Devotees of the iconic rock band The Beatles are just discovering the group originally had a different name.
On this day in 1960, the Fab Four decided to change their name, but not before going through several iterations. John Lennon’s initial band, The Quarrymen, served as the foundation for The Beatles.
Lennon met both Paul McCartney and George Harrison through this band, and after numerous changes to the line-up, the decision was made, on multiple occasions, to alter the name.
The Beatles wasn’t the immediate choice, but it was on this day the group settled on the name, which was actually a pun.
The Quarrymen transitioned to Johnny and the Moondogs, and even briefly performed as The Rainbows.
McCartney humorously suggested the latter name was chosen because the band “had different coloured shirts and we couldn’t afford any others”. Eventually, all band members agreed on the name The Beatles.
A post on the r/Beatles subreddit sparked curiosity among fans about the origin of their name, and the pun that inspired it is typically charming from the band.
One fan asked: “Where did ‘Beatles’ name come from?” Another fan responded: “It was a pun based on the word ‘beat’ and Buddy Holly’s band the Crickets.”
A third comment elaborated on the origins of the name, pointing out that the Buddy Holly band The Crickets had inspired Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and drummer Pete Best, to choose a similar insect-themed name.
However, The Beetles was rejected, and since the group were performing what was termed “beat music” during that era, they decided upon The Beatles.
One admirer wrote: “They were playing what was called ‘beat music’. They loved ‘The Crickets’. Ipso ‘The Beatles’ as a play on words.”
Another shared: “Lennon said he was looking for a double-meaning name and also something a bit like the Crickets (Buddy Holly’s band). I prefer the flaming pie explanation though.”
The flaming pie tale isn’t regarded as the true source of the moniker but rather a peculiar account provided by Lennon when requested by Bill Harry, a Liverpool music publication creator behind Mersey Beat.
Within the publication, Lennon would assert the band’s title was bestowed upon them through the apparition of a figure on a blazing pie. Lennon said: “Many people ask what are Beatles? Why Beatles? Ugh, Beatles, how did the name arrive?”
“So we will tell you. It came in a vision – a man appeared on a flaming pie and said unto them ‘From this day on you are Beatles with an ‘A’. Thank you, mister man, they said, thanking him.”