Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Rick Astley Explains Why He's Never Really Embraced The Whole 'Rickrolling' Phenomenon

Rick Astley Explains Why He's Never Really Embraced The Whole 'Rickrolling' Phenomenon
Carla Speight/Redferns via Getty Images

Rick Astley has said he never embraced the rickrolling phenomenon because he did not want to ruin the joke.


Rickrolling is a popular internet meme which involves tricking someone into clicking a link for something they want to view, only to be confronted with Astley's 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up.

Speaking at the Isle of Wight Festival, the 53-year-old said it would have been “crass and naff" to use the trend to boost his profile.

Astley said that while some artists would be offended, he tried not to take the meme seriously.

He told the Press Association:

“I've never really embraced it fully to try and monetize it because that would just be crass and naff anyway. And it would have also completely killed it."
“Once the artist who you are having this fun with – or taking the piss out of – gets involved, then it's just over and it's boring."
“I embrace it in the sense that I don't see it as negative. I understand why a lot of artists would. But let's face it. It's a pop song from 1987. It's not the gospel according to…"

In 2016 Astley returned to the charts for the first time in nearly 30 years with the release of his number one album 50.

This prompted a late career resurgence which has seen him tour the UK and appear on festival line-ups.

He said rickrolling had undoubtedly played a part in his comeback.

“It's certainly done me no harm," he said.

“Anything that makes its way onto the internet and puts its head above the parapet, for any artist, even if it seems to be a bit negative at times, just puts you in people's consciousness."
“I'm pretty sure record labels and managers around the world have looked at something like rickrolling and gone: 'How do we do that?"

Saturday's festival action included Astley, Bastille and KT Tunstall, and Bastille invited Astley onto stage to join them in a rousing rendition of the band's 2013 hit Pompeii.

Judging from Twitter, it doesn't appear anyone's gonna give rickrolling up.








For a fascinating history of rickrolling, click here.

And to watch the original video in all it's glory, here you go...

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Video)youtu.be

More from Entertainment/music

Tim Burchett
Al Drago/Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Ripped For Changing Story About Why He Sleeps In His DC Office To Fit Trump Agenda

Tennessee Republican Representative Tim Burchett was criticized for claiming that he "lives" in his office because of crime in Washington, D.C., even though he gave a completely different reason earlier this year to explain how he maintains productivity.

Burchett's remarks came as President Donald Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police and deployed about 800 National Guard troops to the nation’s capital this week while claiming crime in D.C. is "out of control" despite falling crime rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man smiling at a woman looking down.
woman reading book
Photo by Hello Revival on Unsplash

Women Break Down The Biggest Mistakes Single Men Make When Flirting

It isn't always easy for a single woman to enjoy a night out on her own.

Be it at a bar, in a store, or merely sitting on a park bench, they frequently catch the attention of a single man.

Keep ReadingShow less

Women Reveal The Dumbest Thing They've Witnessed A Man Believe About Women

Men... LISTEN UP!

This is going to be an important life lesson for y'all.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Share The Most Bada** Thing Their Dad Has Ever Done

I grew up without a dad.

I often get a sense of FOMO when I hear dad stories.

Keep ReadingShow less
Actor Kevin Sorbo visits Hallmark's "Home & Family" at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

Sorbo gripes about Vikings cheerleaders

American actor and sudden cheerleading morality police Kevin Sorbo appeared to spontaneously combust online when the Minnesota Vikings announced the addition of two male cheerleaders to their 2025 squad.

Born in Mound, Minnesota, Sorbo has long cultivated his brand of brawny, bicep-flexing alpha male heroics—playing Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda, and starring in the 2008 parody Meet the Spartans, where he famously shared an on-screen kiss with Sean Maguire’s King Leonidas.

Keep ReadingShow less