where did the name nine inch nails come from
Nine Inch Nails Reznor coined the name "Nine Inch Nails" because it "abbreviated easily", rather than for "any literal meaning".[20] Other rumored explanations have circulated, alleging that Reznor chose to reference Jesus' crucifixion with nine-inch spikes,[21] or Freddy Krueger's nine-inch fingernails.[22][23] The English letters NIN are also noted for their resemblance to the modern Hebrew characters of the Tetragrammaton.[24] The Nine Inch Nails' logo, which consists of the letters [NIÐ˜] set inside a border, was designed by Reznor and Gary Talpas, and first appeared on the music video for Nine Inch Nails' debut single, "Down in It", and was inspired by Tibor Kalman's typography on the Talking Heads album Remain in Light.[25][26] Talpas, a native of Cleveland, would continue to design Nine Inch Nails packaging art until 1997.[27]
Tony! Toni! Toné! Originally, the band went by "Tony, Toni, TonÃ©" as a joke, until they realized it had a nice ring to it.[1]
Arcade Fire When asked about the rumour that the band's name refers to a fire in an arcade, Win Butler replied: "It's not a rumour, it's based on a story that someone told me. It's not an actual event, but one that I took to be real. I would say that it's probably something that the kid made up, but at the time I believed him."[16]
Polka dot It is likely that the term originated in popularity of polka dance at the time the pattern became fashionable, just as many other products and fashions of the era also adopted the "polka" name.[1]