The song, his solo debut single, was a number-one hit on several international charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, and the UK Singles Chart. 'Never Gonna Give You Up' appeared on Astley's 1987 debut album Whenever You Need Somebody. Since then, Astley has seen his performance career revitalized by the meme's popularity. Īstley, who had only returned to performing after a 10-year hiatus, was initially hesitant about using his newfound popularity from the meme to further his career but accepted the fame by Rickrolling the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a surprise performance of the song. The meme gained mainstream attention in 2008 through several publicized events, particularly when YouTube used it on its 2008 April Fools' Day event. The video bait-and-switch trick grew popular on 4chan by 2007 during April Fools' Day and spread to other Internet sites later that year. The meme grew out of a similar bait-and-switch trick called 'duck rolling' that was popular on the 4chan website in 2006. Astley himself has also been Rickrolled on several occasions. The meme has also extended to using the song's lyrics, or singing it, in unexpected contexts. When victims click on a seemingly unrelated link, the site with the music video loads instead of what was expected, and they have been ' Rickrolled'. The meme is a type of bait and switch, usually using a disguised hyperlink that leads to the music video. The aforementioned video has over 1 billion views on YouTube. Rickrolling or a Rickroll is an Internet meme involving the unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 song ' Never Gonna Give You Up', performed by English singer Rick Astley. And it continues to do so,” Astley said.Problems playing this file? See media help. “Thank heavens for that song and what came after it because it was game-changing. It brings back wonderful memories,” he added. The first time I ever sang that song was in Tokyo. He admitted that he quit singing for a while to have a “totally private life.”

I’m coming to America next year for gigs and stuff because of it. Redfernsīut Astley will always be grateful to the tune that gave him his fame and fortune.

He then joked that he has “professionally ‘Rickrolled’ people many times.” “It was just really weird and it was something difficult for me to get my head around at first,” the musician said about the “Rickrolled” viral meme. I look like I’m 11 years old and wearing my dad’s overcoat. Let’s face it, that video is from a long time ago. It was just really weird and it was something difficult for me to get my head around at first. You know, here’s a friend of mine who lives on a different continent and is sending me a video that then clicks into my song. He continued, “I just thought it was really weird. So obviously, they’re right on the tip of everything all the time,” the British musician continued. And he works with a lot of guys who are younger than him. I was totally chilled out and I just kept saying to myself, ‘I don’t need this in my life right now,'” he recalled. So I kept asking myself, ‘What is he doing?’ I remember I was on holiday in Italy at the time. “I’m just like, ‘Why is he sending me this?’ And my video just suddenly shows up.

He recently chatted with Fox News about his iconic single, getting “Rickrolled” himself and whether he ever pulled the prank on someone else.Īstley revealed that his friend, who was living in California, “Rickrolled” him “before I even knew what it was.” Rick Astley jokingly admitted that he has “Rickrolled” people himself a few times. But his daughter helped him warm up to it. The ’80s rocker admitted he was annoyed at first by the trend, which has picked up steam in recent years. The clip has since reached more than 1 billion views YouTube. “Rickrolling” refers to people who are tricked into clicking on a hyperlink that leads to the music video to his single.

Rick Astley’s 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” has found a second coming with the viral internet trend of “Rickrolling.” However, Astley, 55, wasn’t too keen about the online meme at first. Not even the man himself is immune from getting Rick Rolled. My boyfriend cheated on me with his mom: ‘Mommy issues to a whole new level’ My boyfriend’s so cheap he peels bananas before weighing them at grocery Wife gets revenge on husband who said she did nothing around the house Influencer jumps into gator pit in mindless bid for social media fame, gets busted by cops

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