Home · Songs · Rick Astley · Never Gonna Give You Up
From album
Whenever You Need Somebody
Rick Astley · 1987 · Track 1
Details
TonalidadA#m
Compás4/4
Tempo113 BPM
Duración3:33
ÁlbumWhenever You Need Somebody
Año1987
ISRCGBARL9300135
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The story behind
When you encounter Never Gonna Give You Up, it's easy to be drawn to that characteristic bassline and that rhythm that invites you to move. What you might not have known is that this rhythmic foundation was partly inspired by Colonel Abrams' 1985 track Trapped. Producers Stock Aitken Waterman sought to recreate that syncopated feel to match Rick Astley's vocals, but without sounding the same as what they did with other artists like Kylie Minogue or Bananarama. The recording took place at PWL studios in South London, using synthesizers like the Yamaha DX7 for the basslines and the Linn 9000 for drums and sequencing, complemented by a Roland Juno 106 and Yamaha reverbs.
This track, released on July 27, 1987, became the first single from Rick Astley's debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody. The idea for the title and the overall concept came from a conversation with Pete Waterman, who heard about Astley's devotion to his girlfriend. The music and lyrics were the work of Mike Stock and Matt Aitken. The initial mix was handled by Phil Harding, and then Ian Curnow added the distinctive synthetic string and brass parts with his Fairlight. Finally, Pete Hammond, a PWL remixer, polished the mix to highlight the vocals. The result was a resounding success, topping the charts in 25 countries, including the UK, where it was the best-selling single of 1987, and the United States. The music video, filmed in London, gained new life in 2007 thanks to the internet phenomenon known as "Rickrolling," which led to the video surpassing one billion views on YouTube.
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