A band’s name sets it apart from others by establishing its personality. Some people name their band literally, like the Zac Brown Band, named for lead singer Zac Brown. The origin behind others may not always be immediately obvious, like David Bowie’s backing band, The Spiders From Mars, which merely derived its inspiration from the singer’s 1973 concept album of a similar name. Ranging from complex to simple, the names of bands come from all manner of inspiration.

U2

The first thought that one has when hearing “U2” could be the WWII-era spy plane, the Lockheed U-2, which in turn brings to mind the 1960 “U-2 Incident.” While all seem like reasonable assumptions, none have any relation to the name. Radio X states, “It was claimed that ‘U2’ was one of six names on a shortlist.” The band members only agreed on this ambiguous name because they all disliked it the most out of the other options. They ended up going with it as their name precisely because of that vagueness. Apparently, the members still don’t like it. Interestingly, the band went through two previous names before arriving at its current moniker. At first, they went by Feedback and from there they became The Hype. The U2 website provides a bit of history on the band’s formation and first records, as well as upcoming tour dates and information about lead singer Bono’s memoir Surrender.

Foo Fighters

A huge player in the Seattle grunge movement, former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl formed Foo Fighters in 1994. Originally, he had been the only band member, playing all the instruments for the first record. He sought out the name because of his interest in UFOs at the time and wanted the band name to be plural so people would think the band consisted of multiple people. The United States Air Force coined the phrase “foo fighters” during WWII for unexplained aerial phenomena, American Songwriter explains. Grohl’s band immortalized the expression and gave it a new meaning with their music.

Tears for Fears

This band name rolls off the tongue with its simplicity and the presence of a rhyme. It makes a statement, but that statement may not be immediately clear. Based on information provided by Songfacts, the titular phrase comes from Arthur Janov’s 1980 book Prisoners of Pain — specifically, the line, "tears as a replacement for fears." This sentence refers to Janov’s theory of “primal therapy,” which Verywell Mind defines as, “a type of psychotherapy that focuses on helping people connect with their deepest emotions and feelings” through “talking, crying, shouting, or making sounds.” The band felt disappointed by Janov after later meeting him in person when he requested them to write a musical for him.