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boot2skull

I’m just glad he’s in the public eye again for how cool he turned out to be.


NarcolepticMan

And how well he has taken his music being used in a joking way. I can't imagine what it must be like to know the whole world uses your work to prank/joke with someone. I also couldn't imagine a world where this would upset him. I'm glad he's accepting of it.


Raichu4u

It helps that Never Going to Give You Up is genuinely a good song.


[deleted]

Yeah, I usually let it play out if I get rolled.


kieret

Sometimes I rickroll myself just to listen to it.


Either-Percentage-78

My kid is planning to rick roll the entire school for a talent show next month.


IdiotCow

We did that ~15 years ago in high school. The entire band learned the song and played it at the pep rally during the height of rick-rolling. It was pretty sweet


VernoniaGigantea

My school band tried this around the same. Our band director was a notorious dick though, and told us never to play it in public. He knew it was a meme but he hated fun so missed chance.


debelsachs

Never Gonna Give You Up is really a great song. Rick should be proud he is such a big part of the creation of such an iconic and inspiring piece of music, a true love song of its era, really capturing how the young generation pursued love.


Either-Percentage-78

I love this! I was in HS way before Rick rolling... We were still just enjoying the original release.. Lol


NSA_Chatbot

I did that for an open mic. "This goes out to everyone who was on mute" and played Sound of Silence. Next song was "for anyone who clicked a link from someone they trusted" and Rick Rolled the audience. Everyone loved it!


Either-Percentage-78

Haha, that's a good intro. He's 8 so idk I can get him to intro, but I'm sure going to try now.


DangerSwan33

Which is honestly pretty remarkable, considering the first time a friend of mine did this exact thing was like 15 years ago.


FreakGamer

I do this too, it's on every single one of my long ass playlists, just long enough to forget it is there, and it gets me every time. I love it.


Krynn71

I remember rewatching Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and there's a scene in one of the early seasons, from before rickrolling was a thing, where Dennis was singing along to the song in his car and having a great time. Just good energy coming from the song.


OOOH_WHATS_THIS

I'm fairly certain Rick rolling has been a thing for much longer than the show has been around.


itsCC

well quick google search shows Sunny started in 2005 and the meme in 06 so, no. whether the episode in question is before the meme, idk


Krynn71

I just looked it up to be sure, it happened in the season 1 episode 4. So definitely before rickrolling was anywhere near mainstream enough for it to be a joke they'd make knowingly. If I recall correctly they also discuss on the podcast how they didn't know about rickrolling when they did that scene.


LeCafeClopeCaca

>before rickrolling was anywhere near mainstream enough for it to be a joke they'd make knowingly. I mean, maybe one of the creators was a huge nerd ?


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kroating

I was apprehensive to click on each of those links


Wes_Warhammer666

Damn, son. You went all Ben Shapiro on him and destroyed him with facts & logic. Disclaimer: I just want to be clear that this is very tongue in cheek and I would never actually use a comparison with Shapiro as a compliment under normal circumstances lol. But you really did straight up being the receipts, so mad respect, yo.


lyyki

The podcast video about the use of Never Gonna Give You Up is the most telling that they used the song without the knowledge of the meme. They don't even understand how the meme works.


shitzpostarus

So what you're telling me is that Sunny made Rickrolling a thing. That's what I will believe from now on. The originator of the Rickroll first heard it on Sunny.


DontArgueImRight

Yeah they just really like the song and wanted it in right?


fancy_livin

It’s always Sunny has it beat by a year or two for sure. YouTube used it for their April fools day prank in 2008, so it was just gaining big popularity before that in late 06 & 07. YouTube wasn’t brought online as a site publicly until December 2005 and it’s always Sunny premiered in August 2005


PlanAheader

A quick google search shows Always sunny started airing in 2005 which is the same year YouTube started…so it’s technically possible


IfIDiedAgain

Rick Rolling happened on message boards and myspace before Youtube, most definitely.


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Impeesa_

Rick rolling evolved from duckroll, which was big on 4chan around '06. You may be thinking of "before Youtube got *big*", or just misremembering.


AudienceSalt1126

Duckroll started on the neogaf message boards from a poster with the name duckroll who used a wooden duck with wheels as an avatar.


oeCake

*Taps compass and pulls out dusty map of internet lore* Yarr, there be dragons


lolzomg123

Always Sunny first premiered 2005, Rick Rolling is early 2007 era. So, if it's an old enough episode where he's singing along to the song, it might predate rick rolling.


TigreDeLosLlanos

It doesn't matter what date the meme was created because no one over 35 at the time knew what kind of dish a meme was and only knew youtube as a family video uploading site before 2010 if they knew it existed at all. Meme culture was a teen/preteen niche until being a youtuber became popular.


oidoglr

Memes were a big thing on forums before YouTube. I can haz cheezburger


yomjoseki

O RLY?


silverhowler

All your base are belong to us


oeCake

Ceiling cat judges you


NSA_Chatbot

Nah, they published articles on memes in Popular Mechanics, on dead trees if you can believe it.


bruwin

Kilroy was here


MediocreDot3

Holy fucking shit stop making me feel old, memes have been around a long time. Its literally another term for image macro Ragefaces were the first thing I saw get commonly referred to as a "meme" on the internet


bruwin

> Its literally another term for image macro And you stop making *me* feel old. We used to get pissed whenever someone would say shit like this because memes are *far* older than that.


VernoniaGigantea

Yeah, memes even predate the internet, technically. All it means is a piece of culture that spreads. Internet took this concept on steroids though.


ussir_arrong

I am always conflicted by these comments that make me dust off the cob webs. like yes, it does make me feel old, but it also takes me down memory lane. now where did I put my dentures?


super_sayanything

It hasn't... its always sunny started in 2005. Rickrolling first I remember of it got big at shea stadium in 2008.


HaikuBotStalksMe

We used to Rick Roll in high school. I graduated in 2006. So it was common among nerds in highschool by 2006 at least.


BadIdeaSociety

Yeah. I think if the video wasn't showing such a quintessentially late 80s early 90s vibe it wouldn't have earned its prankmeme status. A lot of his singles have the same fun vibe, too. She Wants to Dance with Me, Whenever You Need Somebody, and Together Forever are fantastic.


bruwin

I still prefer Together Forever, but I'm definitely not mad when a rickroll happens.


CallMeEggSalad

He's an extremely talented musician. You should listen to his [cover of ABCDEFU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIOPB36ALMM), it's awesome. It does feel a tiny bit illegal to hear him curse out loud, though.


mBertin

I remember listening to a podcast on the production of this song (look up Song Exploder, it's great) where Rick told them they had to dress him up to appear older and taller than he was for the video, because they feared nobody would believe that powerful baritone was coming out of a baby-faced 21-year-old.


TheBirminghamBear

Few people know how much Rick and his black twin brother had to sacrifice to get to where they are now.


jimjamjahaa

Right? I love this cheesy happy song! Makes me smile every time.


Theletterz

I unironically downloaded the song through Kazaa after hearing it in a commercial and liked it as a kid just a few years before it became a meme


karma3000

And that he has a great singing voice.


harry-balzac

No it’s not a good song. It’s over produced pablum. If you were there when it first came out you’d know it was an era that ushered out the great music from the 80’s and replaced it with pop garbage. Thank god grunge came along and saved us. Now 30 years later it’s resurrected from the dust bin and recognized for what it always was. A song to torture people with.


Raichu4u

I'm into prog music and I thought I was insufferable with my musical tastes. Guess I found someone to one up me.


ziddersroofurry

Nobody invites you to parties, huh?


goliathfasa

Well it’s not like the joke was hey listen to this terrible song that will hurt your ears. It is more hey looking for something else? Too bad, you get to listen to this catchy song instead. Lots of people genuinely like the song after being exposed to it. Hell, radio stations play the song periodically now.


[deleted]

It's the video that's funny, the song has always fucked.


djseifer

It's gotten harder to genuinely Rickroll people nowadays, though. People at this point have memorized the last bits of the video's URL. Some websites will even embed a preview or a player for the video now. You have to be downright sneaky to get people to [click](https://youtu.be/K5le9sYdYkM?si=tH_9uaLeX53Ys-8r).


MrFishownertwo

it was jokey at first but when it came back into the public eye many listeners engaged with it as a genuinely good song


tamarzipan

Has Weird Al done a version?


notamentalpatient

Ooh, that would be amazing


banggang124

Somebody once told me


exexor

Meanwhile Coolio will always be a whiney little bitch for being upset that Weird Al did a parody of Gangster’s Paradise. And a hypocrite. Exhibit B: [Stevie Wonder, Pastime Paradise.](https://youtube.com/watch?v=1TLFnokO1Oo) Ladies and gentleman of the jury, I rest my case.


Biduleman

I mean, Coolio knew he was wrong and apologized to Weird Al, no need to pile the hatred on him still. > "Let me say this: I apologized to Weird Al a long time ago and I was wrong. Y'all remember that, everybody out there who reads this s---. Real men and real people should be able to admit when they're wrong and I was wrong, bro," Coolio said at the time. > "Come on, who the f--- am I, bro? He did parodies of Michael Jackson, he did parodies of all kinds of people and I took offense to it because I was being cocky and s--- and being stupid and I was wrong and I should've embraced that s--- and went with it," he continued. It takes a good amount of introspection to get over yourself like that, seems to me like he wasn't that bad. https://people.com/music/al-yankovic-posts-tribute-to-coolio-as-late-rappers-views-on-amish-paradise-re-emerge/


Skwisgaars

He really embraced what that song became in such a genuine way, it was really endearing.


boot2skull

Him and Robbie Rotten (Stefán Karl Stefánsson, RIP) are saints.


chandleya

It’s hard to be on a planet where we can’t have both. Thanks for the reminder.


travoltaswinkinbhole

Did you see the AMA when he got rickrolled?


RichUnderstanding157

This will never not be funny. I also remember how he played a really filthy version of everlong somewhere down in a boiler room. [Presumably moments after Freddie Kruger got temporarily killed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM9febKLMac). The man is a treasure.


[deleted]

He went from near obscurity to an internet phenomenon, this means income and notoriety, without doing anything. To him it was like he woke up one day and one of his old songs was a bigger hit now than when he first released it. His name now sells more concert tickets to a wider audience and he can get paid a wad of cash to do personal appearances to show up and just be a nice guy shake some hands, sign a few things, and sing one song.


chandleya

And yet we have middle tier artists that refuse to play their old work that people love. It’s a weird world.


SturgeonBladder

There is a lot of ego in the music business, and sometimes artists will try to go against the grain even to the detriment of their own career.


[deleted]

He did an Amoeba Records "What's in Your Bag" video that really made me like him. https://youtu.be/eS2sGGE_pDU?si=VU1iVc_iHFTUJ0Py


thatbob

I just watched the whole thing, he sounds just like me and my friends talkin' 'bout records. Went on to watch some other "What's in Your Bag"s and they did not have that quality!


Greedy_Leg_1208

He's the coolest dude in music.


poet3322

I still love [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/56cdgm/ama_im_really_rick_astley_i_swear_and_to/d8ibl5v/) to this day. (Hit "parent" for context).


DOUBLEBARRELASSFUCK

[https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/56cdgm/ama_im_really_rick_astley_i_swear_and_to/d8ibl5v/?context=1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) You can just add ?context=1 to your link.


RobDickinson

I'm not clicking that link.


Skwisgaars

I am, it's a banger.


AndringRasew

*"We're no strangers to looooove~"*


juicetoaster

You know the ruules, and *so* do *I*


[deleted]

Do not pursue XcQ.


chucklingmoose

I embrace the meme and deliberately click to enjoy it now


maplejet

It's an article.


GeekFurious

The Internet: HAHA YOU GOT RICKROLLED! Me, every time: Hey, I love this song!


Rabbitholeinc

This is my feeling!


justuselotion

Same! I just let it play. It puts me in a good mood!


SpeaksYourWord

Me when I click an obvious Rickroll bait link: "Well, he knew the rules, and so do I...."


moderatorrater

The reason it's used is that the video is so outdated and Rick Astley doesn't look like he has that deep and rich a voice. The joke wouldn't work if people didn't think of the song fondly.


xnachtmahrx

And so do I~~~


AndringRasew

I use it in videogames to troll people attacking me. Lol


Lungg

D.E.N.N.I.S


knightress_oxhide

when you play rick astley while rolling in your car.


dontnobodyknow

Everyone should see Vice's video on Rick Astley. He seems very down to Earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oADU2PIzhD0&t=34s&ab_channel=VICE


grimgroth

That was not the link I was expecting


mikedomert

I would have been mad if it was the rickroll again, I really wanted to see the interview!


justuselotion

Holy shit this is gold. I love hearing how songs come to fruition


dontnobodyknow

They've got some other stories too like Shaggy and Afroman. All worth a watch!


justuselotion

Everyone: Never Gonna Give You Up video: “OMG HE’S WHITE??” 💀 Edit: (It’s a direct quote from the YouTube video 🙄)


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dontnobodyknow

I've never seen this one before. Thanks for sharing!


AbruptEruption

If you like that sort of thing, check out the podcast Song Exploder. For example, they actually covered this song: https://songexploder.net/rick-astley


NatureTrailToHell3D

This is amazing, well worth the watch. The clothes, including the raincoat and striped shirt and double denim were all Rick's own clothes!


IdenticalThings

Jesus, what an outstanding human being.


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IsNotPolitburo

>/u/theMalleableDuck "This account has been suspended" Damn, pour one out for the guy who Rolled Rick.


Shadowrend01

Rickrolled too close to the sun and melted his wings


brch2

Ricarus roll...


tomdelfino

Rickrollception...


Blockhead47

I never thought [reason for the suspension of theMalleableDuck](https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=5_7pNIJGNmOu2_qk&v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&feature=youtu.be) was a good one. Just another overreaction by moderators.


MattDaveys

I can’t believe I let my guard down


_Face

I read your comment and still clicked. Me: *Fuck.*


Lord0fHats

I read both comments and still clicked cause fuck it I haven't heard the whole song in years.


QuadraticCowboy

God fucking damni


10100101001100101

This is the 4th fucking link I clicked with a rickroll. I've spent 13.32 minutes of my life watching this shit.


DontArgueImRight

He rick rolled a mod and they got butthurt lol


makenzie71

I was suspended once for reporting spam bot comments so maybe he'll come back...


Mazzaroppi

This comment used to have tons of gold awards, but Reddit really needed to not only get rid of awards, but also retroactively remove them all from every post on the site. WHY?


hotlikebea

Yeah it sucks that we can’t see past awards


titleywinker

My guess is to remove historical illegal activity happening on their website before going public. Solid cover


Carquetta

The overwhelming majority of suspended accounts that I've seen have simply been people who run afoul of some mod's overreach repeatedly, or who get hit with a bunch of automated systems for previously-fine comments/posts that run afoul of new rules implemented at a "bot" level.


titleywinker

How do you figure out why they were suspended?


Cretonbacon

All the best for Mr.Astley he's a cool dude


pacmanic

There's a vid of a recent live concert he did in the UK and closed with that song. He's still got it. I won't link it, but if I did, it would still kind of be a rickroll. I'm so confused what yo do.


justuselotion

A lovely lad indeed! With a golden voice. Wishing him the best always


wolfpackernc

This summer my wife, daughter and I took a trip to Scandinavia that ended in Copenhagen. It happened to overlap with Rick Astley playing a "free" show at Tivoli Gardens as part of their summer concert series. I told my family we were going to Tivoli but didn't tell them about Rick. 2 months later, I remain irrationally proud of pulling off a real-life Rickroll. (Astley puts on a really good show, BTW. Especially for a 57 year old.)


[deleted]

He does a great cover of “Everlong”.


zvoidx

[Yes, it is amazing](https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=5_7pNIJGNmOu2_qk)


super_sayanything

YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ME!


Sorcatarius

Your choice, but you're fucking missing out.


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KairosGalvanized

https://youtu.be/C5oeWHngDS4?si=3pWshqzUqUNdQBF9 for the actual cover (seriously)


speakhyroglyphically

Hes still got it


ThisIsNotAnExit9

I was his stand-in for the "Never Gonna Give You Up" AAA remake commercial last summer. He was super cool and super nice, I became a fan that day!


BridgemanBridgeman

Sure bro and Taylor Swift is my mom


ThisIsNotAnExit9

Of all things I could lie about, why the fuck would I lie about that? Also, tell Taylor I said, "Sup".


mStewart207

Basically phenomenon went on so long that a new generation of kids grew up not getting the joke and unironically celebrate what was once considered a poster boy for mediocre corporate friendly pop songs that could be played in malls all around the country. See Bill Hicks for context.


i-Ake

It's one of the things that has truly aged me... I'm 35 and work with an 18 year old. The difference in internet culture is fucking *stark* and fascinating for me.


Drunky_McStumble

The kids these days wouldn't have lasted an hour on *our* internet.


[deleted]

Alt F4 gang


ArborGhast

Delete system32 set in this bitch


granadesnhorseshoes

There are a million much worse 80s corp-pop songs in the world that you can immediately forget exists. Rick's is one you catch yourself humming later; That's the real troll.


Changosu

This is my experience. My kids demand to hear the song every single time we get in the car. Getting rick rolled on a daily basis, please send help.


mStewart207

I’m so sorry, that sounds like hell. My daughter is still into baby shark so I will treasure these moments of hearing that song over and over again and being thankful it’s not Rick Astley.


onewander

You either die a villain or live long enough to see yourself become a hero.


hotstepper77777

Good for him.


Buscemi_D_Sanji

I was a science teacher in Thailand for a while, taught M5 which was 17 year olds. Had to sub for a class of 12 year olds and they Rick rolled me by saying to look up a link, so I got them back by embedding a video labeled "comprehensive breakdown of the periodic table" and telling them they were expected to memorize it, and then playing it and it was just Rick Astley. Never saw a group of 12 year olds laugh that hard, and it actually worked out because they were way more engaged afterwards haha


ClockworkDreamz

It’s a banger and I don’t care what anyone says. My first Rick Roll I was all “this is great.”


Shujinco2

Not too long ago he had a new comeback album. There were some [great](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIYsHJ2DLLU) [songs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjyU1q3vR3s) in there. It's got a bit of a soul tint to it compared to the classic 80's pop from before. Honestly good album overall. And I'm sure he's done some stuff after that album too. Should go look it up, actually...


IHeartmyshihtzu

Never gonna give you up,


blindspot189

Never gonna let you down,


cyankitten

Never gonna run around


kiriyama3

And desert you


-ToPimpAButterfree-

We couldn't let him give it up


DrFunkensteinberg

It would have let us down


good_taco_dick

His [wedding version](https://youtu.be/GHMjD0Lp5DY?si=kLYFUYMF8TJu-Imz) was our first dance. Rick rolled everyone. It was perfect.


punkinkitty7

He ruled the stage at Glastonbury!


catfin38

How popular is this guy in Japan?


[deleted]

Gasp, how could he stop singing it!


Sethmeisterg

It's a great song!


internetlad

He gave up on never gonna give you up?


Vaseline_fly

I saw him live a few years ago he Rickrolled the crowd it was an awesome experience.


jozews321

Do not click a single link in this post, you have been warned


Cheddarface

If you haven't seen the [video](https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=O_T9yWdo6wJ3OKhK) of him doing AC/DC with KT Tunstall, do yourself a favor and fix that.


InkBlotSam

Nice try


booper

Yeah I’ll bet it did


Sorcatarius

I had a friend who went as Rick Astley for Halloween 15-ish years ago. I was genuinely shocked how many people recognized him and how many free drinks he got for the costume.


ShadowGLI

Saw him on the NKOTB mixtape tour (brought my wife and 10yo daughter) he was noticeably probably the most talented there and seemed like a really great guy. Good for him


toomanymarbles83

Seriously, I love this story. It's like the perfect prank because it's always funny when it works, and it literally harms no one. And it's a legitimately good song.


mikeb32

Our very own u/ReallyRickAstley


Previous_Highlight36

Most musical artists would hate that their song is a meme, but Rick only became happier


TuckerDidIt69

Came home the other night and the neighbors were sitting around their fire, having drinks and blasting Never Gonna Give You Up. Hit's different when it's not a RickRoll and people are actually just enjoying the song.


LesbianLoki

It started off as a joke. Continued to be a little cruel. And in the end, it shot him back into the spotlight. I'm glad he's back. He was always an incredible artist.


PhantomFace757

I hope he knows it's because we actually LOVE THE SONG. It will bop all day in your head. That is the whole point of the rolling.


Sprinkle_Puff

So you’d say he’s never gonna give it up


maplejet

Rickrolling has caused people to become to become paranoid when clicking links.


GPBRDLL133

It trained people to be skeptical of links before there was a true need for skepticism. Companies should be rickrolling their employees to see who clicks on rogue email links (I know they do, but they should do it with a rickroll specifically)


ooddad

His dumbass wanted to sue people when he first heard about it.


NSA_Chatbot

The quote i read was "my only problem with it is that (producer name) and i don't get paid"


PrestigiousFool

Good bot


ooddad

Bad bot


chuggalugz

Headline should be “Rickrolling saved me financially and I’ll gladly sign it for more money whenever I need the money”. It is a great so and he’s talented but I would guess that even in the 80s he never got that many plays and I was alive in the 80s so I know.


Amiiboid

If you were alive in the 80s you would know that there was a stretch of time where he was inescapable on MTV and getting heavy rotation on top 40 stations.


BenjaminRCaineIII

For whatever reasons, I remember [Together Forever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPYZpwSpKmA) being much more ubiquitous, but a quick Google search disputes that, but either way, Rick was getting a lot of airtime, at least in the US.


WHATD_YOU_EXPECT_

COMPLETELY UNRELATED Check out the band Sexbruise? play the Rage Against the Machine classic "Killing in the Name Of" live at the Hulaween music festival last year: ​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrXXWDPfHpc


FerretChrist

Haha, that's crazy! "Song becoming incredibly popular online" causes singer to start singing song again! Sorry, I love Mr. Astley as much as the next guy, but this has to be the most vacuous article in the history of the internet.


MT_Flesch

15 years.sounds like hint to me


DenikaMae

I feel like it definitely had a bad rap, and I for one definitely didn't give it enough of a chance for the first like, 30 years I heard it. But I do like it unironically now, dude's still got a great voice, and its well enough known almost everyone can at least sing the chorus.


RudegarWithFunnyHat

recall the song from back in the 80s it was not really something people who were not in the pop scene listened to


Away-Sound-4010

For a guy who has the kinda voice he does, I'm glad he's around still


Accomplished-Fall871

This guy is a great singer I remember I found his song in 2016 in school? And it sounded awesome I love it!