Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Passes 1 Billion Spotify Streams
The feat is even more noteworthy given that the song was released more than 20 years before Spotify launched.
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'I never could have imagined back in 1987 that 'Never Gonna Give You Up' would still be going strong decades later,' Astley said in a statement. 'Thanks to streaming platforms, a whole new generation has been able to discover music like mine. Reaching 1 billion streams is something I never dreamed of and to everyone who's ever listened, thank you.'
The song became a hit upon its initial release, reaching No. 1 on more than 20 international charts, including spending five weeks at the top of the charts in the U.K. and two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.
However, the tune reached a new generation in later years thanks to the Rickrolling phenomenon, which went viral circa 2007. A brief explainer, if you have somehow managed to avoid this until now: Rickrolling is a joke played online on unsuspecting folks who click on a hyperlink about anything unrelated to Astley only to be taken to the music video for the song.
'Never Gonna Give You Up' was certified platinum in the U.K. in 2020 and went double platinum three years later; it was certified five times platinum in the U.S. Meanwhile, the video has been watched 1.6 billion times on YouTube.
Astley had a string of other hits in the late '80s, including 'Together Forever,' 'It Would Take a Strong Strong Man' and 'She Wants to Dance With Me.' He retired from the music business in 1993 to spend time with family but mounted a comeback in 2016 with the album 50, which hit No. 1 in the U.K. He performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2023 as well as other venues around the world. In 2024, he released a memoir, Never: The Autobiography.
Watch the music video for 'Never Gonna Give You Up' below.
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