10 Fascinating Backstories Behind Famous Rock Band's Names
5. Sudden Substitute - Pink Floyd
How many great ideas have been ruined by overthinking? Getting bogged down in the minute details can really sour a simple solution, as anyone who's ever thought about what to name their child will tell you.
Rock legends Pink Floyd discovered that the best way to name a band was to come up with something on the spot, which is exactly what they did back in 1965.
The future creators of Dark Side of the Moon went through a bunch of different names before settling on The Tea Set. Then, just before one of their gigs, they were told that another group by that name were on the same bill and that they had to change theirs.
In a flash, Syd Barrett came up with "The Pink Floyd Sound", as a reference to two blues musicians called Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Over time, "The" and "Sound" were dropped, and the words "Pink Floyd" became known the world over.
There's something so satisfying about how those two words sit together; it's astonishing that Barrett came up with it so easily and with so little time. The man really was a genius.