Eagles - why are they always referred to as The Eagles?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Jun 29, 2013.

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  1. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium

    Both kinds.
     
    George P likes this.
  2. DrAftershave

    DrAftershave A Wizard, A True Star

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    What? My relatives were Black folks in Northern Texas??? WHAT DOES THAT MAKE ME???

     
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  3. zipzorp

    zipzorp Senior Member

    Location:
    hollywood
    same with "Raspberries" "Ramones" and "Carpenters"
     
    Grant likes this.
  4. spaulding

    spaulding Hoi Polloi

    Location:
    The Windy City
    Listening to Casey Kasem's Coast to Coast (yeah I know....feeling nostalgic this morning) and he just introduced: "At number 7 on our countdown, here are Eagles, with One of these Nights."
    And when the song was over: "That was Eagles..."
    Nicely done Casey.
    I'd like to make a long distance dedication please....
     
  5. dance_hall_keeper

    dance_hall_keeper Forum Resident

    Clever marketing; it sells more merchandise.
     
  6. audioguy3107

    audioguy3107 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, Georgia
    Man, this thread is 8 pages long about an article in front of a band's name. :eek:
     
  7. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    Or, los Los Lobos
     
  8. Seederman

    Seederman Forum Resident

    If you don't mind a language instructor chiming in, here's why. Feel free to pass it on to any kids at home studying for the SAT. Warning, this may be very boring:

    It essentially is a function of grammar that is instinctively within a native speaker of English. When we have a singular, countable noun, we are required to put an article ("a" or "the") before it. (I have a car. The car is white).

    "Eagle" is a singular, countable word, so in normal English it will always be preceded by an article. The article is "a" or "an" if the speaker and listener do not know the same specific item ("I saw an eagle"). The speaker may have a specific eagle in mind, but the listener will have to conjur up a generic eagle in his mind. If the speaker and listener both know the specific eagle, we use "the" to denote specificity. ("The eagle on the Great Seal holds thirteen arrows in its talon") That "the" means "that same eagle we both know about".

    When we use a plural countable noun, such as "eagles", we omit an article when referring to the general item "Eagles build nests in aeries" If we are referring to the mutually known item (a specific group of eagles) we use "the". "The eagles at the zoo look underfed" (You and I both know those specific eagles)

    If we omit the "the" denoting specificity for plural eagles, then we get a generic sentence "Eagles are good" which means any bunch of eagles are fine fowl. By saying "The Eagles are good" you are telling the listener, "those Eagles you and I both know". Unless we were in the woods looking at nests with binoculars, the context would tell me that you are referring to those Eagles who are the rock group.

    Anyone still awake?

    Technically "journey" as a countable noun, requires an article (a or the) when it is singular, as do all countable nouns (including "eagle"). (A journey begins with a single step; the journey was arduous) We never use it in English without an article, because that's against the rules. We never say "Journey begins with a single step" Or "It was arduous journey". The rule is always: singular, countable nouns must be preceded by an article.

    So the band is breaking the rule. Technically, they should call themselves "A Journey" or "The Journey". However, they are allowed to take author's license on their own name, and disregard the grammar rules.

    We refer to them easily as "Journey" because we would never otherwise use that word without an article. So, we don't need to differentiate them from "a journey" or "the journey" because the omission of the article already specifies whom we are talking about.

    Getting sleepy yet?

    "Yes" is not a noun, it is an interjection. So calling them "The Yes" or "A Yes" would commit a cardinal sin of grammar: no article before non-nouns or noun equivalents. So, nobody's gonna accidentally say "A Yes". Since a preponderance of rock groups have "The" in the name, "The Yes" is an understandable mistake, but it is gibberish grammatically.

    Incidentally the use of English articles is one of the greatest challenges a non-native speaker faces since many languages do not have articles. If they do, they are not used as they are in English. Thus, a dropped or misplaced "a" and "the" is common in non-native speech.



    Journey and Yes were smart in a way; those names are uniquely memorable because of the grammar rules that make us say them correctly.

    "Eagles" is a blander word, you could say... Since it doesn't break grammar rules by itself, we instinctively use the grammar rules we know by inserting "the", to differentiate it from generic eagles. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they chose a name that will seldom be uttered "correctly"

    Another example of this is the Carpenters, who are really just Carpenters. "carpenters" is a plural, countable noun and subject to the same rules as "eagles". Our native speaker instinct kicks in and adds "the"
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2014
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  9. BadJack

    BadJack doorman who always high-fives children of divorce

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    I watched that "History" documentary and everyone in the group refers to the band as the Eagles. Get it straight, Henley.
     
  10. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    yes, The Eagles..
     
  11. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    without Frey there would be no The Eagles...like him or not.
     
  12. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Meet Beatles! YEAH!
     
  13. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Beatles are more popular than...
     
  14. Scott S.

    Scott S. lead singer for the best indie band on earth

    Location:
    Walmartville PA
    The full name is actually Philadelphia Eagles and they're at training camp currently. :)
     
  15. RMB77

    RMB77 Well-Known Member

    I've always felt that bands with "The" in their name were Rock and Roll bands and those without were Rock bands. With some exceptions the bands I tend to like and listen to are "The _____".
     
  16. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Hmmm...Philadelphia The Eagles has a nice ring to it. :thumbsup:
     
  17. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    The Who isn't a rock band? The Clash? The Edgar Winter Group? Etc.
     
  18. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    and what about The The?
     
  19. dewey02

    dewey02 Forum Resident

    Location:
    The mid-South.
    But then it is not a plural (that would be Krogers), it is a possessive (since you have an apostrophe). And that can actually make sense, as it is a short way of saying I'm going to Kroger's store.
     
  20. Just a stab in the dark but it could be because their fans think of them as the definite article. :D
     
  21. Summer of Malcontent

    Summer of Malcontent Forum Resident

    Nope. Only plural nouns take plural verbs. 'Orchestra', 'clash' and 'army' are singular, and should be followed by "is". Same with "The Who," even though "who" isn't normally used as a noun. Thus, The Who is better than The Eagles, but The Eagles are better than Journey, and Journey is better than - man, I'm really struggling here. . .

    Even when you're talking about lots of individuals, if you're using a collective noun in its singular form to describe them, the verb has to be singular as well:

    The entire orchestra was late for its performance, and all the other orchestras in the competition were secretly delighted. The Electric Light Orchestra was not invited, however.
     
  22. hominy

    hominy Digital Drifter

    Location:
    Seattle-ish
    They're just a Roll and Roll band.
     
  23. rockledge

    rockledge Forum Resident

    Location:
    right here
    It is kind of interesting that they picked up a "the".
    You don't hear people say The Poco or The Led Zeppelin or The Black Sabbath.

    But, what about The Beatles?
    Perhaps bands like The Beatles and The Monkees and The Turtles set an unspoken rule that anything that alludes to a living creature has got to have a "the".
     
    DmitriKaramazov likes this.
  24. Folknik

    Folknik Forum Resident

    For the same reason Carpenters are referred to as the Carpenters. It's a plural noun.
     
  25. DmitriKaramazov

    DmitriKaramazov Senior Member

    The Grateful Deads................

    :crazy:
     
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