31 Random Bits of Trivia About Popular Music and the Eccentric Artists Who Make It

Aw, we didn’t know that ‘Jimmy Eat World’ is actually a really mean name
31 Random Bits of Trivia About Popular Music and the Eccentric Artists Who Make It

Not that we’d know anything about this, but it seems like talent can add a ton of spice to an otherwise bland life. Creativity seems to drum up all kinds of wild options for you to do with yourself, and it helped these folks to carve out some pretty cool paths.

Here are some fun tidbits about that creativity and what it did for these talented music makers. We’re not jealous in the slightest.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix's entire mainstream career lasted just 4 years. Hendrix altered the course of popular mu- sic before his career ended abruptly with his death in 1970, at the age of 27. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW

Barenaked Ladies

BIG BANG THEORY BARENAKED LADIES the BiG BANG THEORY OS CRACKED.COM When Chuck and Bill called they said 'big fans, we'd like you guys to write this song, says BNL's Ed Robertson. I had my guard up and said 'Look, how many other bands have you asked?' There was this dead air and they said 'We really like you. We haven't asked anyone else.

Regina Spektor

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK REGINA SPEKTOR CRACKED.COM Spektor wrote You've Got Time especially for OITNB. Producer Kohan sort of gave me like, 'If it works, it works, says Spektor. And if it doesn't, don't worry, because I know ... you're not a machine. So just do it if you can.

Ryan Gosling

Actors trying to be musicians (and vice versa) Ryan Gosling, more like Ryan Gothling. Early in Gosling's career, he played guitar and piano while singing for goth rock band Dead Man's Bones. It wasn't terrible music, but it wasn't nearly as successful as his acting career. CRACKED.COM

Mariah Carey

MIXED-ISH MARIAH CAREY mpter CRACKED.COM Lots of 80s vibes in the opening theme for Mixed-ish. As a biracial woman in the entertainment industry, Carey says, there was no way I did not want to be a part of , especially after seeing the pilot, which I loved.

Selena Gomez

SHAKE IT UP SELENA GOMEZ CRACKED.COM While Gomez sang the theme song for Zendaya's show, it wasn't the first time the two worked together. That would have been 2009, when both kid actors appeared in a Sears commercial. Welcome to the softer side of the Disney Channel.

Pink Floyd

PINK FLOYD'S COMFORTABLY NUMB ISN'T ABOUT RECREATIONAL DRUGS. Pink Floyd didn't do drugs. The song is about the time Roger Waters was given heavy sedatives against his will, and had to perform despite being barely able to lift his arm. http://web.archive.org/web/20090429063944/http:/ CRACKED.COM rollingstone.com/news/story/6596159/comfortably_numb

The Guess Who

THE GUESS WHO WROTE AMERICAN WOMAN ON THE SPOT AT A DIVE BAR. Guitarist Randy Bachman broke a guitar string during their set, and after he'd restrung it he was at the piano tuning his guitar. The audience started responding to the tuning sounds, so the band worked them into a song, right then and there. CRACKED.COM music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2013/2/Randy-Bachman-takes-us-behind-the-writing-of-American-Woman

Puddle of Mudd

PUDDLE OF MUDD's REHEARSAL SPACE WAS TURNED INTO A LITERAL PUDDLE OF MUD. The band wound up naming itself after the flood that soaked the entire first floor of their rehearsal space, which was located next to the Missouri River. CRACKED.COM http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Puddle_of_Mudd.aspx

Stone Temple Pilots

THE STONE TEMPLE PILOTS ARE NAMED AFTER THE STP OIL LOGO. STP Their original name, Mighty Joe Young, wasn't available. They came up with the name Stone Temple Pilots because they liked the look of the three-letter logo on the sticker on singer Scott Weiland's motorcycle. CRACKED.COM http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Stone_Temple_Pilots.aspx

Coldplay

Coldplay was named after a book of poems. The book? Child's Reflections: Cold Play. The original name? Starfish. Seems like they made the right choice. CRACKED.COM

Daft Punk

Daft Punk was based on a bad review of the pair's earlier project. The pair was originally named Darlin', and a critic called their work a daft punky thrash. CRACKED.COM

Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World was making fun of the guitarist's little brother's weight. Tom Linton's younger brother Jimmy was the subject of childhood taunting, which is how the band eventually acquired its mean-spirited name. CRACKED.COM

David Bowie

David Bowie named himself after Jim Bowie and Bowie knives. Не was worried that if he used his real name David Jones would be confused with Davey Jones of The Monkees. CRACKED.COM

First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit was inspired by the dictionary. Klara Söderberg said, I was 13...and looking through a dictionary, looking for a name...I think music should be like a consolation to help you get through everyday life... CRACKED.COM

Cardi B

Cardi В based her name off Bacardi alcohol. Her sister's name is Hennessy so people used to call her Bacardi, which she shortened. CRACKED.COM

Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire's interactive SUBURBS video For their 2010 song We Used to Wait, fans could plunk in their address on thewildernessdowntown.com and see Google Maps images of their house in the video for a personalized experience. CRACKED

Childish Gambino

THIS IS AMERICA by Childish Gambino sparked a ton of controversy. Pear Masa D - In 2018, the Hiro Murai-directed video was discussed to no end. A very apt review said, It tackles police brutality, gun violence, and the use of African Americans as a brand shield, all while dancing in Jim Crow-style caricature. It won the Grammy for Best Music Video that year. CRACKED

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran's childhood friend was financially struggling so he wrote Thinking Out Loud with her The song has since been streamed almost 2 billion times on Spotify and has gone triple platinum in the UK. She never has to worry about money again. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM

LFO

The boy band LFO was comprised of three guys: Devin Rich Cronin, Lima the songwriter Brad Fischetti FYILFO LFO was an unfortunate name, but it actuall

Star Wars Cantina Band

CRACKED COM The Star Wars cantina music is a distorted 1930s swing band tune.

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