Song #97: Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"

Song #97: Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up" (1987)

Whenever You Need Somebody

"We know the game and we're gonna play it." 

The fact that Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" has become an internet meme/phenomenon and can no longer be taken seriously or enjoyed simply as a great song makes me sick. Most people of the new generation came in contact with this song through a misleading video or an internet meme that circulated in the mid-to-late 2000's on websites like YouTube and 4chan, whereas if you were born in the seventies or eighties, you'll likely remember the song for its radio airplay.

The point is is that "Never Gonna Give You Up" warrants a second-look from people in a mind not to giggle and obnoxiously masturbate over the fact that this song has garnered quite the reputation online but as a song that is genuinely moving and very loving. It's the kind of song I'd hope to have played at my wedding during my first dance. It's a song that shows deep love and affection for somebody in a way that is melodically communicated with Astley's surprisingly deep and easy-listening voice. Throw in a hilarious music video and you have one of the finest songs from the 1980's in my opinion.

Give "Never Gonna Give You Up" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ