Imagine Dragons fans have been left gobsmacked after learning the band’s name has a double meaning as lead singer Dan Reynolds tries to hold onto the mystery surrounding it
They’re one of the world’s best-selling music artists – but some Imagine Dragons fans are completely unaware of the ‘secret’ meaning behind their band name.
The band, which currently consists of Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, and Ben McKee, became a well-known name thanks to their single It’s Time, followed by their debut album Night Visions.
Since then, they have received various awards including Breakthrough Band of 2013, Biggest Band of 2017, as well as topping the Billboard Year-End Top Artists – Duo/Group category in 2018. Some of their most popular songs include Bones, Demons, Thunder, Believer, Bad Liar, Eyes Closed, Enemy, Natural and Radioactive.
However, even some ‘mega fans’ still don’t know the story behind their iconic stage name, with one Reddit user asking whether it has a deeper meaning. According to the band, Imagine Dragons is actually an anagram of a phrase that the band members came up with. However, wanting to keep some mystery around it, the band will not reveal the original phrase, even refusing to tell their closest friends.
A statement in American Songwriter reads: “In a 2013 Billboard cover story, lead singer Dan Reynolds said they had numerous discussions about what the band name should be, and that Imagine Dragons stems from a special anagram related to ‘a phrase that meant something to all of us,’ he said, intentional about keeping the phrase under wraps as a way to maintain some level of privacy in an industry that’s very public.
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“‘As a musician, you’re exposing yourself in so many different ways we thought it would be cool to have something the four of us hung on to,’ Reynolds explains. ‘It seems like such a strange thing to start out with a secret we want to keep from everybody, but we just thought it would be nice to keep something to ourselves, and we’ve kept it to ourselves for four years.’
“The singer adds that even their closest family and friends don’t know the origin of the name. ‘I haven’t even told my mum, and she’s bothered me about it since day one,’ he says.” But some fans believe they’ve cracked the code. Responding to the Reddit thread ‘The band name ‘Imagine Dragons’ is actually an anagram that the band members have kept to themselves. What do you think it stands for?’, one user said: “Migraine Gonad.”
Another user added: “Go sing in a dream.” A third user said: “Insomnia Dagger is my personal favourite.” One more user said: “Agonised margin.” Another user guessed: “A Dream Gig, No Sin.” A final user suggested: “Ragged Insomnia. Works well with their first album (Night Visions).”
