I was interested in bands that had a religious name. I did a lot of research to find information on why the band members chose their name. I analyzed the bands and found theories as well.
Taking Back Sunday
They believe the Bible says that Sunday is a day to be with family and friends, a day to kick back. Sunday should be for your free time, a day to relax and have fun. They do not want people to forget that.
Watch this video at the time 1:30
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rk08t74lAA
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rk08t74lAA
Avenged sevenfold
The name originates from the Biblical story of God’s wrath upon Cain for killing his brother Abel. According to the book of Genesis, "And the Lord said unto him, ‘Therefore whoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." It is based on the the philosophy is what comes around goes around.
God Smack
The name is based on the philosophy of karmic retribution. It is not about being punished, but about how to avoid punishment such as being put in a position where one feels how others have felt. I found two stories that could be true. 1. They were rehearsing one day and their drummer came in with this huge cold sore on his lip. Sully teased him and really gave him a hard time about it. The next day, he happened to get a cold sore on his lip. One of the guys in the band said to me, 'See, God just smacked you on the head for all that teasing.’ 2. The band was sitting around trying to think up a name and someone said a smart/disrespectful remark. Someone else replied "you better watch your mouth or God will reach down and smack you."
Cognitive Dissonance is caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. Many find the name of this band offensive and anti-religious. However, the message is actually a religious one. The philosophy of karmic retribution believes that Karmic Lords show how to avoid punishment. The names contradicts its meaning.
Cognitive Dissonance is caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. Many find the name of this band offensive and anti-religious. However, the message is actually a religious one. The philosophy of karmic retribution believes that Karmic Lords show how to avoid punishment. The names contradicts its meaning.
Black Sabbath:
Butler said "It’s a satanic world. The devil’s more in control now. People can’t come together, there’s no equality. It’s a sin to put yourself above other people, and yet that’s what people do." Black Sabbath pursued such themes as war, social chaos, the supernatural, the afterlife, and the timeless conflict between good and evil.
Three Days Grace
It represents a sense of urgency. If you had a certain amount of time to turn your life around, it is a grace period.
Watch this video at the time 1:00
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_cvGng42xY
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_cvGng42xY
Angels and Airwaves
When they created their band it was a chance to start over for all of them. They wanted to be very unique that no other band could be named. Tom’s daughter said they sounded like angels. The name is about their angel voices being heard through the airwaves.
Semiotics is the study of the significance of a symbol. The band uses the symbol AVA. Many think that it was for looks to invert the second A. However, the meaning of the symbol is that is actually spells out Tom’s daughter’s name.
Dashboard Confessional
He said that dashboard is sort of his diary. He derived the name from a song called "The Sharp Hint of New Tears," which features the line "On the way home this car hears my confessions." Chris uses the name Dashboard Confessional as an archetype for his songs. He write beautiful songs that gives himself away and makes himself feel a little vulnerable. He talks about the struggle of sharing deep parts of himself in songs. Some of his songs strike an emotional nerve with him that he does not want to ignite every time he plays it in front of people.
New Found Glory
Ian and Jordan worked together and one night they were cleaning and trying to figure out a band name when one of them randomly thought of A New Found Glory. It stuck, but instead of saying ANFG, they took off the A and was left with NFG.
Bad Religion
They were young and wanted to make people angry because they were an angry young punk bad. They wanted it to be shocking. It seems that they wanted to be stereotyped. The wanted the image of an outgroup. An out group is not thought of as normal. They are viewed in a negative way.
*****************Each name refers to something religious. However, only half of these bands actually got the name from religion. Some of the band names are even negative towards religion. The bands do not always have moral or uplifting music. Some of the band members’ appearances make them look like they are not religious. These bands are talked about so much that no one thinks twice about the names. These bands are famous and have an impact in many people’s lives. In a world with so many religions and beliefs, has the influence of these popular bands added to the confusion of religion? Do people connect the band’s name, lyrics, and appearances to religion? Do people like these bands because they feel they can define their religious identity?
First off... I think the history behind all these names is really interesting. I had no idea where they came from nor had I ever taken the time to look them up. Nevertheless, some of the ways the names originated surprise me.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the influence of these popular bands as added to confusion in religion per say. I think they just show that there are all types of people involved in all types of religion. I think many people (including musicians) whom we wouldn't suspect are religious actually are to some degree. But, I don't think they are writing each of their songs on a religious basis. I don't think people define their religious identity based on the bands themselves. Specific songs may influence or may relate in some way, but the band, even though it has a religious name, is not defining a person's religion.
I never realized how many bands evoke religion in their titles! I wonder if there are even more then are listed here? Anyway, I really don't think anyone listens to any of the listed bands because they feel some religious connection. I think they just like the music. I can see people listening to bands like 'god smack' 'black sabbath' and 'bad religion.' because they want to rebel against the establishment or established religion. Haha. But any band with a controversial name and lyrics will probably satisfy their needs.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to music, I never really have a tendency to research an artist to find out the meaning of their name, what they stand for or the purpose of their vocalization of inner conflicts/ love stories/ heart breaks/ etc. But, whenever I find a song to have a religious connotation I find it refreshing. Also, when it comes to mainstream music, I don’t think that people really look for artists who stand for religious beliefs. If there are, I think they are few and far between. Whenever I listen to a band that has religious background or identify themselves with religion, I find this out in hindsight and usually have a tendency to listen to them more. I like to listen to uplifting music and when an artist that I really enjoy has religious undertones in their songs, I listen to it more often, therefore it tends to have more of an influence on my life in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting. I don't think that the names of these bands has added to the confusion about religion. In this genre of music, I think that most people do not look too deeply in to the band names.
ReplyDeleteIf anything, I think that when someone hears a band name linked to religion, they assume that the band is mocking religion or is anti-religion. People don't normally link rock music to truly religious meaning.
I am, however, more likely to link the lyrics to a song to religious meaning. Even if I am not sure if that is the intent of the artist, because of my religious roots, I link lyrics to things that have deep meaning for me. I think this is the wonderful thing about music. The listener is allowed to find their own meaning in the music that they choose to listen to.
I never really stopped to think about band names and their connection with religion. The way I look at it; a band name is like a first name. Its uniqueness may spur question but for what its worth you just accept it for what it is.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the name of a band does not add to the confusion of religion. Whether it is religious or not, does not determine its lyrical content and for me; lyrics are more of a significant factor. I don't think that people determine their religious identity through a band name but some cases may be influenced by a song.
There is another new band called Saving Abel. They sound like those religious metal bands we watched in class.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I am always interested to see how secular people view religion. Alot view it simply as an interesting set of stories. I think most of these bands have religious names for the interest value, the cognitive dissonence of contradiction (as the blog author said).
It is not a tribute as much as a shock value.
The title of a band can be all one needs in orrder to understand the kind of music they are listening to. At the same time you don't necessarily need to preactic religion to have a religious experience. Angels And Airwaves' name is an example of that; a new beginning, a rebirth of sorts. I think it is easy to associate something like that with something religious since everyone has had exposure to religion at some point, whether for good or for bad.
ReplyDelete