Never Gonna Give You Up

This article is about the song by Rick Astley. For the Internet meme involving the song, see Rickrolling. 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
Released27 July 1987[1]
RecordedOctober 1986[2]
Genre
Length
  • 3:35 (album version)
  • 3:32 (7" vocal mix)
  • 3:30 (instrumental version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Stock Aitken Waterman
Producer(s)Stock Aitken Waterman
Rick Astley singles chronology
"When You Gonna"
(1987) 		"Never Gonna Give You Up"
(1987) 		"Learning to Live (Without Your Love)"
(1987)
Audio sample
"Never Gonna Give You Up"
Music video
"Never Gonna Give You Up" on YouTube

"Never Gonna Give You Up" is a song by English singer Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released by RCA Records as the first single from Astley's debut studio album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song became a worldwide hit, initially in the United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It eventually topped charts in 25 different countries, including the United States and West Germany,[7] and winning Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The song is widely regarded as Astley's most popular, as well as his signature song, and it is often played at the end of his live concerts.

The music video for the song, directed by Simon West, surged in popularity in 2007 due to the bait-and-switch "Rickroll" Internet meme. In 2008, Astley won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Act Ever with the song, as a result of a collective campaign from thousands of people on the Internet.[8] In 2019, Astley recorded and released a new 'Pianoforte' arrangement of the song for his album The Best of Me.[9] In 2023, Billboard magazine ranked "Never Gonna Give You Up" among the 500 best pop songs of all time.[5]

  1. ^ "Rick Astley". 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Bonson, Fred (1992). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 693. ISBN 978-0823082988.
  3. ^ Pemberton, Pat (24 July 2013). "15 Songs You Can't Believe Are 25 Years Old". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  4. ^ Wheeler, Brad (30 July 2013). "Spirit of radio in Toronto getting an indie twist". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. 19 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  6. ^ "The 10 Best Internet Memes of the Decade (2000-2009)". Paste. 1 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Biography". Mike Stock Music. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  8. ^ Moore, Matthew (7 November 2008). "Rickrolling: Rick Astley named Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2018.(subscription required)
  9. ^ Brungardt, Leah (12 November 2019). "An Interview with 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Singer Rick Astley on His Iconic Hit Song, His Newest Album and Much More!". All Access Music. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.