[seemorenuts]

I didn't click on the youtube link, was I gonna risk getting rickrolled?

Rick Astley's debut single, "Never Gonna Give You Up" contrasted the singer's expressive, soulful baritone with synthesized dance-club backing, and while the highly processed quality of the latter sometimes seemed to overwhelm the former (no easy task), the song became a wildly popular smash, winding up as the biggest hit single of 1987 in the U.K. and topping the U.S. charts in early 1988. The song was driven by a busy rhythm track and a synthesized string section strongly reminiscent of late-'70s disco productions, while Astley's distinctive voice boomed over the top. Perhaps the most memorable flourish on "Never Gonna Give You Up" is the way Astley handles the chorus, which alternates rapid-fire 16th notes with longer, off-the-beat triplets; his delivery is impeccably smooth, navigating the rhythmically shifting melody with ease. It's not difficult to see, in retrospect, why Astley eventually grew tired of the Stock, Aitken & Waterman production team's work; while the slick sheen doesn't exactly rob Astley of his personality, the layers of echo don't really do much to accentuate or humanize it, either. Still, the song does demonstrate that Astley has a flair for up-tempo dance tracks, and it's such a well-crafted piece of music that the partnership between singer and producers seems fruitful enough to overlook any shortcomings.


lyric

We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

* Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We've know each other for so long
Your heart's been aching
But you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it

And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see

(* repeat)

give you up. give you up
give you up, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, give you up

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

(* repeat 3 times)