Anyone who’s ever been in a band knows the struggle of coming up with a name.
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One former bass player, who will remain nameless, once suggested Xerox Machine as a possible rock group moniker. What a loon, right?
Nevertheless, the plight of finding the right name is real. And a great name can make a big difference. What if Green Day was named Pot Afternoon? Or R.E.M. was L.S.D.? Whatever the outcome, it’s different.
Below, we dive into five hilarious failed band names from groups you know and love.
1. Sweet ‘n’ Sour Rock ‘n’ Roll (Cream)
Formed: 1966
Original name: Sweet ‘n’ Sour Rock ‘n’ Roll
Why: Mostly as a joke, it would seem. The band went through a few name changes along the way, before settling on a final one—that wasn’t something off a menu.
Final Name: Cream
Why: The trio landed on Cream because, as they and others said, they were the cream of the crop of musicians. So, why not acknowledge it and own it? The band stayed together for only a few years, with inner turmoil ultimately failing them.
2. The Pineapples (Fleet Foxes)
Formed: 2006
Original name: The Pineapples
Why: This was the band members’ first choice for the group. But hilariously there was another band already going by The Pineapples, so they had to change.
Final Name: Fleet Foxes
Why: Band co-founder and lead singer Robin Pecknold said it was “evocative of some weird English activity like fox hunting.”
3. The Polka Tulk Blues Band (Black Sabbath)
Formed: 1968
Original name: the Polka Talk Blues Band, Earth
Why: Not only did this heavy metal group have one hilarious former band name but they had a second, as well! Formed in England in 1968, the members went through first the Polka Talk Blues Band (named after a brand of talcum powder or a clothing shop), and then they switched the moniker to, simply, Earth, which another local band had at the time. Finally, a year later in 1969, they settled on the one and only choice.
Final Name: Black Sabbath
Why: Members wrote a song called “Black Sabbath,” named after a scary movie playing nearby. Noting that people shelled out good money to see scary movies, the concept stuck with it came to the heavy rock band. The song name became the band name and an album name.
4. Tom & Jerry (Simon & Garfunkel)
Formed: 1956
Original name: Tom & Jerry
Why: The two golden-voiced singers met in high school. They took on fictional names (John Landis and Tom Graph) that they shorted to Tom & Jerry, apparently not fearful of cartoon character representation retribution. But even after some success with the song, “Hey Schoolgirl,” they took a step back from the industry before they came back with a more honest name.
Final Name: Simon & Garfunkel
Why: At first, the duo thought they wouldn’t be taken seriously if they led with their real, Jewish names. But in the end, a desire for truth won out, as Paul Simon said, “Our name is honest.”
5. Shrinky Dinx (Sugar Ray)
Formed: 1986
Original name: The Tories, Shrinky Dinks, Shrinky Dinx
Why: When band members first got together they were playing under the name The Tories. Later, though, when new members came in they changed it to Shrinky Dinks and then Shrinky Dinx, named after a popular toy in the ’80s.
Final Name: Sugar Ray
Why: The Milton Bradley company was not playing around and threatened to sue the band for its name. So, the group changed its moniker to Sugar Ray. The name was inspired by the late boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.
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