Simon & Garfunkel and Tom and Jerry

Simon and Garfunkel doesn't seem to be a name that needs any explanation. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. But they were originally known as the duo "Tom and Jerry" and that might require an origin story, especially for younger readers here.

They formed the group Tom and Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl." The two were friends throughout childhood and grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, just blocks away from each other. They met in elementary school in 1953, when they both appeared in the school play Alice in Wonderland (Simon as the White Rabbit, Garfunkel as the Cheshire Cat). They were classmates at Parsons Junior High School and Forest Hills High School, and began performing together in their junior year as Tom and Jerry, with Simon as Jerry Landis (whose last name he borrowed from a girl he had been dating) and Garfunkel as Tom Graph (so called because he was fond of tracking or "graphing" hits on the pop charts. But "Tom and Jerry" was also known at the time as the name of a popular cartoon duo and animated show. Tom & Jerry is a compilation album released in 2002 that contains songs from their early career.

They began writing their own songs in 1955, and made their first professional recording, "Hey, Schoolgirl", for Big Records in 1957. It was released on 45 rpm and 78 rpm vinyl records, with the flip-side song "Dancin' Wild." The recording sold 100,000 copies and hit #49 on the Billboard Magazine charts. These early songs were heavily influenced by The Everly Brothers. They got to perform their hit on TV's American Bandstand, right after Jerry Lee Lewis performed "Great Balls of Fire".

However, they weren't as successful after that initial rush. After high school, the duo went to separate colleges - Simon at Queens College and Garfunkel at Columbia University. 

Though still friends, it was mostly Simon continuing to write and perform. By 1963, they had established themselves as Simon & Garfunkel (with & in place of and) as part of the Greenwich Village folk music scene. But they didn't release music under their own names until October 1964 with the debut of their studio album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.

Three of Simon's songs - "Sparrow", "Bleecker Street", and "He Was My Brother" are typical of that period. "He Was My Brother" was later dedicated to Andrew Goodman, a friend of both Simon and Garfunkel and a classmate of Simon's at Queens College, who was one of three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi on June 21, 1964.

Those were three of the five original songs by Simon that were on their first album for Columbia Records, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M, which initially sold very poorly when it was released. It wasn't until a year later—when producer Tom Wilson overdubbed electric instruments onto the acoustic track "The Sound of Silence,"—that the duo became superstars and the first album went on to good sales.

They are well known for their close vocal harmonies and were among the most popular recording artists of the 1960s. Their biggest hits from five original albums include: "The Sound of Silence", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "I Am a Rock", "Homeward Bound", "A Hazy Shade of Winter", "Mrs. Robinson", "The Boxer", "Cecilia", and "Scarborough Fair/Canticle."

Many compilations, live albums and special editions of their music have been released since they dissolved the duo in 1970, and though they have reunited several times since then, currently they only have solo careers. They have received several Grammys and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Paul Simon has continued to record, perform, and win Grammy Awards. His first solo release - simply called Paul Simon - was released in 1972. Some of his most popular albums are Still Crazy After All These Years, There Goes Rhymin' Simon , and Graceland.

Paul's official site is http://www.paulsimon.com

Art Garfunkel went on to act in several films, including Carnal Knowledge, Catch-22 and Bad Timing. 
He has released solo albums in a more pop vocal style. Some of his popular albums are Breakaway, Angel Clare, Watermark, and Fate for Breakfast. He has also published Still Water: Prose Poems.

Artie's official site is http://www.artgarfunkel.com

FURTHER READING  Simon and Garfunkel: Old Friends : A Dual Biography

The Smiths

The Smiths are often described as the most important band of the 1980s that never truly "went mainstream" in the traditional sense. It was a brief, five-year flash of fame from 1982 to 1987. 

The band was formed when guitarist Johnny Marr knocked on the door of Morrissey, a shy, bookish writer in Manchester. Along with bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce, they created a sound that systematically dismantled the synth-heavy, glitzy "New Romantic" pop of the era.

The band got its name from lead singer Morrissey. He chose "The Smiths" because it was a very ordinary, common name, a deliberate contrast to the more flamboyant and elaborate band names popular in the 1980s. He wanted the name to represent "ordinary folk."

In just five years, they released four studio albums—The Smiths, Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead, and Strangeways, Here We Come—plus several legendary compilations. They stayed on an independent label (Rough Trade), maintained complete control over their iconic "indie-film" cover art, and famously refused to use synthesizers, relying instead on Marr's "jangle-pop" guitar layers.

The Smiths were the first "indie" band to prove you could be uncompromising, literate, and deeply depressed, and still be popular.

Like many great partnerships, the tension between the "moping" poet (Morrissey) and the musical architect (Marr) became unsustainable. They split in 1987 at the height of their powers, famously never reuniting since.

Part of their appeal is in the way the music sounds like a sunny afternoon, but the lyrics feel like a rainy midnight. Morrissey gave a voice to the shy, the alienated, and the "clumsy and shy." He made it fashionable to be bookish and miserable, often using sharp, dark humor to poke fun at his own despair.

Johnny Marr provided the genius. His style was intricate and melodic, often sounding like multiple guitarists playing at once. You could dance to songs or just listen to the lyrics about loneliness.

In an era of big hair and aggressive masculinity, they celebrated a "genderless" or soft-focus version of rock that paved the way for Britpop and modern Indie.

Picking "bests" is a loser's game, but you can always list favorites. Here are 5. Feel free to comment on your own favorites.

"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" (1986) Widely considered the band’s masterpiece, this track from The Queen Is Dead perfectly balances Johnny Marr’s lush, cinematic arrangement with Morrissey’s lyrics about romantic devotion. It’s the ultimate "morbidly romantic" anthem.

"How Soon Is Now?" (1984)  Originally a B-side, this song became the band's most recognizable hit globally. It features an iconic, pulsing tremolo guitar effect that was unlike anything else in the 80s. Lyrically, it’s the definitive anthem for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider at a club: "You go and you stand on your own, and you leave on your own..."

"This Charming Man" (1983)  The song that truly introduced the world to the "Smiths sound." It’s upbeat, jangly, and remarkably catchy, featuring one of Johnny Marr’s most celebrated guitar riffs. It captured the band's unique blend of sexual ambiguity and kitchen-sink realism.

"Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" (1984). At under two minutes, this is one of the shortest songs in their catalog, but also one of the most poignant. It’s a simple, mandolin-heavy plea for a break in life that has resonated in countless movie soundtracks (most notably Ferris Bueller's Day Off and 500 Days of Summer).

"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (1984). This song title became a shorthand for the band's entire persona. It’s a witty, ironic take on the drudgery of daily life and the feeling of being unhappy even when things are technically "fine."

Pseudonyms: Rappers

I have written before about pseudonyms. The use of these "stage names" is a very common practice amongst music rappers.

Here are some of the better-known ones.

The origins are sometimes obvious, sometimes not obvious. For example, Eminem began rapping at age 14 with his friend Mike Ruby using the pseudonyms "Manix" for Ruby and "M&M" for Marshall Mathers III initials. "M&M" evolved into "Eminem."

A less obvious origin is that of "50 Cent," adopted by Curtis James Jackson III. Jackson adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as a metaphor for change. The name was used earlier by Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn thief known as "50 Cent." Jackson said he chose it "because it says everything I want it to say. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means."

Andre 3000 ............... Andre Benjamin
Busta Rhymes ............... Trevor Smith
Cee-Lo .................. Thomas Calloway
Common .............. Lonnie Rashid Lynn
DMX ...................... Earl Simmons
Foxy Brown ............... Inga Marchand
The Game .................. Jayceon Taylor
Ghostface Killah ............. Dennis Coles
Grandmaster Flash .......... Joseph Saddler
Ice Cube .................. O’Shea Jackson
Ice-T ....................... Tracy Morrow
Ja Rule ...................... Jeffrey Atkins
Jay-Z ...................... Shawn Carter
KRS-One .....................Kris Parker
Lil’ Kim ....................Kimberly Jones
LL Cool J ............... James Todd Smith
Ludacris ................. Christopher Bridges
Mos Def .................... Dante Smith
Notorious BIG ......... Christopher Wallace
Snoop Dogg ...............Calvin Broadus
T.I............................Clifford Harris Jr.

Simple Minds

It's always nice when I find a simple explanation for the origin of a band's name. And so it seems appropriate that this is the case the simple explanation is for the band Simple Minds.

Simple Minds, 1982   image link

Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. Their name is taken from a line in the David Bowie song "Jean Genie."

The band is currently a core duo of original members Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (guitar), augmented by guest musicians. 

Initially signed to Arista Records, Simple Minds released their debut album Life in a Day in 1979 to moderate commercial success, while the following two albums, Real to Real Cacophony (1979) and Empires and Dance (1980), achieved critical praise but limited sales. 

"Don't You (Forget About Me)", their contribution to the bestselling soundtrack of the very popular 1985 film The Breakfast Club, became their breakthrough hit in the US, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The following album, Once Upon a Time (1985), reached number one in the UK and the Netherlands, the top three in Canada and New Zealand, and the top ten in the US. It was certified 3x Platinum in the UK and Gold in the US, and spawned four more hit singles - "Alive and Kicking", "Sanctify Yourself", "All the Things She Said" and "Ghostdancing". 

Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (and stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. 

Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent collaborator, Atticus Ross. Reznor was previously the only permanent member of the band until Ross became an official member in 2016. 

The band's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was released via TVT Records. After disagreements with TVT over how the album would be promoted, the band signed with Interscope Records and released the EP Broken (1992), followed by the albums The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999). 

Why did Reznor choose the name Nine Inch Nails for his band?. Here’s a list of some of the NIN band name origin theories:

• the Statue of Liberty’s nails are nine inches long (factually incorrect)
• coffin nails are typically nine inches long (at one time)
• there is enough iron in the human body to produce a nine-inch nail (factually incorrect)
• a reference to an obscure song lyric from a Tori Amos song (No, NIN had already been around for several years before its release)
• Freddy Krueger’s claws are nine inches long
• Jesus was crucified with nine-inch spikes

Reznor eventually put all these rumors and theories to rest by saying that Nine Inch Nails was simply one of approximately 200 potential band names. This one stuck, and it could be abbreviated easily.

Reznor during the 1991 Lollapalooza festival
Photo: Rik Goldman, CC BY-SA 3.0

When touring these days, Reznor typically assembles a live band to perform with him under the Nine Inch Nails name. Nine Inch Nails has sold over 20 million records worldwide and been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning for the songs "Wish" in 1992 and "Happiness in Slavery" in 1996. 

Time magazine named Reznor one of its most influential people in 1997, while Spin magazine has described him as "the most vital artist in music". In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Nine Inch Nails No. 94 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Nine Inch Nails was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

My Morning Jacket

cover of is (import album)

My Morning Jacket is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Louisville, Kentucky. They are known for their psychedelic hippie rock. The band is comprised of Jim James (singer-songwriter, guitarist), Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship (bassist), Patrick Hallahan (drummer), Carl Broemel (guitarist, pedal steel guitarist, saxophonist, vocalist), and Bo Koster (keyboardist, percussionist, vocalist).

The band at the Newport Folk Festival in 2015

They are a great example of a band that doesn't really want to explain their band name origin. I might even guess that the name My Morning Jacket has no real origin, hence the mystery.

During our research, we found an article from 2008 by The Independent that revealed a story that lead singer Jim James had told in regard to the band’s name. According to the article, James was visiting an old friend and discovered that his favorite bar had burned down. In these burned remains, he found a jacket with the initials “MMJ” stitched on it, and thus My Morning Jacket was born.

However, other sources claim that James has told numerous, conflicting stories about how the band’s name came to be. He has said that the name came from him writing down various things in a lyrics notebook and that My Morning Jacket happened to be one of those things. He’s also said that the name is just “a weird name for a band.” 

A similar story to the one in that article by Jim James who said he was visiting his old student-hangout bar (Boot's Bar in Lexington), which had been razed by a fire. Amongst the charred remains, he came upon a jacket which had stitched "MMJ", which he took to mean "My Morning Jacket."

A rather far-fetched story is that it is slang for when a man wakes up in the morning with an erection with a condom already on.

This online post collects a number of origins

Radiohead

Radiohead took its name from the Talking Heads' song called "Radio Head." They had previously been known as "On a Friday" which was a reference to the day of the week that they had their rehearsals. 

This English rock band formed in 1985 in Oxfordshire. In 1991, they landed a recording contract with EMI but were requested to change their name to Radiohead/ When asked, lead singer Thom Yorke said the name “sums up all these things about receiving stuff… It’s about =way you take information in, the way you respond to the environment you’re put in.”

Advertisement placed in the Oxford music magazine Curfew 
by Ronan Munro - bbc.com/, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Radiohead became highly influential and is known for their musical innovation and evolving sound, which has spanned from alternative rock to more experimental and electronic styles. 

The band's lineup has remained consistent since its formation: Thom Yorke: Lead vocals, guitar, piano Jonny Greenwood: Lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments Ed O'Brien: Guitar, backing vocals Colin Greenwood: Bass guitar Philip Selway: Drums, percussion 

Radiohead's major albums demonstrate their artistic progression.

Pablo Honey (1993): Their debut album, which includes the worldwide hit "Creep." While the band later grew to resent the single's ubiquity, it launched their career and gave them a platform for future work.

The Bends (1995): This album marked a significant leap forward, showcasing a more polished and emotionally resonant sound. It featured singles like "High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees" and earned them critical acclaim, laying the groundwork for their next phase. 

OK Computer (1997): Widely considered a masterpiece, this album solidified their status as a major force in music. With themes of technology, alienation, and modern life, its complex production and ambitious songs like "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police" made it a landmark of the 1990s and a massive critical and commercial success. 

Kid A mnesia (2000): A radical departure from their guitar-driven sound, this album shocked fans and critics by heavily incorporating electronic music, jazz, and krautrock. Despite its initial divisiveness, it is now celebrated for its boldness and is often credited with influencing a new generation of experimental artists. 

In Rainbows (2007): Notable for its revolutionary "pay-what-you-want" release model, this album marked a return to a more accessible, yet still experimental, sound. It was both a commercial and critical triumph, praised for its warmth, intricate arrangements, and standout tracks like "Nude" and "Jigsaw Falling into Place."

www.radiohead.com/

30 Seconds To Mars

30 SECONDS TO MARS was started in 1998 by actor Jared Leto and his brother Shannon. Matt Wachter later joined the band as bassist and keyboard player. After working with guitarists kevin Drake and Solon Bixler, Tomo Miličević eventually came in to be the fourth member.

 
A reader, Mike Driscoll, alerted us to info on Wikipedia about the band's name origin. Former member Matt Wachter has said that the band's name "actually comes from a thesis that the band found online that was written by a former Harvard professor. And one of the subsections of the thesis was titled 'thirty seconds to Mars', and he goes on to talk about the exponential growth of technology that relates to humans and saying that we are quite literally thirty seconds to Mars. What it means to us is, we thought it best described our music, in short."

Then again, Jared Leto said in an interview that "the name 30 Seconds To Mars has little to do with space, the universe or anything like that. It is a name that works on several different levels. Most importantly, it is a good representation of our sound. It's a phrase that is lyrical, suggestive, cinematic, and filled with immediacy. It has some sense of otherness to it. The concept of space is so overwhelming and all-encompassing, I doubt there is a song written that doesn't fall within it."

Frontman Jared Leto and drummer Shannon Leto performing in Padua, Italy, in July 2013

To further clear (or muddy) the origin waters, Shannon Leto, supporting the Wachter explanation said that the name "represents a lot of things. This professor had a thesis. It was talking about where technology was going; the evolution of man and how that plays a role. A sub-category was 30 Seconds to Mars. It was like the exponential growth of humans. We are literally 30 seconds away from Mars. Everything is right here and right now; everything is just so crazy and fast."

As of this posting, the band has many albums available.

Bowling for Soup, Sh*t, Dollars and Columbine

The band Bowling for Soup's name originates from a Steve Martin comedy routine, specifically a skit called "Bowling for Shit" from his 1978 album, "Wild and Crazy Guy." 

The band, formed in 1994, initially considered using Martin's title but ultimately opted for Bowling for Soup as a more family-friendly alternative. The "Bowling for Soup" name stuck, despite being initially intended as a joke, because the band couldn't agree on anything better.

Bowling for Soup formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion), and Rob Felicetti (bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar). The band is best known for its singles "Girl All the Bad Guys Want", "1985", "Almost", "Punk Rock 101", and "High School Never Ends". The band is also known for performing the theme song for the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb, which is a bit surprising as most of their albums carry warning labels for language.  Reddick is the only original member as of 2025

Steve Martin was playing off an actual TV game show called Bowling for Dollars in which people could bowl to win cash and prizes. The show was popular in the 1960s and peaked in the 1970s. It was unique in that it differed from most TV game shows of the time, which were taped in either New York or Hollywood and broadcast nationally. Unlike these shows, Bowling for Dollars was produced by local TV stations and featured contestants from the immediate area. The show was actually a franchise, created by Bert Claster of Claster Television, also the creator of Romper Room. Episodes of Bowling for Dollars were taped either in a local bowling alley or on a pair of bowling lanes constructed right inside the TV studio. The show reached its heyday in the 1970s. 

Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 documentary film written, produced, directed, and narrated by Michael Moore. The documentary film explores what Moore suggests are the primary causes for the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and other acts of gun violence. 

The film's title refers to the story that the two students responsible for the Columbine High School massacre attended a school bowling class at 6:00 AM on the day they committed the attacks at school. Later investigations showed that this was based on mistaken recollections, and it was concluded that they were absent from school on the day the attack took place.

A critical and commercial success, the film brought Moore international attention as a rising filmmaker and won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature, a special 55th Anniversary Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and the César Award for Best Foreign Film. The film is widely considered one of the greatest documentary films of all time.