On This Day in 1987, Rick Astley Was at No. 1 with a Song That Would Become a Global Sensation Two Decades Later

On this day in 1987, Rick Astley started a five-week run atop the official UK Singles Chart with his debut single, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The song became an international hit, topping charts across Europe and in the United States. Two decades later, the song resurfaced as a popular meme across the internet.

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Written and produced by the English trio known as the Hit Factory, Mike Stock, Matt Airken, and Pete Waterman, Astley released the song as his debut single on July 27. It quickly climbed the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 1 in late August. More than that, it became the best-selling single of the year in the UK, selling more than 810,000 units. It spent four weeks in the top 10 in the UK and five weeks at the top of the chart.

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“Never Gonna Give You Up” was a massive international hit for Astley. It went to No. 1 in Zimbabwe, West Germany, Sweden, Spain, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Australia, and the United States.

Rick Astley Becomes Part of Internet Culture with “Rickrolling”

Rick Astley and “Never Gonna Give You Up” have exhibited uncommon longevity over the years. Many pop hits from the 1980s are largely forgotten by all but those who enjoyed them upon their initial release. However, that’s not the case for Astley or his debut single.

The longevity of Astley and “Never Gonna Give You Up” is largely due to the widespread practice of “Rickrolling” on the internet. The prank consists of disguising a link to the song’s music video as something interesting or pertinent to a conversation. The practice started in 2007 and is still happening almost two decades later.

Interestingly, Rickrolling has also shown uncommon longevity. Most internet memes fall out of fashion in less than a year. More recently, memes will enjoy a few weeks of popularity before fading into obscurity. While this trend has slowed, it has not fallen out of favor.

Several internet users discovered Rick Astley and “Never Gonna Give You Up” after being Rickrolled and enjoying the song.

Featured Image by Bernd Mueller/Redferns