The Meaning Behind “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley

I like Rick Astley. And, even though he has been the butt of many a joke, I have always enjoyed his music and have remained a fan. True, I prefer his later songs. But, there is no doubt that “Never Gonna Give You Up” had plenty of positives to warrant its commercial success during the late 80s. It is an interesting song with some interesting history.

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Therefore, I hope that you will also find the meaning behind “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley of interest, as well as all the facts connected to it. So, let’s get to it and take a closer look at this hit 80s song by Rick Astley.

Rick Astley’s Career

Rick Astley was born in 1966 in the county of Lancashire in the north of England. He had a strong interest in music while still at school and was playing the drums and writing songs from an early age.

In 1986, he was the drummer with the Soul band FBI. However, the lead singer and guitarist left the band. At that point, Rick stepped out from behind the kit and took on duties as the lead singer. He was subsequently spotted by the hugely successful trio of music producers.

Stock, Aitken, and Waterman…

They saw huge potential in him and were immensely impressed with his vocal qualities. This is what they were most focused on, and this is where they thought they could succeed with him from a commercial perspective.

But, there was an issue – Rick’s chronic shyness. Stock, Aitken, and Waterman saw this as potentially a huge problem. Consequently, they signed him and essentially kept him around and taught him the recording process. Until he started to come out of himself and until they felt he would be able to perform without appearing awkward.

Thankfully, he got his opportunity in 1987 when he released a Club focused track, “When You Gonna,” which was recorded with Lisa Carter. Although it only made it to #107 on the UK charts, it was sufficiently successful to warrant the recording of “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which I will move on to shortly.

Rick’s first few years in the music business…

These were dominated by the input and guardianship of Stock, Aitken, and Waterman (SAW). They wrote and produced all of Rick Astley’s songs and hits. As the driving force behind major artists like Kylie Minogue, they knew what they were doing and knew how to make hits.

However, Rick Astley was always much more than just a product of bubblegum mass-produced Pop songs. Thankfully, he decided to go it alone and left SAW to their own devices. He began focusing on Soul music and released music he wrote himself in what was a major shift in style and direction.

Going It Alone

Now free from the tyranny of SAW, Rick Astley’s first album was aptly called, Free. It included the wonderful single “Cry For Help” and beautifully showcased his incredible talents as a singer/songwriter. It was also the beginning of the long journey for him to claw back his own sense of style and musical direction.

He then continued to progress and has been making excellent music, on his own terms, right to the present day. Although not as commercially successful, I feel the period from 1991 to the present day was his best. I also felt that it is a shame that so many still associate him with his dodgy dancing and the over-stylized 80s Pop tunes that were the trademark of SAW.

Chart Success

Make no mistake, Astley had plenty of hits. But no more so than with his first single, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” This was huge and would prove to be Rick Astley’s biggest hit song despite a career that is now approaching almost four decades long.

It was released in 1987 in most countries. Although, it was also released a year later in other countries, including the US. The single was hugely successful and, unbelievably, sold eight million copies worldwide. Staggeringly, five million of those copies were sold just in the US.

That’s all pretty impressive. But, so is the fact that it reached the top spot in the charts in no less than 25 countries. Additionally, it was the best-selling single of 1987 in the UK and the second best-selling single of 1988 in the US.

At this point…

No doubt SAW were patting themselves on the back for backing the right young guy. Presumably, they had also broken out the cigars and were also looking at Ferrari and yacht brochures!

Their enthusiasm would have been warranted. The album that “Never Gonna Give You Up” was taken from, namely, Whenever You Need Somebody, was also a large-scale success. Globally, it sold more than five million copies, achieved multiple #1s, though only #10 on the US Billboard charts, and won a clutch of platinum and Gold discs.

It is fair to say that his debut solo single and album were his best-selling. But we should not forget that he went on to achieve a highly successful recording and singing career. To date, he has sold over 40 million records and is still only in his 5os. So, it is reasonable to assume that he is a long way from being done yet.

Recording and Video

The initial spark for the song came following a conversation between Rick Astley and Pete Waterman. Rick, though still young at the time, was very forthcoming about his devotion and love for his girlfriend. Peter Waterman subsequently came up with the general idea of the song and the title. Stock and Aiken then did the hard yards and sorted out the melody, chords, and chorus.

The production and musical arrangement was SAW at its worst or best, depending on your viewpoint. However, what is not in question is the heavy use of synthesizers and drum machines. It characterized the song to give it the SAW trademark 80s Pop feel and treatment that is frankly now very dated.

They used a synthesizer for the bass, a Linn 9000 for drums, and a series of other electronics and wizardry in place of real instruments. I am sorry, guys, but you just can’t replace guitars, drums, and standard keys for all of this stuff, and expect to get a sound that will be timeless.

And they didn’t…

Frankly, the video has dated just as badly, if not worse. The clothes and hairstyles were so 80s as to be comical. Even funnier was Rick Astley’s awkward and dodgy dancing. However, the video was well-produced and edited and included a couple of beautiful girls and a male dancer inserted for good measure. Always a recipe for success!

All good, but I still can’t help asking what were Rick Astley’s dance moves all about. And why was he wearing a bloody long coat for a part of it? Was it honestly so cold, or did think it looked cool? Not a good look, regardless. Let’s move on.

Rickrolling

Before I get to the final section, it would be remiss of me not to mention the strange phenomena of Rickrolling that appeared on the net in May of 2007. This was the practice of using misleading links that would subsequently redirect unsuspecting users to a website that would play a short video clip of Rick Astley performing “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

It caught on massively. And, on April 1st (April Fool’s Day) of 2008, when a host of media companies joined in, the fun Rickrolling went viral. Frankly, I think it was funny. Although, as far as Rick was concerned, it probably did little for his image. Still, better to be known for something than be forgotten.

At the time, the renewed interest in Rick Astley was bonkers. And his online video subsequently enjoyed over a billion views for which he was apparently paid just $12. Good old YouTube and those wonderful record companies, eh? On the plus side, he did get a chunk of cash from Virgin for the song’s inclusion in a commercial.

Lyrics and Meanings of “Never Gonna Give You Up”

Just so you are sure, I want to reiterate that I am a huge fan of Rick Astley. I love his voice and his songwriting, but this is all post-1991 when he broke away from the SAW mafia. Once he did, he came out with some amazing songs.

“Cry For Help,” released in 1991, which I have already mentioned, and “Lights Out,” released in 2010, are my two favorite Rick Astley songs. If you have not listened to them, then you really should.

Now, we wind things back to 1987. Unfortunately, “Never Gonna Give You Up” was not up to the same standard, lyrically speaking, as most of Rick Astley’s own songs. The meaning behind “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley is very straightforward, and there is no room for any mistake in the lyrical interpretation.

The song is simply a proclamation of love from the singer to his girlfriend…

Now, there is nothing wrong with that. And, no doubt, this sentiment and straight talking are what attracted such interest in the song. However, the words are just a bit too sweet and come across as cheesy.

He sings about his promises to his love interest like he’s written a shopping list. The words in the main verses and the chorus are as bad as each other. Fortunately, the melody for both is enough to hold the song together.

I can’t help thinking that if SAW had let Rick come up with his own lyrics, they would have felt a lot more real and heartfelt. However, despite what I think, the words were enough to persuade millions of people to part with their hard-earned cash, so who am I to judge?

Want More Music From The 80s?

If so, check out our thoughts on the Best 80s Love Songs, the Best 80s Rock Songs, the Most Famous Female Singers Of The 1980s, the Most Famous Male Singers Of The 1980s, and the Best 80s Rock Bands for more incredible song selections.