4 of the Best Rock Songs That Are Also Band Names

Because of the performer-to-audience relationship that naturally comes with playing music, it can be tough to really feel like you’re ever “breaking the fourth wall” in a song. But naming a song after your band definitely does the trick. Kind of like when someone in a television show or film says the title of that show or film.

Here are four of the best songs that are also band names.

“Black Sabbath”

The first of three “song title, album title, and band name” combos is “Black Sabbath” by, you guessed it, Black Sabbath off, you guessed it again, Black Sabbath. This foreboding heavy metal track centers around a tritone riff. The tritone was once considered the devil’s interval for its unsettling, dissonant quality. Lyrically speaking, “Black Sabbath” makes no mention of the band. Nevertheless, it’s so distinct to their style that it served as a proper introduction just the same.

“Bad Company”

English rock ‘n’ rollers Bad Company released their eponymous track, “Bad Company”, in 1974 on an album of the same name. As a supergroup of Free, King Crimson, and Mott the Hoople members, this titular song was their way of saying, “That was then, but this is now.” There is a Western element that’s not autobiographical. Still, lines like “Rebel souls, deserters we are called” and “Now these towns, they all know our name” seem relevant to their stardom.

“Wilco (The Song)”

Chicago indie rock icons Wilco used “Wilco (The Song)” to open their 2009 album, Wilco (The Album). The song is a tongue-in-cheek commercial for the band. “Have you had enough of the old? / Tired of being exposed to the cold? / The stare of your stereo, put on your headphones before you explode / Wilco, Wilco, Wilco will love you, baby.” Enough people apparently followed their instructions, as the album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album.

“Who The F*** Are Arctic Monkeys?”

Finally, the Arctic Monkeys offered their preemptive answer to the titular question of their 2006 single and EP with a resounding, “We are, f*** you!” This angsty rocker was a purposeful prod at the public, challenging critics of the band as their star was on the rise. “The backlash is bound to start soon,” a source close to the band told the Daily Star in 2006. “By calling it this, they’ve sort of nipped it in the bud and shown that they’re not taking all the hype seriously.”

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage

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