Gibbard took the band name from the song `` Death Cab for Cutie '' written by Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall and performed by their group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band . The song was performed by the Bonzos in the Beatles film `` Magical Mystery Tour '' .
The band 's name was taken from the song `` Death Cab for Cutie '' , written by Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall and performed by their band the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band in The Beatles ' 1967 film `` Magical Mystery Tour '' .