It took 35 years, but Rick Astley has recreated the iconic video for his 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Produced for CSAA Insurance Group, the new “Never Gonna Give You Up” video runs one minute and features Astley in a scene-for-scene remake of the classic video—even dancing in similar locations from the original music video—while employers from the insurance company dance with him.
On their social media, CSAA posted the new Astley video with the tagline, “Our legendary service is never gonna let you down.” The post added, “You can start saving today on auto and home coverage that would never run around and desert you. Because with 100 years of experience, InsurAAAnce is no stranger to love or exceptional service.”
The video also features three versions of Astley wearing clothing similar to what he wore in the original music video when one of his clones asks, “Is this still a thing?” with the other two shrugging in response.
The release of “Never Gonna Give You Up” marked its 35th anniversary on July 27 and is a song Astley joked is old enough to be President of the U.S., and has “got a life of [its] own at this point.”
The first single off Astley’s debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody, “Never Gonna Give You Up” shot to the top of the charts in 25 countries, including the U.S. upon its release in 1987. To date, the video for the song has passed 1.2 billion views on YouTube and the song has now been certified five-times platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.
In 2007, the song saw a resurgence when it became the punchline for a viral internet meme called “rickrolling” or “rickroll,” named after Astley. “Rickrolling” was a humorous prank that occurred when a link to the music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up” is sent to unsuspecting recipients under different pretenses.
To celebrate the anniversary of his debut, Astley recently released a remastered 35th-anniversary edition of Whenever You Need Somebody. Astley also released his seventh studio album, 50, in 2016.
