Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' turns 35!

Publish Date
Thursday, 28 July 2022, 12:00PM

Thirty-five years ago today, the journey began that has blessed us with one of the best things the '80s ever birthed.

It's the song that became an internet meme and the biggest selling single of 1987 which topped the charts in 25 countries, including right here in New Zealand; Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up.'

The song was released in 1987 as the first single from the English singer-songwriter’s debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody.

Then, in 2007, it saw a massive resurgence in popularity as the song became the punchline for an internet meme known as "rickrolling" or "rickroll," named after the singer himself.

Thanks to the rickrolling trend, the music video for 'Never Gonna Give You Up' passed one billion streams on YouTube in July 2021 and has now been certified five-times platinum in the United States by the RIAA.

Legendary!

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