Imagine Dragons have become a well-known name in the music industry – but some fans still have no idea what their stage name actually means or how they came up with it
They’re one of the world’s top-selling music artists, yet some Imagine Dragons fans are unaware of the ‘hidden’ meaning behind their band name.
The group, currently made up of Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, and Ben McKee, shot to fame with their single It’s Time, followed by their debut album Night Visions.
They’ve since bagged various accolades including Breakthrough Band of 2013, Biggest Band of 2017, and topped the Billboard Year-End Top Artists – Duo/Group category in 2018. Some of their biggest hits include Bones, Demons, Thunder, Believer, Bad Liar, Eyes Closed, Enemy, Natural and Radioactive.
Yet, even some ‘super fans’ remain clueless about the story behind their iconic stage name, prompting a Reddit user to question if it holds a deeper meaning. According to the band, Imagine Dragons is actually an anagram of a phrase that the band members concocted.
However, keen to preserve some mystery, the band refuses to disclose the original phrase, even to 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.”
Reynolds, a member of the band, explains: “‘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. 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.'”
He adds that even their nearest and dearest are in the dark about the name’s origin. “‘I haven’t even told my mum, and she’s bothered me about it since day one,’ he says.” However, some fans reckon they’ve solved the mystery. In response to a Reddit thread titled ‘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 suggested: “Migraine Gonad.”
Another chimed in with: “Go sing in a dream.” A third offered: “Insomnia Dagger is my personal favourite.” Yet another guessed: “Agonised margin.” One fan proposed: “A Dream Gig, No Sin.” And finally, one user put forward: “Ragged Insomnia. Works well with their first album (Night Visions).”