Band named Public Image

The band began rehearsing together in mid-May 1978, although they were still unnamed. In July 1978, Lydon officially named the band “Public Image” (the “Ltd” was added when the company was incorporated in July 1978), after the Muriel Spark novel The Public Image (1968). PiL debuted in October 1978 with ” Public Image “, a song written while Lydon was still a member of the Sex Pistols, and discussed his feelings of being exploited by their manager Malcolm McLaren . The single was well received and reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart , and it also performed well on import in the US.