Never Gonna Give You Up

This article is about the Rick Astley song. For other uses, see Never Gonna Give You Up (disambiguation).

"Never Gonna Give You Up"
Single by Rick Astley
from the album Whenever You Need Somebody
Released	27 July 1987
Format	7" single, 12" maxi
Recorded	1 January 1987
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	3:32
Label	RCA Records
Writer(s)	Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, Pete Waterman
Producer	Stock Aitken Waterman
Rick Astley singles chronology
"When You Gonna" (with Lisa Carter) (1987) "Never Gonna Give You Up" (1987) "Learning To Live (Without Your Love)" (with O'chi Brown) (1987)
Music sample "Never Gonna Give You Up" Music video "Never Gonna Give You Up" on YouTube

"Never Gonna Give You Up" is a song written and produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman and sung by English singer Rick Astley. The song was released as the first single from Astley's multi-million selling debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody. The song was a worldwide number-one hit, initially in the singer's native United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at number one for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It eventually topped the charts in 25 countries, including the US and Germany.^[1]

The song won Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The music video for the song has become the basis for the "Rickrolling" Internet meme.

In 2004, it was voted #28 in 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs ... Ever by VH1. In 2008, Rick Astley won the MTV EMA awards for "Best Act Ever" with the song "Never Gonna Give You Up", as a result of collective voting from thousands of people on the internet, due to the popular phenomenon of rickrolling.

Music video

In the "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video, directed by Simon West,^[2] and edited by Robert Bannochie, a smiling Astley sings and dances to the song in various outfits and venues in west London, sometimes accompanied by backup dancers. A bartender played by Clive Clarke gradually shifts from casually noticing Astley's singing to being fully engrossed in the song with energetic acrobatic moves. The athletic exertion of many of the other dancers also becomes more intense over the course of Astley's performance.

Rickrolling

Main article: Rickrolling

"Never Gonna Give You Up" is the subject of a popular Internet prank known as "rickrolling" involving misleading links redirecting to the song's music video. By May 2007, the practice had achieved notoriety on the Internet, and it increased in popularity after its use as a 2008 April Fool's Day joke by various media companies and websites, including YouTube rickrolling all of its featured videos on that day and a website allowing people to Rickroll their friends' phones.^[3]

In 'a couple of weeks', about 13 million people had been 'rickrolled' into watching Astley's video, the BBC reported on 1 April 2008. "I think it's just one of those odd things where something gets picked up and people run with it," Astley told the Los Angeles Times in late March 2008, adding: "That's what's brilliant about the Internet." ^[4][5]

Rick Astley also appeared in the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade interrupting a song performed by those on a float promoting the Cartoon Network program Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends with a lipsynched performance of "Never Gonna Give You Up".

In several of its protests against Scientology, Anonymous has employed The Rickroll.^[6]

Cover versions

• In 1997, the French band 2Be3 covered the song under the name "Toujours là pour toi", which had a great success in France (number four) and Belgium (Wallonia) (number 12).^[7]
• In 1999, an Italian cover titled "Non ti lascerò" was made by Fiorello.^[8]
• Eurobeat artist Kevin Johnson covered the song in 2004 for the album Super Eurobeat 149.^[9]
• In August 2007, internet celebrity and singer, Tay Zonday covered the song ^[10]
• In 2007, the song was featured in the Family Guy episode "Meet the Quagmires", as part of a parody of the "Johnny B. Goode" scene from Back to the Future. Brian performs the song while playing the keytar.
• On 25 November 2008, Barry Manilow released a version of the song on his The Greatest Songs of the Eighties album.^[11]
• In 2008, it was covered by Ashley Tisdale for the Degree Girl: OMG Jams!
• Actress Portia de Rossi recorded a comedic version as her character Veronica Palmer which was heard playing as elevator music in the January 2010 Better Off Ted episode "Beating a Dead Workforce".
• In June 2010, a cover from Breathe Electric was released on the compilation Rockin' Romance 2.
• In November 2010, The Lost Fingers released a version of the song on their album Gypsy Kameleon.
• In November 2010, Grammy award-winning musician Andy Rehfeldt released a heavy metal cover of the song.^[12]

The Rickrollerz

"Never Gonna Give You Up"
Single by The Rickrollerz
Released	11 April 2008
Writer(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Producer	The Rickrollerz

A group of London dance producers, called The Rickrollerz made a house music cover version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" on that day, and in honor of that event.^[13] The song was remixed on the same day and in the same studio where the original recording took place 20 years earlier. In May 2008, the track entered the UK Club Charts at number 22.

Track listings

7" single

1. "Never Gonna Give You Up" – 3:33
2. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (instrumental) – 3:30

12" maxi

1. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (cake mix)  – 5:46
2. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (instrumental) – 6:19
3. "Never Gonna Give You Up" – 3:33
4. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (escape to New York mix)  – 7:01
5. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (escape from Newton mix)  – 6:23

12" maxi

1. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (cake mix) – 5:48
2. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (instrumental) – 3:30
3. "Never Gonna Give You Up" – 3:33

12" single

1. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (escape from Newton mix)  – 6:30
2. "Never Gonna Give You Up" (escape to New York mix)  – 7:00

Personnel

• Written and produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman
• Engineer : Mark McGuire, Mike Duffy
• Mixed by :
  • Escape from Newton mix : Mixmaster Pete Hammond
  • Escape to New York mix : The Extra Beat Boys

Charts and certifications

Peak positions Chart (1987/88) Peak position Australian Music Report Singles Chart[14] 1 Ö3 Austria Top 40[15] 4 Canadian Singles Chart 1 Dutch Top 40[16] 1 French SNEP Singles Chart[15] 6 German Singles Chart[17] 1 Irish Singles Chart[18] 2 New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[19] 1 Norwegian VG-lista Singles Chart[15] 1 Swedish Singles Chart[15] 1 Swiss Singles Chart[15] 2 UK Singles Chart[20] 1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[21] 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary[21] 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[21] 1 Chart (2008) Peak position UK Singles Chart[22] 73 Year-end charts End of year chart (1987) Position Dutch Top 40[23] 6 German Singles Chart 14 Swiss Singles Chart[24] 20 UK Singles Chart[25] 1 End of year chart (1988) Position Australian Singles Chart[26] 8 US Billboard Hot 100[27] 4 U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary[28] 8 Certifications Country Certification Date Sales certified Canada[29] Gold 06 !May 17, 1988 50,000 France[30] Silver 05 !1988 200,000 Germany[31] Gold 01 !1987 250,000 Netherlands[32] Platinum 02 !1987 60,000 Sweden[33] Gold 04 !October 21, 1987 10,000 UK[34] Gold 03 !September 1, 1987 400,000 U.S.[35] Gold 07 !February 24, 1989 500,000

Successions

Preceded by "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett	UK number one single 30 August 1987 – 27 September 1987	Succeeded by "Pump Up the Volume" by M/A/R/R/S
Preceded by "It's a Sin" by Pet Shop Boys	Swedish number-one single 30 September 1987 – 11 November 1987	Succeeded by "Oh Mama" by Lili & Sussie
Preceded by "Too Much Ain't Enough Love" by Jimmy Barnes	Australian Music Report Singles Chart number-one single 30 November 1987 – 11 January 1988	Succeeded by "Faith" by George Michael
Preceded by "Brilliant Disguise" by Bruce Springsteen	Norwegian VG-Lista number-one single Week 43, 1987	Succeeded by "Voyage Voyage" by Desireless
Preceded by "I'm Beggin' You" by Supertramp	Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single 16 January 1988	Succeeded by "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield
Preceded by "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany	New Zealand RIANZ number-one single 5 February 1988	Succeeded by "Pump Up the Volume" by M/A/R/R/S
Preceded by "Father Figure" by George Michael	Billboard Hot 100 number one single 12 March 1988 – 19 March 1988	Succeeded by "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson
Preceded by "She's Like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze featuring Wendy Fraser	Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single 12 March 1988 – 26 March 1988	Succeeded by "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" by Whitney Houston
Preceded by "Pump Up the Volume" by M/A/R/R/S	Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single 19 March 1988 – 2 April 1988	Succeeded by "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" by Billy Ocean

References

1. ^ "Biography". Mike Stock Music. http://www.mikestockmusic.com/index.php?page=Biography02&section=sectionBiography. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
2. ^ Simon West (I)
3. ^ "ComedyCalls.com - A website (www.comedycalls.com) allowing people to Rickroll phone numbers". www.comedycalls.com. http://www.comedycalls.com. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
4. ^ Rickrolling and the league of web fame, BBC News entertainment reporter Mark Savage, 01-04-2008. Accessed 04-05-2008.
5. ^ Web Scout exclusive! Rick Astley, king of the 'Rickroll,' talks about his song's second coming, Los Angeles Times blogs, 03-25-2008.Accessed 04-05-2008.
6. ^ Michaels, Sean (19 March 2008). "Taking the Rick: Twenty years after Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley became an internet phenomenon - and an unlikely weapon against Scientology". The Guardian (Guardian News and Media Limited). http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2266526,00.html. Retrieved 20 March 2008. 
7. ^ "Toujours là pour toi", French and Belgium (Wallonia) Singles Charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 14 February 2008)
8. ^ "Fiorello: discography - Estatica". Estatica.it. http://www.estatica.it/en/musica/fiorello/discografia. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
9. ^ "Discogs album listing for Super Eurobeat 149". Discogs.com. 2004-06-16. http://www.discogs.com/release/445882. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
10. ^ om een reactie te plaatsen! (2007-07-18). "YOU GOT TAY ROLLED! "Never Gonna Give You Up" Karaoke By Tay Zonday". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_aY7HZvFpQ. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
11. ^ "The Greatest Songs Of The Eighties: Barry Manilow: Music". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HUBFPG. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
12. ^ om een reactie te plaatsen! (2010-11-08). "Rick Astley-Never Gonna Give You Up(Metal Version)". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2Y7xqAlUHk. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
13. ^ Fraser McAlpine (14 April 2008). "Please, Give Me Up, GIVE ME UP!". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chartblog/2008/04/please_give_me_up_give_me_up_1.shtml. Retrieved 6 December 2009. 
14. ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W.. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 
15. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up" (in French). http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?key=1678&cat=s. Retrieved 14 February 2008. 
16. ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 41, 1987". http://www.radio538.nl/web/show/id=44685/chartid=5884. Retrieved 16 March 2008. 
17. ^ "Suchergebnis" (in German). Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071029144156/http://charts-surfer.de/musiksearch.php. Retrieved 6 April 2008. 
18. ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 14 February 2008. 
19. ^ Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts, 1966-2006: Singles, Albums, DVDs, Compilations. Maurienne House. ISBN 1-877443-00-X. 
20. ^ "Top 40 Hits of Late August 1987". http://www.everyhit.com/retros/index.php?page=rchart&y1=1987&m1=08&y2=1987&m2=08&sent=1&day1=3&day2=3. Retrieved 28 September 2008. 
21. ^ ^{a b c} "Rick Astley". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3581. Retrieved 2 September 2008. 
22. ^  2 mins ago (2011-04-20). "Yahoo! UK & Ireland omg! - Celebrity Gossip | News | Photos | Videos". Uk.launch.yahoo.com. http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/c/uk/single_charts.html. Retrieved 2011-11-14. 
23. ^ "Single top 100 over 1987" (in Dutch) (PDF). Top40. http://www.top40.nl/pdf/Top%20100/top%20100%20-%201987.pdf. Retrieved 21 September 2010. 
24. ^ "1987 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). http://hitparade.ch/year.asp?key=1987. Retrieved 1 August 2008. 
25. ^ The Complete Book Of British Charts by Warwick/Kutner/Brown
26. ^ "Top 50 Singles 1988". http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1988.htm. Retrieved 1 September 2008. 
27. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1988". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1988. Retrieved 15 September 2009. 
28. ^ "TOP ADULT CONTEMPORARY SINGLES OF 1988". http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/archivesearch/article_display/854930. Retrieved 8 November 2011. 
29. ^ Canada certifications cria.ca (Retrieved 2 September 2008)
30. ^ French certifications Chartsinfrance.net (Retrieved 2 September 2008)
31. ^ "German certifications – Never+Gonna+Give+You+Up" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=Never%2BGonna%2BGive%2BYou%2BUp&strInterpret=&strTtArt=alle&strAwards=checked. Retrieved 1 September 2008. 
32. ^ Dutch certifications nvpi.nl (Retrieved 9 December 2008)
33. ^ Swedish certifications Ifpi.se (Retrieved 11 September 2008)
34. ^ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved 2 September 2008)
35. ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved 2 September 2008)