5 bands whose names you probably didn't know were inspired by literature

When John Kay's band chose the name Steppenwolf, the singer had heard of Hermann Hesse's 1927 novel hadn't read it. He finally did years later. Maybe he's not a great literature fan, but the organizers of the Hermann Hesse Festival in the author's hometown, Calw, invited the band to perform there in 2002.

Artful Dodger is a character from Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist" (pictured is an illustration from the book). In it, Jack Dawkins has the nickname Artful Dodger because he's such a talented pickpocket. The band of the same name was founded in 1997 and earned money by honest means, famous through two-step hits such as "Re-Wind," which reached No. 2 on the British charts.

The Scottish indie pop band picked the name of the 1960s French children's book series "Belle et Sébastien." In it, actress and author Cécile Aubry wrote about the adventures of the six-year-old Sébastien and his dog Belle, who live in a village in the Pyrenees. The stories were popular in the UK - and apparently pleased the band members too.

Free of moral and sexual restrictions is a description that applies well to the band's tabloid-prominent lead singer Pete Doherty. The band name wasn't inspired by his lifestyle however, but by the French aristocrat Marquis de Sade. In "The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Libertinage" of 1785, de Sade describes the sadistic sexual practices of four "Libertines."

The British pianist Tim Rice-Oxley initially chose this name for his band, but finding it too depressing, he passed the idea on to his friend Chris Martin, who was also establishing a new group. "Coldplay" derives from "Child's Reflection, Cold Play," a collection by US poet Philip Horky. Opting for the band name Keane, Rice-Oxley went on to success, as did Chris Martin's gang (pictured).