Table of Contents 64q43
The process of choosing band names sometimes turns into a big story, especially if the band becomes well-known. With this in mind, we decided to curate a list with the origin behind the name of the biggest bands of the 80s and 90s. 544z6r
To create the list, we focused only on bands whose names they became popular were actually given between 1980 and 1999, including bands that changed their name and achieved success at the time. Check out:
Bands from the 80s – International bands 3z2s6c
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts 2122c
Joan Jett created her band after the breakup of the band that made her famous: The Runaways. The band became known for hits , the Crimson and Clover e I Hate Myself for Loving You and was formed in 1980, the same year Joan opened the Blackheart Records — first record company opened by a woman in history.
The name was created by Joan and Kenneth Laguna, with whom the band started, and was inspired by the symbolism and meaning of Blackhearts, which can also be used to refer to a loner in Jamaican nautical language.
Nirvana g5u5
The band is an icon of the 90s, but is part of the list of bands of the 80s as it began in 1987 — however, Dave Grohl he only ed the band in 1990, and as that was the final formation of the band and was the formation with which they achieved stardom, is often considered a band from the 90s by fans.
Known for hits , the Smells Like Teen Spirit e Come As You Are, the name was chosen because Kurt wanted the band to have a nice name, different from his former band called Fecal Matter. The name Nirvana is essentially heaven in Buddhism, a state of transcendence outside the wheel of incarnation, good and evil, and one's sense of self.
L7 6q285x
Known as hits , the Pretend We're Dead e everglades, the band was formed in 1985 and was associated with the Riot Grrrl movement, having been very involved in political and social issues, especially in relation to feminism.
The band's name was inspired by a slang term from the 50s that was used to refer to someone who was “square”, who not it was cool.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers 5d123v
Known for hits , the Californication e Under the bridge, the band was formed in 1982 and the name was inspired by the nickname given to the musician's quintet Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five.
Guns N 'Roses 1632m
With known for their erratic behavior, the band is still known today for hits , the Sweet Child O 'Mine e November Rain, which despite being old, continues to be played on radio stations around the world.
Formed in 1985, the band's name was created by combining the names of bands in which some had previously played: LA Guns e Hollywood rose.
The Smiths 2h81c
Known for hits , the There Is a Light That Never Goes Out e This Charming House, the band was formed in 1982 and the name was chosen because it is a very generic and common surname. They intended this to give the band a sense of universality, as well as paying homage to their working-class origins.
Depeche Mode 442126
Known for songs like Just Can't Get Enough e Enjoy the silence, the band was formed in 1980 and is still recognized today for personifying the 80s experience in their music. The name was the result of a mistranslation of the French magazine Dépêche Mode (which in Portuguese means something like fashion updates).
New Order 3r1x31
Known for hits , the Blue Monday e True Faith, the band was formed in 1980 with the end of the band Joy Division, , which occurred due to the death of the singer Ian Curtis.
The band's name was chosen organically, inspired by a newspaper article The Guardian entitled The People's New Order of Kampuchea (in Portuguese: The New Popular Order of Kampuchea). The phrase, New Order, ended up catching attention and the band thought this symbolism of something new after the end of the old band made sense.
Green Day 36q2z
Known for hits , the Wake Me Up When September Ends e American Idiot, the band was formed in 1986 and was one of the pioneers of pop punk in the 90s.
The band had a few names before adopting Green Day in 1989, as Blood Rage e Sweet Children. The name, Green Day, however, was chosen because it is slang for marijuana in Bay area, where the band started.
The Offspring 5d5w5u
Known for hits , the Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) e Self Esteem, the band was formed in 1984 and its name was inspired by the film The Offspring: They Were Born to Kill, which replaced the band's old name: Manic Subsidal.
The band's songs were used in soundtrack from various series and films such as yellowjacket, Orange Is The New Black e american pie 2.
Bands from the 80s – National Bands 6r5951
urban Legion 6x5x4a
Known for hits , the Eduardo and Monica e Western Caboclo, the band was formed in 1982 and were heavily influenced by post-punk musicians of the time, such as The Cure and The Smiths.
The band's name was inspired by the Latin phrase Urban Legion Wins Everything, delivered by the emperor Julio Cesar, which can be translated as Roman Legionaries Win Everything.
Red Baron 3q31n
Known for hits , the Love, My Great Love e Bete Balance, the band was formed in 1981 with Cazuza as vocalist, having been replaced by frejat when he announced his departure from the band in 1985, to focus on his solo career. However, Frejat left the band in 2017 and was replaced by Rodrigo Suricato .
The band's name was inspired by the German aviator's code name. manfred von richthofen, one of the greatest enemies of the Allied Forces during the First World War.
Titans 2538e
Known for hits , the As long as there is sun e You Need to Know How to Live, the band was formed in 1982 and are known for creating music from several different genres such as MPB, Punk, Grunge and more.
The name was inspired by the books in the guitarist's home library. Tony Bellotto, titles such as Titans of Science, Titans of Sport, Titans of Literature, among others, choosing the name Titans of Iê-Iê and soon changing to just Titãs, after realizing that they were being called Titãs do Iê Iê Iê.
The Paralamas do Sucesso 1d611l
Known for hits , the Wherever I go e She said goodbye, the band was formed in 1982 and the band's name was the result of a competition between the to find the worst possible band name, suggested by the bassist Bi Ribeiro.
RPM 3j1r6p
Known for hits , the Look 43 e Pirate Radio, the band was formed in 1983 and managed to mark a generation, despite having ended just a few years later, in 1989.
The name is an abbreviation of Revolutions Per Minute and was inspired by Revolutions Per Minute, a measurement used to indicate how often a car engine rotates.
Outrage the Rigor 4e6l29
Known for hits , the We're Going to Invade Your Beach e Useless, the band was formed in 1980 and its name was a total coincidence that occurred when Roger Moreira suggested the name Insult e Edgard Scandurra did you understand Dress code. The pun was successful and ended up being adopted as the band's name.
Initial Capital 135a2s
Known for hits , the Natasha e First mistakes, the band was formed in 1982 and the name, contrary to what many think, has nothing to do with starting the band in the country's capital. It was inspired by the ' lack of initial monetary capital to start the band.
Grave 736c14
Known for hits , the Root's Bloody Roots e Slave New World, the band was formed in 1984 and soon achieved international success, becoming one of the biggest bands in heavy metal history, still performing around the world today.
The band's name was inspired by the song Dancing On Your Grave (translated as Dancing In Your Grave), by the band, Motörhead.
Raimundos fz15
Known for hits , the Woman of Phases e place in the sun, the band was formed in 1987 and its name was a tribute to the band Ramones, adding classic Brazilian humor when translating and creating a BR version.
Bands from the 90s – International Bands 653k3o
Sixpence None the Richer 4tl45
The band, known for hits , the Kiss Me e Don't Dream It's Over, even had songs on the soundtrack of highly successful films such as Meetings and Mismatches e How to lose a man in ten days, in addition to series such as Smallville e Gilmore Girls.
The band was created in 1992 and its name was inspired by a part of the book Pure and Simple Christianity, by the author C.S. Lewis, where a boy asks his father for a 6 pence coin (pound cents) to buy his father a gift.
Oasis 4n1b10
Known for their largest hits, the music Wonderwall, considered an anthem of the 90s, the band was formed in 1991 and its original name was Rain.
Everything changed when Liam ed the band and changed the name to Oasis, inspired by a band poster Inspiral Carpets that he had in his room that he shared with Noel as a child, which listed the Oasis Leisure Center in the city of Swindon, England, as a local.
foo Fighters 3m5t31
The band Foo Fighters began as a solo project by Dave Grohl in 1994, after the death of Kurt Cobain which caused the end of the band Nirvana, with him recording almost all the instruments and vocals on the first album of the same name by himself.
The name of the project, which continued as it became a successful band, was inspired by a term used by Allied pilots during World War II to describe unidentified flying objects and mysterious aerial phenomena.
Pearl Jam 6u5j35
Known for Singles , the last kiss e Alive, the band was formed in 1990 and named Mookie Blaylock, as the player of NBA. However, they had to change the name soon, and it was jeff ament – bassist of the band – who proposed changing the name to Pearl. And when the band went to a concert Neil Young, where he made a jam session (an improvisation session) of 15 to 20 minutes at the end of the show, they added Hours to the name.
The Cranberries 6306
Known for hits , the zombie e Linger, the band was formed in 1989, under the name The Cranberry Saw Us (which sounds in English like Cranberry Sauce, or cranberry sauce). But in 1990, when Dolores O'Riordan ed as a vocalist, recommended shortening the name to The Cranberries.
The White Stripes 196v1f
A wedding, marketing and an unconventional band. The band was formed in 1997, just 1 year after the couple Meg and Jack get married. Jack taught Meg how to play the drums and legally took her last name White, when they got married.
When they started to become famous, they pretended to be brothers and it took a long time for fans to discover the truth about the couple. Known for their use of the colors white, red and black, the band's name was inspired by Meg's love for Peppermint Candy, sweets known for being sold in the United States with red and white stripes.
Among his biggest hits are the songs Fell In Love With a Girl e Seven Nation Army.
Garbage 6w4m6p
Known for hits , the I Think I'm Paranoid e Only Happy When It Rains, the band had songs featured in the soundtrack of many teen films from the 90s, such as Panic 2 e Second thoughts.
Formed in 1994, the name was inspired by friends of the band who said that their music “sounded like Garbage" (they sounded like rubbish).
Bikini Kill 4r4x4s
The feminist band was a pioneer of the movement Riot grrrl (an underground feminist punk movement from the 90s), and is known for hits , the rebel girl e Double Dare Ya.
Formed in 1990, the name was inspired by the film Su-Muru's Million Eyes, a spy film in which a villain plans to take over the world using an army of women, who often wear provocative clothing, including bikinis.
Weezer 5xj4q
Known for hits , the Island in the Sun e Say It Ain't So, the band was formed in 1992 and its name was inspired by the childhood nickname of the band's lead singer Rivers Cuomo, given to him by his father in reference to the character Bolinha (Weezer in the original English film) from the film Little Rascals.
Smash Mouth 2t6r1b
The band is known for hits , the All Star e Walkin' On The Sun, the first having been an important part of the soundtrack for the first animated film in the franchise Shrek.
The band was formed in 1994 and its name was inspired by the term Smash Mouth Football, coined by the coach Mike ditka, used to refer to a style of play with aggressive tactics.
Coldplay 5t3a6
Known for hits , the Yellow e Hymn For The Weekend, the band was formed in 1996 and were originally known as Starfish, but when the band of friends called Coldplay decided to change their name, they asked to use it. The original group that did not achieve the same success with the name had been inspired by the book of poems Child's Reflections: Cold Play.
Sum 41 363z5e
Known for hits , the In Too Deep e Fatlip, the band was formed in 1996 and were known as Supernova. The band's first show took place on September 28, 1996, the 41st day of their summer vacation, an event that inspired the band's new name.
National Bands 386p50
Killer Castors 31702m
There was a moment in the 90s when it was impossible to turn on the television on the weekend and not come across the band performing on some program. The band from Guarulhos became known for songs like Naked in Santos e Turn turn, in addition to his relaxed humor and use of costumes in presentations and interviews.
The band was formed in 1995 and its name was inspired by castor beans (a toxic plant) and a euphemism for large breasts – this explicit humor was also widely used in their most famous songs.
skank 1k2t3d
Known for hits , the National Girl e Peaceful Citizen, the band was formed in 1991 and its name was inspired by the song Easy Skanking do Bob Marley. The term skank is a guitar technique used to play the Ska style of music, a type of dance in the same style and is also a variation of marijuana with a high concentration of psychoactive substances.
Fuck Duck 4e4c5o
Known for hits , the About the weather e Song for You to Live Longer, the band was formed in 1992 and its name was inspired by the cartoon cat Garfield, who fought cat-fu. In order not to make direct reference to the drawing, they decided to change a letter in the name and thus the name was born. duck-fu.
Jota Quest 1yd1o
Known for hits , the Easy e The Pains of the World, the band was formed in 1993 and was originally known as J. Quest, inspired by the cartoon Jonny Quest, having changed the name to Jota Quest to avoid a lawsuit from the studio Hanna-Barbera, who produced the cartoon series.
Rappa 6d3k73
Known for hits , the Fisherman of Illusions e My Soul (The Peace I Don't Want), the band was formed in 1993 and its lyrics are known for their social nature.
The band's name is inspired by the popular name given to police officers responsible for intercepting street vendors (vendors), Rapa. To differentiate them, they added an extra P to the band's name.
Charlie Brown Jr. a6i65
Known for hits , the Forbidden For Me (Grazon) e Lula's Zoio, the first having been the opening song for the television series for years Workout.
The band was formed in 1992 and its name was created by crybaby (singer of the band), after he ran over a stall selling coconut water printed with the character's design Charlie Brown, and Junior was added to the name because, according to him, they were “children of rock”.
Angra 171n5x
Known for hits , the Carry On e Angels cry, the band was formed in 1991 and soon gained international fame. The name was chosen because it sounds like Angry (angry in English) and because it is the name of the goddess of fire and beauty in Tupiniquim mythology.
planet hemp 386m47
Known for hits , the Keep the respect e Legalize already, the band was formed in 1993 and are known for their lyrics ing the legality of marijuana. The name was taken from an edition of High Times magazine, which deals with issues related to the world of cannabis.
Chico Science and Nação Zumbi 712o3b
The band is known for hits , the From Mud to Chaos e Mangrovetown. The band was formed in 1990 and were pioneers in movement Manguebeat. The band's name was a tribute to Palmares zombie, known for being the last leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares, the largest of the colonial period.
Which origin story did you already know and which one surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments below!
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Sources: Listverse l TMDQA l Mental Floss
reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 4 / 5 / 24.
