HONEY AND CLOVER:

The manga title was inspired by two CDs sitting side by side on a shelf; Honey by the band Spitz, and Clover by the band Sugashigao.  For that reason, many songs from the two bands were used in the anime series.

Hamadayama Art University, the locale for the story, was based on the actual Musashino Art University where Masamune Kusano, the lead singer from Spitz, attended. The university is named in the credits for both movie and anime, as the campus is almost an exact replica.

SPITZ:

Japanese rock band that formed in 1987 and made its major label debut in 1991. Members are Masamune Kusano (singer, songwriter, guitarist), Tetsuya Miwa (guitarist)
Akihiro Tamura (band leader, bassist), and Tatsuo Sakiyama (drummer).

All the members came from art schools. Kusano and Tamura were together in Tokyo Zoukei University (Kusano kater transferred to Musashino Art University), while Miwa and Sakiyama attended Bunka Fukusou Gakuin. Miwa and Tamura were also in junior high together.

Their music is known for its Donovan-influenced acoustic guitars, electric guitar arpeggios, steady drum beats, Kusano’s smooth vocals, and melodies strongly derived from Japanese Kayou Music.

Named by Kusano, Spitz means “sharp” or “edgy” in German.  Furthermore, their fan club is called Spitzbergen, named after a Norwegian island located in the Arctic Sea.

The band’s first break came in 1995 when their single “Robinson” sold over a million copies. Soon after, “Sora mo toberu hazu” (We should also be able to fly) and “Cherry” also became big hits and earned them a huge following.

During their live performances, the band favors close quarters, as their policy demands that their venue never exceed the size of a concert hall when they are the only act.  Aside from their busy band activities, all the members are not in favor of TV coverage, and thus attract little media attention.