Nickelback has churned out mega hits since bursting onto the music scene, and the rock band remains popular to this day. The Canadian group is made up of lead vocalist and guitarist Chad Kroeger, bassist Mike Kroeger, and rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing singer Ryan Peake. The band had several drummers over its first decade before mainstay Daniel Adair joined the lineup.
Brothers Chad and Mike, responsible for the band’s creation, originally named the group Village Idiot. This was soon changed to Nickelback.
Though the band, which is known for a discography spanning genres such as post-grunge, pop rock, alternative rock and more, was formed in 1995, it wasn’t until 2002 that they achieved mainstream success.
Their breakthrough came with the release of the single, How You Remind Me, which went on to reach the number one spot in both the United States and Canada.
More success followed, with albums being certified platinum and mega hits like Photograph, Far Away and Rockstar cementing their place in the zeitgeist of the early 2000s. Despite their fame and fortune, many people aren’t aware where the band got its name.
Nickelback’s name was discussed on social media platform, Quora, where fans and music aficionados alike were keen to share their thoughts and insight.
It turns out, Nickelback’s name has a connection with popular coffee shop chain, Starbucks. In answer to a question asking how the band’s name came to be, one Quora user explained: “Nickelback started life as a covers band called Village Idiot.
“The band later changed its name to Nickelback, which originated from the nickel in change that band member Mike Kroeger gave customers at his job at Starbucks; he would frequently say, ‘Here’s your nickel back’.”
Adding further context around the coin, another said: “In the sixties, a phone call from a public phone cost a nickel. To save money, I would give my parents one ring on the telephone when I was returning from NYC, they would then pick me up at the bus stop. If you hung up after one ring, you got your nickel back.”
In a Reddit post, one social media user confessed to recently learning the band was originally called Village Idiot. Pondering the reason for the name change, one person said: “I guess they changed it because the original name was a bit too ‘on the nose’.”
Another said: “They are one of my favorite bands. I’m glad they chose the current band name instead of the other.”
Of the original name, Ryan Peake explained: “Our small town was almost village-sized, so I thought it was appropriate.” Eventually, the band changed their name because Village Idiot could leave them open to negativity, especially as they aimed to reach wider audiences.
The name Nickelback does come from Mike Kroeger’s experience working at Starbucks and giving customers a “nickel back” after they ordered their drinks.