.
Yep, a fine idea for an ICA
Greg from Washington DC
Bands named after misheard lyrics on good songs: Radio Birdman-The Stooges (I Feel Alright)
“Bad Brains were the best hardcore band ever and they got their name from the best punk band ever” smacking nugget of truth
Radio Head is one of my favorite Talking Heads songs and doesn’t get enough attention. And Johnny and the Self-Abusers is a great name for a band!
Gigolo Aunts!