Successfully so, too. Remixed a few times by the band, “Haunted House of Rock” has the kind of bizarre, creepy music you’d expect, mixed with some odd electronic beats.

It’s also the subject of a music video, or at least it is on YouTube: the below video takes one of Whodini’s other videos and couples it with a number of clips from Freddy Krueger movies, an apt coupling. It’s a long video, but worth watching if you have a few minutes to kill and need something to do.

That said it’s respectable enough (hell, it’s respectable that they got ONE album recorded, let alone multiple), and worth dedicating an entire page to their discography. Here’s a list of the albums released by Whodini and the year in which they were released.

Whodini (1983)

Escape (1984)

Black in Black (1986)

Open Sesame (1987)

Bag-A-Trix (1991)

Six (1996)

Rap Attack (Greatest Hits album) (2003)

Funky Beat: The Best of Whodini (Greatest Hits Album) (2006)

Unsurprisingly enough “Freaks Come Out At Night” featured its own music video, and a slightly strange one at that (what would you expect of such a song?). It starts off with the band coming out of their tour bus and singing ‘Friends’. After that it switches to the band on stage, and all of them are dressed rather strangely: one has a pink feather attached to his hair and the other, while still wearing his trademark hat, is wearing a pair of booty shorts and no shirt under his leather jacket. Two back singers dance in pink jumpsuits and dance like robots. Wash, rinse, repeat.

It’s a truly bizarre video. And that makes sense. Check it out below.

“Five Minutes of Funk” never received its own video but it proved quite popular with the hip hop crowd, mainly for its unique lyrics and danceable beat. The song’s mainly about counting down the five minutes to the end of the song (it runs almost exactly five minutes long) and enjoying the whole time, rapping better than other MCs and so forth. There’s not much substance to it past the countdown but it has an excellent beat and the lyrics will keep your body moving.

And speaking of the lyrics, here they are (courtesy Lyrics Depot):

Now the party didnt start till I walked in
And I probably wont leave until the thing ends
But in the mean time, the in between time
If you work your thing, then I’ll work mine
We came here together so we could have fun
Me and you baby, goin one on one
Now this is the last chance for us to get off
So either get loose, or you aught to get lost
Cause Im just about ready to do my thing
Cause Im the stone cold, New York, Rap Machine
Im ‘a give you what I got, and baby thats plenty
You’ll never have one that rocks so many
Im ‘a make you wet and make you sweat
Just to see how funky you can get
Now when Im on the mic, I do serve well
And I go by the name of the Rapper Jalil

*Four minutes left*

Now sit back, relax, put on your head gear
Get ready for a trip through the Atmosphere
Gonna take you for a ride through the Twighlight Zone
I dont need a space ship, I use my microphone
So hold on tight, with all your might
Cause Ill be rappin like this for the rest of the night
Its Jalil yall, your master rapper
And when Im on the mic its a sheer disaster
Cause MC’s crumble when we rumble
Some think Im soft just because Im humble
So all you MC’s, I hope you’re real good listeners
Cause in this battle, Im takin no prisoners
Im slayin MC’s right on the spot
Cause Im the the master of the Rap, the doctor of the Rock
The Jack of all Trades, The Master of One
And the thing Im at, is called havin fun
We got three minutes left to rock this funk
To separate the good stuff from the junk, so
Get in the groove, and feel the sound
And once you’re inside, spread yourself around
From the bottom to the top, the top to the bottom
Come on Master Dee, get funky while we got em

*three minutes left*

Me and my partner, from the start
We usually get together, after dark
Sometimes to rap, Sometimes to sing
In the Summer or the Winter cause it aint no thing
And ever since I first came round
Side by Side, We’d throw down
We came here to this here place
To serve you all right to your face
Because this jam here is our show stopper
We didnt wanna do it but I guess we gotta
We’re the men of the hour, makin the ladies scream and holler
To hot to trot, To sweet to be sour
Im gonna set the record straight
And I hope that it is not too late
If you want the best, I wont settle for less
Put your money on me, Im your best bet
Come on,
One for the treble
Two for the Bass
Three for the ladies
Four for the plaid
Five, minutes of funk, this aint no junk
So pull your bottom, off the tree stump
Ladies real pretty, from city to city
But now we’re gettin down to the nitty gritty
From the bottom to the top, the top to the bottom
Im gonna rock em, while I still got em
Our rappin shower has style and power
And this, is our disco hour
I dont know what all of you have heard
So its up to me to spread the word
About the man that we feel has got to be real
Our crowned Prince on the wheels of steel
He goes by the name of Grandmaster Dee
So if its alright with you, its alright with me
We gonna rock you people’s minds with ease
With some help from the Maestro, if you please

*one minute left*

*Im sorry, your five minutes are up, please begin your ending, or your volume
will be terminated*

Released on their album Escape in 1985 (which featured such hits as Five Minutes of Funk, Friends and Freaks Come Out at Night), Big Mouth is a song dedicated to rumors. As with many Whodini songs these rumors are generally of a relationship tinge; however in this case the rumors are played out as a distinctly bad thing (not surprising). The video is strange, too: it changes between the usual scenes of Whodini traveling around and singing and strange interludes wherein a series of clips (usually relating somehow to big mouths) appear on a projector screen.

It’s a strange song on the whole, but fans of Whodini should give it at least one glimpse.

Their third album of six, Back in Black was released in 1986 and spawned three singles from its ten song repertoire, popularizing Funky Beat, Growning Up and One Love. Its sales saw the album certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The record’s other seven songs include I’m a Ho, How Dare You, Fugitive, Echo Scratch, Last Night I Had a Long Walk With Myself, The Good Part and the Whodini Mega Mix. Most can be found on one of Whodini’s two compilation albums.

Playlist for Whodini’s Back in Black:

1. Funky Beat
2. One Love
3. Growing Up
4. I’m a Ho
5. How Dare You - (bonus track)
6. Fugitive
7. Echo Scratch
8. Last Night (I Had a Long Talk With Myself)
9. Good Part, The
10. Whodini Mega Mix: Five Minutes Of Funk / Friends / Freaks Come Out At Night / Nasty Lady / Big Mouth

A hip hop group big in the 80’s and somewhat in the 90’s, Whodini was known for putting out the occasional relationship cut that tugged on the heartstrings in that unique, synthesizer-heavy way that they had. One Love is a good example of this: they spend the video dancing around a city (somewhat awkwardly, admittedly, but there you go) singing about how people are lucky to have just one love. Hence it’s not worth it to do anything to lose that love, because it may never come back again. And once it’s gone, you’ll probably regret the loss for the rest of your life.

The song appeared on their 1986 album Back in Black.

Check out the song below:

Whodini’s One Love Lyrics:

The L(echo 3x)
The O(echo 3x)
And the V (echo 3x)
The E(echo 3x)
Love (echo 3x)
Love (echo 3x)
Love (echo 3x)

Verse 1:
[Ecstasy]
Well there’s love and life, both have four letters
But there’s two, different things all together
Cuz I’ve liked many ladies in my day
But just like the wind, they’ve all blown away
You see, to love someone is atmosphere
But to both they’ll share, when ones not there
There’s no one way, it can be explained
I guess it’s the way I smile, when I hear your name
It’s the little things that you do, that mean so much
It’s the care that you put, into every touch
It’s the way I touch you, and you touch me
I guess some of us, are so lucky

[Jalil]
I was known for having, the upper hand
I was known as a stone cold ladies man
If it wasn’t for you, I’d be that way still
But lately there’s a change, in Jalil
All thought my friends play games, and teach me a lot
I know I’m more than happy, wit what I got
When I get up in the morning, and go to work
See all day long, I stay alert
‘Til we come home at night, and close your door
Two people sharing, one common cause
When I say one love, you can trust me
Cuz never have I been so lucky

Chorus:4x
[Ecstacy]
And we represent like this)
[Jalil & Ecstacy]
One Love, One Love
You’re lucky just to have just One Love

Verse 2:
[Ecstacy]
Now the love I use to have just left me cold
I use to buy everything from diamonds to gold
For I thought she’d left me, cuz I didn’t buy her enough
Cuz she left me alone, with all of my stuff
That maybe one of these days, you’ll have to learn
That love is something, that you have to earn
And once you earn it, you gotta know how to keep it
You got to want it, as well as you need it
To have lost love, was a hurten lesson
But to a mad love, it’s a definate ?
And I know what the Beatles were thinking of
When they said that money can’t buy you love

[Jalil]
Well thats all stuff, what do you mean
I just went through, the exact same thing
M-m-mind was lost, for a whole different reason
I lost my love, cuz she was cheatin’
Started roamin’ through the streets, all day and night
Gets greedy best describes such an appetite
Wish I had a bat, but if you means a whip
Guess a bird in the hand, beats two in the bush
Like to thank you girl, for teaching me love
But all and all, I had a ball
Guess it’s better to have loved and to have lost
Then to never have loved at all

Chorus:4x

[Ecstacy]
Well I think it’s ’bout time, that we break it down
This is all about the love, that we lost and found
About the love that we ?, and the love that we shared
About the love that just, up’d and disappeared
About whos was bout real, and who was fake
So you can learn, from our mistakes

[Jalil]
Cuz see it was already written, good and said
So you can stay, two steps ahead
Of the L(echo), for the love which you give
The O(echo), is for the love who we live
And the V(echo), is for the vivrant letter
The E means may we last forever and ever(echo 7x)

Chorus: 2x

An excellent example of old school hip hop at its finest, Friends, despite sounding a little dire, is actually rather sweet in its lyrics, intentions and execution: the primary theme behind the song is, obviously, friends. The song speaks of all brand of people that one might meet in their lifetime, and says that some aren’t even fit to be trusted with cheese, let alone your keys (to your house? To your car? Who’s to know?). Yet even among all the bad people out there there are still true friends willing to back you up and give you the support you need to get through life.

There is a suggestion in the lyrics that this song is being sung to a potential lover, as well.

Check out Whodini’s Friends below:

Lyrics to Whodini’s Friends:

Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Ones we can depend on
Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Before we go any further, lets be
Friends

Is a word we use everyday
Most the time we use it in the wrong way
Now you can look the word up, again and again
But the dictionary doesnt know the meaning of friends

And if you ask me, you know, I couldnt be much help
Because A friend is somebody you judge for yourself
Some are ok, and they treat you real cool
But some mistake kindness for bein a fool

We like to be with some, because they’re funny
Others come around when they need some money
Some you grew up with, around the way
And you’re still real close too this very day

Homeboys through the Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall
And then there’s some we wish we never knew at all
And this list goes on, again and again
But these are the people that we call friends

When we first went out together, we barely knew each other
We had no intentions, on becoming lovers
But in no time at all, you became my girl
Me and you, one on one, against the world
Talkin on the telephone for hours at a time
Or else I was at your house, or you was at mine
Then came the arguements and all kinds of problems
Besides making love, we had nothing in common
It couldnt last long because it started out strong
But I guess we went about the whole thing wrong
Cause out of nowhere it just came to an end
Because we became lovers before we were friends

Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Ones we can depend on
Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Before we go any further, let’s be
Friends

You say you and your girlfriend were so tight
You took her out with you and your guy one night
She even had a set of keys to your home
And you shared mostly everything you owned

But as she shook your hand, she stole your man
And it was done so swift, it had to be a plan
Couldn’t trust her with cheese, let alone your keys
With friends like that you dont need enemies

You wonder how long it was all going on
And your still not sure if your man is gone
You say, well if she took him he was never mine
But deep inside you know thats just another lie

And now you’re kinda cold to the people you meet
Cause of something that was done to you by some creep
But nevertheless, I’ll say it again
That these are the people that we call friends

Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Before we go any further, lets be
Friends

Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
One’s we can depend on
Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Before we go any further, lets be
Friends

Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
One’s we can depend on
Friends
How many of us have them?
Friends
Before we go any further, lets be
Friends