[edit] Heartagram
The HeartagramHeartagram is the name of a trademarked symbol of HIM. It is a cross between a heart and an inverted pentagram. Valo created the Heartagram the day after his 20th birthday. The heartagram has been falsely associated with satanism, so some believe HIM is satanic, which is false according to Valo. The heartagram symbolizes the contrast or perfect balance between life and death, love and hatred, darkness and light, good and evil, or even love and death together. Valo has said that "the heartagram stands for HIM as a band, as an entity, and for 'love metal' in general,".[3]
Many fans of the band have heartagram tattoos or tattoos of other HIM emblems (such as the single heart on Valo's right wrist). Fan-submitted photos of such tattoos decorated the lyric booklet for the limited edition of Dark Light.[4]
Ville Valo has allowed his close friend, Jackass star, and professional skateboarder Bam Margera to share the license on the image and Margera is accordingly entitled to use it for his promotional purposes, for example most of his Adio shoes have the symbol. Because of that many people think it's Bam's logo, but even so it has been profitable for the band because it gives them a lot of publicity, and according to Ville in one of his interviews, more people know the band because of the symbol and Bam than because of their music.[5]
HIM is currently running a contest to design the new Heartagram.[6]
The video game comedy troupe Mega64 parodied the Heartagram, and HIM, in the episode Ode To Sue on their 2nd DVD with the Horseagram, a combination of a horseshoe and a pentagram, in which one of the main characters, Dr. Poque, explains awkwardly about how he really likes the band, TIM, and what the horseagram on his beanie represents. [7]
[edit] Name confusion
Their first bandname was His Infernal Majesty (chosen spontaneously, as a complete joke). But as their popularity rose, they needed to change their name because:
Finnish people were having difficulties pronouncing the name
The band name was never actually serious
The band started getting unwanted occult associations
Consequently, the band changed the name to HIM from the "Wicked Game" single (The "Your Sweet Six Six Six" single included a 'His Infernal Majesty' sticker) onwards. Some people incorrectly use "H.I.M.".
In the official HIM biography, Synnin Viemää, Ville Valo admitted to making things up and joking about the name during interviews, leading to conflicting accounts of the origin of the name and the confusion that exists today. During an interview, Valo has said:
"In almost every interview someone asks what does HIM stand for. I can't even remember our latest lie about that. When Hanson was hot, we said it means Hanson Is Murder. The name doesn't have a particular history. His Infernal Majesty was a totally different band. I think HIM derives from some death metal joke. And it was our protest to Haile Selassie's rastafarian religion, he used to be called His Imperial Majesty. But nowadays because of Linde's hair, we actually might be supporting him."
Their second major US release, Razorblade Romance, was released under the name HER because a New York based post-rock band named HiM held the trademark on the name. While they toured Europe, primarily Germany, at this time, they used the name HIM and HER. HIM eventually bought the rights to the name "HIM" in the United States and used it worldwide from thereon.
2007-03-28
03:10:14
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