10 Bands Named After Food
Coming up with a band name has to be a tough thing to do. You can only plug so many nouns after "The," after all. When coming up with the moniker that one's albums and singles and tours will be named after, many rising musicians turn to the one thing they see and consume every day: food.
Though there are many, many bands who have named themselves after food, from Korn to Salt-n-Pepa to Blue Öyster Cult, here are 10 of the best bands named after food and the stories behind their hunger-inducing nicknames.
Black Eyed Peas
Before taking on the moniker of this classic Southern side dish, the Black Eyed Peas had a few lives and a few names, including the Atban Klann (A Tribe Beyond a Nation) and the Black Eyed Pods. Their first album under the Black Eyed Peas was released in 1998. However, they didn't break out until they added pop singer Fergie to the group and released Elephunk in 2003, featuring the singles "Hey Mama," "Where Is the Love?" and "Let's Get It Started."
Blood Orange
Singer-songwriter Dev Hynes is better known his stage name, Blood Orange. Though his solo work has the love of the indie rock crowd (with his albums Freetown Sound and Cupid Deluxe getting the coveted Best New Album title from Pitchfork), he's best known for his production work. Blood Orange has collaborated with the likes of Solange Knowles (True), Carly Rae Jepsen ("All That"), and Haim ("You Never Knew").
Bread
This '70s soft rock band named themselves as such because a bread truck drove by as they were thinking of band names. They liked that the name started with a B like other famous names such as The Beatles and the Bee Gees, but they also felt bread had a universal appeal. Judge that appeal for yourself with "Make It With You," "If," or "Everything I Own."
CAKE
This alt rock band may share its name with the favorite dessert of birthday parties, but their name isn't actually taken from the foodstuff. It's meant to be like when something "cakes on the bottom of your shoe" and becomes a major part of your being... until you get rid of it, of course. No matter what their name origin may be, there's no doubting that fluffy baked goods and icing come to mind when you're listening to their hits such as "The Distance," "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," and "Never There."
Clams Casino
You may not see this old school dish in restaurants anymore, but you will hear the work of rapper/producer Clams Casino in this music of ASAP Rocky, Lil B, Vince Staples and Mac Miller. Also known as Clammy Clams, he's additionally worked on remixes for Lana Del Rey ("Born to Die"), Sia ("Elastic Heart"), and Florence and the Machine ("Never Let Me Go").
The Cranberries
Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us (which when said quickly sounds like cranberry sauce) and then The Cranberry, this Irish rock band finally settled on "The Cranberries" and just decided to roll with it. Best known for lead singer Dolores O'Riordan's signature howl, this '90s band's biggest hits include "Zombie," "Linger," and "Dreams."
Cream
This 1960s supergroup was composed of Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, and Jack Bruce — who were considered the "cream of the crop" of jazz and blues musicians in the English invasion of the 1960s, so it's only fitting that their moniker reflected that. Originally deemed "The Cream," by the time the band released its iconic tracks like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room," they were simply Cream.
Meat Loaf
Marvin Lee Aday started his musical career under the name Meat Loaf Soul, after a childhood nickname from his football coach. The nickname seems a bit cruel to us, though, since it was a reference to young Marvin's size. Ouch! Eventually, the rocker shortened his name to simply Meat Loaf. He's best known for his 1977 album Bat Out of Hell, his single "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)," and his roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Fight Club.
Taco
Taco is the real first name of this Indonesian-born Dutch singer, Taco Ockerse. If you don't immediately recognize his name, you surely know his one-hit wonder status as the man behind the 1982 single "Puttin' on the Ritz." If you're not sold on naming your child Taco, here are 20 other food-inspired baby names.
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle is better known as the rapper Vanilla Ice. His rapping name evolved from his childhood breakdancing nickname, "Vanilla," which he was deemed because he was the only white boy in the bunch. Though Vanilla Ice didn't particularly like his nickname at first, he later fully embraced it with his breakout 1990 single "Ice Ice Baby."