Original: Gibbard took the band name from the title of the song written by Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall and performed by their group, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, in The Beatles' 1967 film, Magical Mystery Tour.
Simplified: 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.