“A Lot of Artists Would Freak”: Rick Astley Finally Reacts To Becoming a Viral Prank

If you spent any amount of time on the internet in the late 2000s, then you were likely a victim of Rickrolling, a viral prank that involves the 1987 Rick Astley smash hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” In case you need a refresher, you’d receive a link promising to send you to one thing—in the original Rickroller’s case, it was a link to a video game trailer. But instead, the link sends you to the perfectly cheesy ‘80s music video for Astley’s song.

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Too much of anything can turn sour, and such was the case for Astley’s highly ubiquitous song. Some people still jam out to the decade-specific synth tones and Astley’s crooner vibrato. Others groan when they hear that iconic violin intro. Years later, Rick Astley finally responded to becoming one of the original internet memes. (If you fell for that link, you can’t say we didn’t warn you.)

From One-Hit Wonder To Retiree To Online Sensation

Escaping the Rick Astley hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” was virtually impossible in 1987. The song stayed at the top of the U.K. chart for five straight weeks, making it the best-selling single of that year. By March of the following year, the song had climbed to the top of the charts in the States, too. It was far and away the biggest hit of Astley’s entire career, achieving the same kind of ubiquity that can easily turn public opinion from adoration to annoyance seemingly overnight. (Nickelback, for example.)

Although Astley tried to recreate his monumental success throughout the rest of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, he failed to achieve the same kind of critical reception. His singles continued to chart lower and lower until he “retired” from the industry in 1993. He was only 27 years old. During this time, Astley raised his family outside of the public eye. Astley eventually returned to the music biz at the start of the new millennium, although he never managed to snag another No. 1 single. Still, Astley received plenty of accolades and worked in several collaborations during this time.

Then, in 2007, the internet threw Astley a curveball he never could have imagined when his hit song first came out 20 years earlier. As online users swarmed to watch the new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer in March 2007, 4chan user Shawn Cotter decided to prank his fellow 4channers by posting a link claiming to be the highly anticipated trailer but was actually the music video for Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Cotter wasn’t a huge fan or anything. He just looked up songs that were popular when he was born, and Astley’s 1987 hit was on the list.

Rick Astley Reacts To Becoming A Viral Prank

The bait-and-switch prank took off like wildfire, spreading from 4chan into other popular social media sites like Myspace, Facebook, and Tumblr. The viral joke waned in popularity in the years that followed, as most absurd internet phenomena are wont to do. Interestingly, Rickrolling seemed to make an appearance in 2020 as more and more workers and students began operating remotely online. Throughout it all, Astley’s celebrity continued to grow, with the viral sensation garnering him festival slots, YouTube view records, and even chart success similar to what he enjoyed in the late ‘80s.

Speaking to People in 2025, he said, “I’ve never really appreciated what it is, I think, because I’ve just had to sort of shut down that part of my brain. I was lucky enough that it happened when I was a lot older. And I was like, ‘The guy in the video, yes, I know it’s my physicality. But it’s not me.’ I’ve got enough distance.” To help bridge the gap between his former self and what was happening online, Astley sought the advice of his teen and internet-savvy daughter.

“She was saying, ‘Don’t sweat it. It has nothing to do with you,’” Astley said. “And I’m like, ‘How can it have nothing to do with me?’ And she said, ‘Just leave it where it is. Don’t try to embrace it and try funny things with it.’”

Astley followed his daughter’s advice, and it paid off. “I understand a lot of artists would freak and would have a meltdown if somebody instigated this thing, [but I] appreciate the life it gave me. It introduced that song to a lot of people and a generation that would have no clue, and that’s kind of gold dust, really.”

Photo by Pete Still/Redferns