Those of us with longer memories will remember the impact it had on bars and clubs across the world following its release in 1992.
Back then, grunge was king and gangster rap – fuelled by bitter east and west coast rivalries – was gathering speed as one of the more dominant musical genres of the decade.
But over in Los Angeles, three musicians with strong Irish roots and a band-name inspired by science fiction novelist HG Wells appeared to bridging musical divides with a debut single that would prove to be one of the greatest songs of the decade.
With a booming beat, punchy lyrics and an earworm chorus that urged listeners to get down, the anthemic Jump Around climbed to number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number eight in the United Kingdom while lingering on international charts across mainland Europe and Asia for weeks.
It was auspicious start for House Of Pain band-members DJ Lethal, Danny Boy and Everlast, one that hinted at greater things to come – but the luck of the Irish was surprisingly not on their side, and it was not to be.
Indeed, any traction gained from the enormous success of their debut single soon petered out with the release of their second, Shamrocks and Shenanigans (Boom Shalock Lock Boom).
House Of Pain in 1993, shortly after releasing their ht debut single Jump Around – one of the most enduring hits of the 1990s (L-R: Band-members Everlast, Danny Boy and DJ Lethal)
The track – its title a reference to their Irish family ties – limped to number 65 in the US, while British fans pushed it to number 23 on the UK singles chart.
It was the beginning of the end, and by 1996 – after just four years and seven singles – the group quietly disbanded.
The group have since reformed periodically for a variety of events, notably at a 2009 St. Patrick’s Day celebration thrown by UFC President Dana White in Boston.
In 2017, the group reunited for a 25th Anniversary Tour that included shows in Washington DC, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and their native California.
But as individuals their fortunes have been vastly different since calling time on House Of Pain.
Following their 1996 split, DJ Lethal – real name Leors Dimant, 52 – enjoyed continued success through his association with American crossover band Limp Bizkit.
Initially hired as a support act, Lethal would eventually join the band full-time after being asked to work on some of their recordings.
With the DJ on board, Limp Bizkit would go on to become one of the most successful bands of the 2000s, selling more than 40million records worldwide.
Danny Boy, AKA Daniel O’Connor in 2024 (L) and pictured with House Of Pain in 1992 (R)
Everlast, AKA Erik Schrody, during a 2025 podcast (L) and onstage in 1997 (R)
Dj Lethal, AKA Leors Dimant, onstage in 2017 (L) and during his House Of Pain days in 1992 (R)
Lethal eventually left the band in 2013 to form hip hop supergroup La Coka Nostra with his old House Of Pain band-mate Danny Boy – real name Daniel O’Connor, 56 – before returning five years later, in 2018.
Away from Limp Bizkit, Lethal has also produced music at his Hollywood recording studio for a range of artists – among them rappers Method Man, Ol’Dirty Bastard and Cypress Hill.
But while the DJ has enjoyed prolonged success, Danny Boy has not been so fortunate.
In 2021, the rapper admitted he’d spent millions of dollars on drugs – and even had homicidal and suicidal impulses – before seeking help.
‘It got dark and it got bad and it was either homicide or suicide,’ he told Page Six. ‘I was contemplating both before the willingness came back to try sobriety again.’
House Of Pain quietly disbanded in 1996 after releasing three albums and seven singles
O’Connor said that he was ‘on a downward spiral’ and ‘with a massive drug addiction’ following the band’s split in 1996, four years after its self-titled 1992 hit album
Following their 1996 split, DJ Lethal – real name Leors Dimant – enjoyed continued success through his association with band Limp Bizkit (pictured top, with singer Fred Dusrt)
O’Connor said that he was ‘on a downward spiral’ and ‘with a massive drug addiction’ following the band’s split in 1996, four years after its self-titled 1992 hit album, which spawned the single Jump Around.
The entertainer, referenced years he spent using drugs that hindered his musical career, as Lethal wound up in Limp Bizkit while Everlast has done well on his own with hits such as What It’s Like and Put Your Lights On (with Carlos Santana).
‘I just didn’t think it was going to work for me anymore because I had thrown the gift away originally,’ O’Connor said.
He said that he first cleaned up in 2000 and remained sober until 2003; after two more years of addiction, he sought treatment for his issues.
‘By the time I got sober the second time in 2005, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and I was either gonna kill somebody or kill myself.
Everlast is pictured onstage with House Of Pain at the height of their fame, during which they released the hit single Jump Around
These days Everlast, real name Erik Schrody, looks vastly different but has maintained his popularity with a successful solo career
‘And you know that’s a terrible feeling,’ said O’Connor, adding that he was sleeping in a warehouse and avoiding an arrest warrant for ‘failure to appear for traffic violations and s*** like that.
‘A guy called me that I knew from a 12-step program in the past and he reached out and said, “You know, I’m just checking. You know you deserve to have a good day. Let me know if you ever want to try meetings again,”‘ the rapper told the outlet, noting that he felt he was ‘out of all options’ at the time.
‘It really took what it took because I went back and forth and it wasn’t clicking,’ he said. ‘So finally it stuck in 2005 I got willing and on April 15th of this year, I’ll have 16 years consecutively sober. So it’s been a blast.’
O’Connor told the outlet that his use of amphetamines led to ‘$70,000 worth of dental restoration that had to be done’ in the wake of damage left by his drug habit.
‘This is the third time I’m redoing them,’ he said. ‘So the damage was an irreparable mistake.’
A lifelong fans of S.E Hinton’s coming-of-age novel The Outsiders and its subsequent big screen adaptation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Tom Cruise and Patrick Swayze, O’Connor opened The Outsiders House Museum in 2019.
The museum is located inside the same 731 North St. Louis Avenue house used as the Curtis brothers’ main residence in the 1983 film.
Meanwhile Everlast, real name Erik Schrody, 55, carved out a hugely successful career as a solo artist.
To date he has released eight studio albums, including Whitey Ford’s House of Pain – a reference to his early years as a member of the Irish rap trio.
In 2000 he won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the single Put Your Lights On, his collaboration with Latin rock group Santana.
A lifelong fans of S.E Hinton’s coming-of-age novel The Outsiders and its subsequent big screen adaptation, O’Connor opened The Outsiders House Museum in 2019
