Have you ever wondered how Pink Floyd decided on their famously odd band name? If you’re a diehard prog rock fan, you probably know the story behind this famous band’s famous name already. However, new fans of the psychedelic icons might not know the tale. And the story behind how Pink Floyd became Pink Floyd is quite interesting.
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The story behind how Pink Floyd decided on their band name is a simple one. Though, quite a few names were considered before they landed on “Pink Floyd”. At the time of their inception in 1965, rock band names were a dime a dozen. They had to stand out. And they certainly managed to do that.
Syd Barrett started to brainstorm potential names. He opted to take two different inspirations for the band and find some way to combine them. The two inspirations he went with were Pinkney “Pink” Anderson and Floyd Council. For reference, Pinkney Anderson was an American blues musician known for his work in the 1930s through the 1960s. Floyd Council, similarly, was an American blues musician who popularized the Piedmont blues subgenre.
Originally, the band wanted to go with “The Pink Floyd Sound”, but it didn’t flow as well as the shortened version of the name we all know and love today.
A Few Names Were Floated Around Before Pink Floyd Went With “Pink Floyd”
Before settling on “Pink Floyd” the band went through quite a few wild ideas. I’m quite glad they skipped most of these ideas, considering they aren’t exactly great. The Tea Set and The Spectrum 5 were a few initial pitches. The Screaming Abdabs was another potential name, which they shortened down to The Abdabs. They also considered The Megadeaths as well. I guess they were just a bit ahead of their time.
The Tea Set at least makes some sense, considering how interested the band was in making psychedelic music akin to Alice In Wonderland. This name probably would have stuck, if the band had not discovered another band called The Tea Set was already active at the same time.
In the end, “Pink Floyd” was the best choice of the bunch. It might be a bit odd-sounding, but that uniqueness ended up pulling in more attention for the band. A wise choice, indeed.
Photo by Andrew Whittuck/Redferns
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