Whipping Boy could refer to two different acts: 1) An Irish rock band who were active in the 1990s. They came to public attention with the critically acclaimed Heartworm album. They had been together a number of years at this stage, and had already released a low-key debut, Submarine. Despite its critical acclaim, Heartworm sold poorly and the band was subsequently dropped from their label, Columbia Records. They released a self-financed, self-titled follow up album, which again got huge critical acclaim.