You know that feeling when you hear a song, and it just clicks? Some bands felt it so strongly they took their very name from a lyric or title that spoke to them. From legendary rock outfits to indie trailblazers, here are 25 bands who found their identity in someone else’s music.
1. Radiohead – “Radio Head” (Talking Heads)
Before they changed music forever, they were just another band called On a Friday. Then they took their name from this True Stories track, and the rest is history.
2. The Rolling Stones – “Rollin’ Stone” (Muddy Waters)
Blues legend Muddy Waters didn’t just influence their sound—his song gave them their name. Mick and Keith saw the future in the past, and they were right.
3. Judas Priest – “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” (Bob Dylan)
A folk song about fate and deception led to one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Dylan probably never imagined his words would inspire leather-clad rock gods.
4. Ladytron – “Ladytron” (Roxy Music)
Bryan Ferry and company brought the glam, and this band brought the electronic edge. A nod to Roxy’s futuristic cool, Ladytron took the name and ran with it.
5. Big Country – “In a Big Country” (Big Country)
They went full meta—naming their band after their song and their album. When in doubt, go big or go home.
6. The Kooks – “Kooks” (David Bowie)
A Brighton band borrowing from Bowie? Perfect. A tribute to Ziggy Stardust’s acoustic tenderness, and a reminder that Britpop had its roots in the ‘70s.
7. Motorhead – “Motorhead” (Hawkwind)
Before Lemmy was Lemmy of Motörhead, he was Lemmy of Hawkwind. Then he got kicked out, stole the song title, and made rock ‘n’ roll even louder.
8. Death Cab for Cutie – “Death Cab for Cutie” (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band)
From British absurdist pop to American indie heartbreak, this quirky name found a second life thanks to Ben Gibbard and company.
9. The Velvet Underground – “The Velvet Underground” (Lou Reed & The Primitives)
Before Warhol’s house band redefined cool, they took their name from an underground ‘60s book and a song from Reed’s early band. Layers upon layers of influence.
10. Jet – “Jet” (Paul McCartney & Wings)
McCartney’s explosive Band on the Run track birthed an Aussie garage-rock powerhouse. Proof that even post-Beatles Macca can inspire a new wave of rockers.
11. Stiff Little Fingers – “Stiff Little Fingers” (The Vibrators)
One punk band named after another punk song? That’s the way it should be. The Belfast icons made sure they lived up to their borrowed name.
12. Spoon – “Spoon” (Can)
Taking cues from German experimental rock, Spoon brought Krautrock cool into indie circles. Minimalist name, maximalist impact.
13. Asia – “Asia” (Steely Dan)
Progressive supergroups deserve big, bold names. So why not borrow from Steely Dan’s masterpiece Aja? A slight spelling tweak, but the prog spirit remained.
14. The Killers – “The Killers” (New Order)
Their name actually comes from the fictional band in New Order’s “Crystal” music video. A case of reality imitating art in the best way possible.
15. Heaven 17 – “Heaven 17” (Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange)
A fictional band referenced in A Clockwork Orange turned into a real synth-pop sensation. New wave was all about reinvention, after all.
16. Love and Rockets – “Love and Rockets” (The Ronnettes)
Gothic and psychedelic, they took their name from a song that originally had all the wall-of-sound beauty of the ‘60s.
17. The Sisters of Mercy – “The Sisters of Mercy” (Leonard Cohen)
Leonard Cohen’s folk poetry gave rise to the ultimate gothic post-punk band. From gentle ballads to doom-laden anthems, it all started with a song.
18. Tokyo Police Club – “Tokyo Police Club” (Silverchair)
What do Australian alt-rockers and Canadian indie kids have in common? A shared appreciation for a weird song title that just sounded cool.
19. Madness – “Madness” (Prince Buster)
Before they were two-tone legends, they were ska kids borrowing from the best. Their name paid tribute to Jamaican ska pioneer Prince Buster’s 1963 classic.
20. The Fall – “The Fall” (Camus’ novel and a song by The Move)
Mark E. Smith had a habit of pulling inspiration from everywhere. The Move’s track and a bit of French existentialism? Sounds about right.
21. Teenage Fanclub – “Teenage Fanclub” (Beat Happening)
If you’re going to name your band after a song, make sure it oozes nostalgia and raw indie charm. Glasgow’s finest knew exactly what they were doing.
22. Nirvana – “Nirvana” (Sammy Davis Jr.)
Long before Kurt Cobain, Sammy Davis Jr. recorded a song called “Nirvana.” A deep-cut jazz connection for a grunge revolution.
23. Manic Street Preachers – “Manic Street Preachers” (James Dean Bradfield heard someone say it)
More spoken word than song title, but it still counts. Bradfield heard a busker shout it, and just like that, one of the UK’s most enduring rock bands was born.
24. Bastille – “Bastille” (Breton folk song)
Named after the French national holiday and a folk song, Bastille brought stadium-sized anthems to the indie-pop world.
25. Franz Ferdinand – “Franz Ferdinand” (Indie jokes + historical assassination references)
Okay, so they weren’t named after a song, but they joked about it being a “band name with a groove”—and then gave us Take Me Out, one of the best grooves of the 2000s.
Music history is littered with bands who took inspiration from the past and shaped the future. Whether a song title, a lyric, or even a music video, these names prove that one great idea always leads to another. Who knows—maybe the next legendary band name is hiding in your favorite song right now.
