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Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rick Astley Celebrates 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Reaching 1 Billion Spotify Streams: 'Who Would've Believed?'
Rick Astley's 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" reached one billion streams on Spotify The song gained newfound popularity in the 2000s thanks to the rickrolling bait-and-switch meme Less than 1,000 songs have garnered one billion streams on SpotifyRick Astley is never gonna give you up — and neither will his fans. On Monday, June 2, the Grammy-nominated artist shared his thoughts on the 1987 song "Never Gonna Give You Up" reaching one billion streams on Spotify. "So who would've believed after all these years 'Never Gonna Give You Up' has had a billion streams on Spotify. That's a billion streams. How amazing," Astley, 59, said in an Instagram video. "Thank you for listening and lots of love, and I'll see you all soon." "Never Gonna Give You Up" was part of Astley's debut solo album, Whenever You Need Somebody released in his early 20s. The song reached no. 1 on over 20 international charts upon release, per The Hollywood Reporter. As of publishing, the music video has over 1.6 billion views on YouTube. is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! It experienced a new popularity in the 2000s, when getting "Rick-Rolled," a bait-and-switch online move, was born from the song. The meme included tricking people online into expecting one thing from a URL and then being brought to the song or the video for "Never Gonna Give You Up," hence the term Rick-Rolled. Astley, who has been vocal about the song's viral popularity, commented on the meme craze in 2016 and told PEOPLE about the first time he was Rick-Rolled. "A friend of mine Rick-Rolled me a couple of times, and I didn't really know what he was doing. I just thought he was being an idiot," the singer said at the time. "I just kept thinking, 'What is this idiot doing? This is just not amusing. I don't really know what's going on.' So we eventually got on the phone and he explained it to me." Added Astley: "To be honest, I still didn't really get it. It took a few weeks for me to grasp." However, he only sees the meme as a "positive thing." "I don't think you can really have any bad thoughts about an Internet prank that turned your song into a global moment," said Astley. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! He also consulted his daughter, who was a teen at the time, on navigating the new trend. 'She was saying, 'Don't sweat it. It has nothing to do with you,'' he told PEOPLE in January 2025. "And I'm like, 'How can it have nothing to do with me?' And she said, 'Just leave it where it is. Don't try to embrace it and try funny things with it,'" continued Astley. Less than 1,000 songs have reached the Billion Streams club on Spotify. Astley's hit joins "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers, "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel and "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire, among other tracks. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'80s Pop Music Icon, 59, Announces Exciting Career Milestone
'80s Pop Music Icon, 59, Announces Exciting Career Milestone originally appeared on Parade. It's rare that an artist so defined by their decade stands the test of time and holds relevance throughout the years. One of these artists who managed to break out of their time is Rick Astley. The English star had massive success in the '80s with his album "Whenever You Need Somebody," which went platinum after selling over 15 million copies. The album is most known for its iconic, generation spanning pop hit, "Never Gonna Give You Up." The song topped the charts in twenty-five different countries, and rose to prominence in the internet age for the "rick-rolling" trend, where people would be baited with links to the song. Astley has become a musical legend because of the tune, and he's seeing success from it up to this day. Recently, Astley gave some exciting news on his TikTok account about the iconic song. A billion streams a huge accomplishment. Fans left their congratulations in the comments section. "We are never gonna give you up Rick.👏👏" "I wish you a billion more. ❤️" "I remember dancing in the club s when this was released. It was fire then and it's fire now." If the past 40 years are anything to go off of, the song will be a permanent fixture of the music world. Congratulations to you, Rick!🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 '80s Pop Music Icon, 59, Announces Exciting Career Milestone first appeared on Parade on Jun 3, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
This classic '80s song just hit 1 billion streams on Spotify
Show Caption No, Mr. Astley, this isn't a fake-out. You're streaming royalty now. British pop star Rick Astley, whose inescapable '80s hit"Never Gonna Give You Up" found an unexpected renaissance in the digital age, has joined the ranks of Spotify's "Billions Club," according to a June 2 press release. The soulful synth-pop track, taken from Astley's 1987 debut album "Whenever You Need Somebody," has exceeded one billion streams on the music platform. "I never could have imagined back in 1987 that 'Never Gonna Give You Up' would still be going strong decades later," Astley, 59, said in a statement. "Thanks to streaming platforms, a whole new generation has been able to discover music like mine. Reaching one billion streams is something I never dreamed of and to everyone who's ever listened, thank you." The song, written and produced by the all-star dance-pop production team Stock Aitken Waterman, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and has sold five million copies to date. In the late 2000s, "Never Gonna Give You Up" received an unlikely revival when the "Rickrolling" internet meme became a viral sensation. The digital prank consists of a bait-and-switch maneuver in which someone opens a disguised hyperlink containing the music video to Astley's song. When the individual opens the link and is confused to discover the song, they have been "Rickrolled." Thanks to the "Rickrolling" effect, "Never Gonna Give You Up" earned tens of millions of YouTube views (the music video currently has 1.6 billion), was played at various sporting events and was even referenced on X, formerly known as Twitter, by The White House during the Barack Obama administration. "I don't know how my career would have turned out without Rickrolling," Astley reflected in his 2024 memoir "Never.""But it would be stupid to say it hasn't ultimately done me a lot of good." While "Never Gonna Give You Up" remains Astley's signature song, his other hits include "Together Forever," "She Wants to Dance with Me," "Cry for Help" and "It Would Take a Strong Man." His most recent album, 2023's "Are We There Yet?," peaked at No. 2 on the charts in his native U.K.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
This classic '80s song just hit 1 billion streams on Spotify.
This classic '80s song just hit 1 billion streams on Spotify. Show Caption Hide Caption Watch Rick Astley's reaction to the 'Ted Lasso' funeral scene Ahead of his slot on New Kids on the Block's The Mixtape tour, singer Rick Astley plays '80s trivia with USA TODAY's Melissa Ruggieri. Entertain This!, USA TODAY No, Mr. Astley, this isn't a fake-out. You're streaming royalty now. British pop star Rick Astley, whose inescapable '80s hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" found an unexpected renaissance in the digital age, has joined the ranks of Spotify's "Billions Club," according to a June 2 press release. The soulful synth-pop track, taken from Astley's 1987 debut album "Whenever You Need Somebody," has exceeded one billion streams on the music platform. "I never could have imagined back in 1987 that 'Never Gonna Give You Up' would still be going strong decades later," Astley, 59, said in a statement. "Thanks to streaming platforms, a whole new generation has been able to discover music like mine. Reaching one billion streams is something I never dreamed of and to everyone who's ever listened, thank you." Rick Astley memoir: Singer tackles Rickrolling, Dave Grohl and resurgent pop career in 'Never' The song, written and produced by the all-star dance-pop production team Stock Aitken Waterman, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and has sold five million copies to date. In the late 2000s, "Never Gonna Give You Up" received an unlikely revival when the "Rickrolling" internet meme became a viral sensation. The digital prank consists of a bait-and-switch maneuver in which someone opens a disguised hyperlink containing the music video to Astley's song. When the individual opens the link and is confused to discover the song, they have been "Rickrolled." Thanks to the "Rickrolling" effect, "Never Gonna Give You Up" earned tens of millions of YouTube views (the music video currently has 1.6 billion), was played at various sporting events and was even referenced on X, formerly known as Twitter, by The White House during the Barack Obama administration. Rick Astley is no one-hit wonder, but these music stars are. "I don't know how my career would have turned out without Rickrolling," Astley reflected in his 2024 memoir "Never." "But it would be stupid to say it hasn't ultimately done me a lot of good." While "Never Gonna Give You Up" remains Astley's signature song, his other hits include "Together Forever," "She Wants to Dance with Me," "Cry for Help" and "It Would Take a Strong Man." His most recent album, 2023's "Are We There Yet?," peaked at No. 2 on the charts in his native U.K. Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY
