Band Names and Articles

August 4th, 2012
contra, free_raisins
People will sometimes ask us whether our band name contains a 'the'. Are we "The Free Raisins" or just "Free Raisins". We're in between: the "Free Raisins". While a poster might say just "Free Raisins with <caller>" and a CD would be the hypothetical "Free Raisins CD", you would announce "our band tonight is the Free Raisins". The article isn't part of the name, but the name takes an article when used in a sentence. You can tell it's not really part of our name because adjectives go after it (the amazing Free Raisins) and in some cases it becomes an indefinite article (Wallace's/Corriente is a Free Raisins set).

Is this strange? People keep saying things like "let's have a hand for Free Raisins" or "I want to buy a The Free Raisins CD" and I don't know how to respond.

(I've tried saying that the usage is like the Moving Violations and not like Wild Asparagus, but then people just make fun of me for the comparison.)

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Todd (12y, via g+):link

It's like the Beatles. No one says they want a The Beatles CD.

Phillip (12y, via fb):link

smile if they're using your name. Most folks are automatically processing this, and putting or not putting in the article as they see/hear it. Part of the problem is if you are clear thinking and analytical is that you can see what others do on autopilot. I see this with my spouse who sees things that others don't see, and since they don't see it, she must be the one that is confused not them (just ask them). IN her case, this compounded because the people who don't see are Alphas and happily run roughshod over her. This is an area to work with what people do rather than try to change them Trivia: the podcast Baseball Today from ESPN actually had this same issue a couple of years ago: They tried to insist the article was part of the title, but they eventually gave up to popular usage.

Andrew (12y, via fb):link

Yes, the idea is a bit confusing. Rock band names without definite articles were common in my youth. Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd. These names never took the definite article. If you said "I went to the Yes concert," it was concert that took the article, and the band name was a descriptive adjective.

Sometimes fans are confused. Talking Heads was emphatically not The Talking Heads. They had a record called "The Name of This Band is Talking Heads."

I find amusing the odd case of Het Nationale Ballet (The Dutch National Ballet) which some English speakers call The Het Nationale Ballet, or even just The Het. (Het is Dutch for The.)

Regarding your question of "takes an article when used in a sentence but the article isn't part of it," I think it's not usually done that way.

Julia (12y, via fb):link

I think it's standard to use "the" with plural band names, as evidenced by Talking Heads having to explain to people that there was *not* a "the" in their name.

Andrew (12y, via fb):link

Yes, Julia, a related idea is that it depends on the literal meaning of the name. With Free Raisins, if the band members identify as raisins, then maybe "The" is sensible. If they are called that because they support the free sharing of raisins, or raisin liberation, then maybe no "The."

Daniel (12y, via fb):link

Yes, I would say it's likely to confuse many people...but luckily, it's a relatively minimal sort of confusion. In that people may not use the article properly, but it's not going to stop them from recognizing or finding your band name wherever they need to.

Andrew, your suggestion about the literal meaning of a name makes sense. It never occurred to me before to think of "free" in "Free Raisins" as a verb, but I think I like it. Alternately, you could be "Free the Raisins". :-p

Andrew (12y, via fb):link

Another related idea is names with the indefinite article, also confusing. Especially, "A Prairie Home Companion." I think the name is more poetic with the indefinite article, but it seems that it is often left out. Their web address is: prairiehome.publicradio.org where it could have been aprairiehome.publicradio.org at the cost one one letter. Also "A Clockwork Orange," which had the indefinite article for the book, but lost it for the film.

Btw, Moving Violations, the name certainly refers to the traffic infraction (so maybe no "the"), but I assume it also intends to imply the viol family of stringed instruments, so yes, "the." In their case, they use "the."

I think Matt Glaser's band, "The Wayfaring Strangers," was called that because there was already a band called Wayfaring Strangers and they didn't want to conflict - there is a possible trademark problem. (They could change their name to The Trademark Violations.)

Robert (12y, via g+):link

Hmm. I seems to me that if you refer to yourselves (or expect to be referred to) as "the Free Raisins", the article is part of the name. Nobody calls another band I know of "TheThree Cats and Dog".

Also I kind of like the ambiguity referred to by Andy over on Facebook: Are you three specific raisins who are free, or an organization devoted to the liberation of raisins, or something else?

Robert (12y, via g+):link

+Todd: True, but as far as I know the band;s name was definitely "The Beatles".

Todd (12y, via g+):link

@Robert  Yes, but my point is about usage. The Beatles would be used appropriately in both of Jeff's examples ("let's have a hand for The Beatles", "I want to buy a Beatles CD"). The only difference is the capitalization of The.

Jeff Kaufman (12y, via g+):link

@Todd  I don't care much about the capitalization of "the" here.

John (12y, via fb):link

I note that your home page says "the Free Raisins" at the top - and the window/tab id is "The Free Raisins".

Chris (12y, via g+):link

Of the bands listed so far, the Beatles match your usage and everyone knows them, so I would reference them.  It might be good to say that you're not comparing yourself to them, just using them as an example cause they're so well known.

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