"Never Gonna Give You Up" is a song by English singer Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released by RCA Records as the first single from Astley's debut studio album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song became a worldwide hit, initially in the United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It eventually topped charts in 25 different countries, including the United States and West Germany,[7] and winning Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The song is widely regarded as Astley's most popular, as well as his signature song, and it is often played at the end of his live concerts.
"Never Gonna Give You Up" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Rick Astley | ||||
from the album Whenever You Need Somebody | ||||
Released | 27 July 1987[1] | |||
Recorded | October 1986[2] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Stock Aitken Waterman | |||
Producer(s) | Stock Aitken Waterman | |||
Rick Astley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Never Gonna Give You Up" | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Never Gonna Give You Up" on YouTube |
The music video for the song, directed by Simon West, surged in popularity in 2007 due to the bait-and-switch "Rickroll" Internet meme. In 2008, Astley won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Act Ever with the song, as a result of a collective campaign from thousands of people on the Internet.[8] In 2019, Astley recorded and released a new 'Pianoforte' arrangement of the song for his album The Best of Me.[9] In 2023, Billboard magazine ranked "Never Gonna Give You Up" among the 500 best pop songs of all time.[5]
Production
"Never Gonna Give You Up" was recorded at PWL Studios in South London, England. The song's basslines were produced using a Yamaha DX7 digital synthesizer, while a Linn 9000 was used for the drums and sequencing. Other equipment used included a Roland Juno 106 analog synthesizer, and Yamaha Rev5 and Rev7 reverberators.[10]
Mike Stock stated that the Colonel Abrams hit "Trapped" (1985) was a big influence on "Never Gonna Give You Up", saying: "For Rick Astley's song I didn't want it to sound like Kylie or Bananarama so I looked at the Colonel Abrams track 'Trapped' and recreated that syncopated bassline in a way that suited our song."[11]
The title and concept for the song were suggested by Pete Waterman after Astley spoke to him of his devotion to his then girlfriend, with the song's tune, chords and lyrics then composed by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken.[12] Initial mixing was done by Phil Harding, with the song's distinctive synthetic string and brass lines later added by Fairlight operator Ian Curnow.[12] The final mix was provided by PWL remixer Pete Hammond, who made the vocals more prominent. His completed extended mix was edited down by Stock and Aitken to become the radio version.[12]
Music video
The music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" was directed by Simon West. It was filmed in London, largely around Freston Road in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.[13] Since being uploaded to YouTube on 25 October 2009, the video has received over 1.5 billion views and 17 million likes; it surpassed the 1 billion views milestone on 28 July 2021.[14][15]
Critical reception
A review in Pan-European magazine Music & Media presented "Never Gonna Give You Up" as a "carefree and cheerful pop ditty, sung with that youthful, muscular voice".[16]
Chart performance
On 12 March 1988, "Never Gonna Give You Up" reached number one in the American Billboard Hot 100 chart[17] after having been played by resident DJ, Larry Levan, at the Paradise Garage in 1987.[18] The single topped the charts in 25 countries worldwide.[7] The single also reached the number 1 spot on the year-end singles charts in the UK and South Africa.[19][20] With over one million sales in the UK, in 2023 it was included on the Official Charts Company's list of the UK's best-selling singles of all time at number 164.[21]
Legacy
Assessing the status of the track as producers Stock Aitken Waterman's biggest and most enduring hit, composer Mike Stock confessed he struggled to completely understand why the song had struck such a chord, but suggested its massive success was down to a combination of the song, the singer, and the international clout of record label RCA.[12]
In 2014, Matt Dunn of WhatCulture ranked the song at number one in his "15 unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman singles" list.[22] Time Out listed "Never Gonna Give You Up" at number 33 in their "The 50 Best '80s Songs" list in 2018, adding, "Those synthesized strings, that thumping boots-and-pants beat, Astley's weirdly robust croon and his romantic-wooing-as-used-car-salesman pitch ('You wouldn't get this from any other guy')… It all adds up to three-and-a-half of the most effervescent minutes in the '80s canon."[23]
The song was reportedly played as part of Operation Nifty Package, a psychological warfare campaign to convince Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to surrender during the United States invasion of Panama in 1989,[24] along with other songs such as the Clash's cover of "I Fought the Law" and "Panama" by Van Halen.[25] In April 2020, The Guardian ranked it at number 44 in their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No 1s".[26]
Classic Pop ranked the song number four in their list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman Songs" in 2021.[27] The Emmy Award-winning sitcom Ted Lasso featured the song prominently in the season two episode "No Weddings and a Funeral", including a scene where Rebecca Welton (played by Hannah Waddingham) begins to sing it in the middle of her father's funeral. Astley himself commented of the episode, "Waddingham...did an amazing, incredible job. It was so emotional, so moving, so incredible. People have said they even cried (during) the church scene."[28]
In August 2022, the CSAA Insurance Group, an insurer for the American Automobile Association, released a commercial featuring Rick Astley, with scenes recreated from the original "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video.[29] Yung Gravy's 2022 song "Betty (Get Money)" prominently interpolates "Never Gonna Give You Up"'s synthesizer riff and chorus, with Stock Aitken Waterman credited as songwriters.[30] Although Astley agreed to license the music and lyrics, he never authorized Gravy to directly copy his voice. On January 26, 2023, Astley filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court, objecting to Gravy's use of an impersonator to mimic Astley's voice.[31] The case was settled in September 2023.[32] In October 2023, Billboard magazine ranked "Never Gonna Give You Up" number 244 in their list of "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time".[5] In 2023, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian listed the song at number two in his "Stock Aitken Waterman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!", describing it "a brilliantly written song".[33]
Rickrolling
"Never Gonna Give You Up" is the subject of an Internet meme known as "rickrolling" involving misleading links (commonly shortened URLs) redirecting to the song's music video.[34] Started by users on 4chan, the practice had by May 2007 achieved notoriety on the Internet. It increased in popularity after its use as a 2008 April Fools' Day joke by various media companies and websites—including YouTube, which rickrolled all of its featured videos on that day—allowing people to easily rickroll their friends' devices.[35] "I think it's just one of those odd things where something gets picked up and people run with it", Astley told the Los Angeles Times in late March 2008. "That's what's brilliant about the Internet."[36]
Astley appeared in the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, interrupting a song performed by those on a float promoting the Cartoon Network programme Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends with a lipsynched performance of "Never Gonna Give You Up". There were reports that despite the video garnering millions of hits on YouTube, Astley earned almost no money from the online phenomenon, receiving only $12 in royalties from YouTube for his performance share as of August 2010.[37] In 2016, Astley said he never bothered to figure out how much money he earned from YouTube and said that he had also been paid "a chunk of money" by Virgin to appear in a commercial and for his appearance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.[38]
Track listings
7" single
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (7" vocal mix) – 3:32
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (instrumental) – 3:30
12" maxi
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Cake mix) – 5:46
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (instrumental) – 6:19
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" – 3:32
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Escape to New York mix) – 7:01
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Escape from Newton mix) – 6:23
12" maxi
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Cake mix) – 5:48
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (instrumental) – 6:21
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" – 3:32
12" single
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Escape from Newton mix) – 6:30
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Escape to New York mix) – 7:00
On 29 July 2021, to celebrate 1 billion views on YouTube, Rick Astley released a limited and numbered 7" blue vinyl. Only 2,500 were signed and sold.[39][40]
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (7" vocal mix) – 3:32
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Pianoforte) – 3:30
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[41] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[88] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[89] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
France (SNEP)[90] | Silver | 250,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[91] | Gold | 500,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[92] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Netherlands (NVPI)[93] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Sweden (GLF)[94] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[96] Physical release |
Gold | 766,000[95] |
United Kingdom (BPI)[97] Digital release |
2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[98] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Cover versions
- In 1997, French boy band 2Be3 covered the song under the name "Toujours là pour toi", which peaked at No. 4 in France and No. 12 in Belgium (Wallonia).[99]
- A group of London dance producers called the Rickrollerz made a house music cover version of "Never Gonna Give You Up".[100] In May 2008, the track entered the UK Club Charts at no. 22.
- In 2022, American pop rock band Smash Mouth along with their new singer, Zach Goode covered the song, following the retirement of former lead singer, Steve Harwell.[101]
- In 2023, Astley said on This Morning that he re-recorded the song "with misheard lyrics" saying this intention was to "break the stigma" of hearing loss, which he is experiencing.[102]
See also
- List of best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1988
- List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1988
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1987
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1988 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance singles of 1988 (U.S.)
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
- List of number-one singles from the 1980s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one singles of 1988 (Canada)
- List of number-one hits of 1987 (Germany)
- List of number-one songs in Norway
- List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden
- List of number-one singles of 1987 (Spain)
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
- VG-lista 1964 to 1994
- Rickrolling
References
- ^ "Rick Astley". 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ Bonson, Fred (1992). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 693. ISBN 978-0823082988.
- ^ Pemberton, Pat (24 July 2013). "15 Songs You Can't Believe Are 25 Years Old". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ Wheeler, Brad (30 July 2013). "Spirit of radio in Toronto getting an indie twist". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. 19 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "The 10 Best Internet Memes of the Decade (2000-2009)". Paste. 1 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ a b "Biography". Mike Stock Music. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ Moore, Matthew (7 November 2008). "Rickrolling: Rick Astley named Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2018.(subscription required)
- ^ Brungardt, Leah (12 November 2019). "An Interview with 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Singer Rick Astley on His Iconic Hit Song, His Newest Album and Much More!". All Access Music. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- ^ Buskin, Richard (February 2009). "Rick Astley 'Never Gonna Give You Up'". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Jonze, Tim (28 March 2017). "'I crawled on my knees to Kylie' – the inside story of Stock, Aitken and Waterman". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 27: Never Gonna Give You Up on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Where Was Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up Was Filmed?". Londonist. 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "A billion rick-rolls: Rick Astley video tops 1 billion YouTube views". KIRO-TV. 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "'Never Gonna Give You Up' — the Rick-Roll Video — Gets 1 Billion Views". Gadgets 360. NDTV. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "Music & Media Year End Awards 1987" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 51. 26 December 1987. p. 30. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "The Hot 100 – The Week of March 12, 1988". Billboard. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ Beta, Andy (26 August 2015). "The Larry Levan Bump: How the Legendary Paradise Garage DJ Ignited Some of the '80s Biggest Hits". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ a b "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (A)". Rock.co.za. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart". Official Charts Company. 8 November 2023.
- ^ Dunn, Matt (16 January 2014). "15 unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman singles". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "The 50 best '80s songs". Time Out. 2 March 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ "Operation Just Cause: After Action Report". p. 210. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ Ruth, Daniel (31 August 2010). "Call It a Campaign, but It's More Like Torture". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Petridis, Alexis; Snapes, Laura (5 June 2020). "The 100 greatest UK No 1s: 100-1". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs". Classic Pop. August 2021. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Casselberry, Ian (29 September 2021). "Rick Astley responds to 'Ted Lasso' featuring 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up"". Awful Announcing. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ Hamilton, Giorgina (18 August 2022). "Rick Astley has recreated his 1987 'Never Gonna Give You Up' music video and it's perfect". Smooth Radio. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Kylene, Jazmin (10 June 2022). "Yung Gravy Drops the Most Infectious Rick Roll With "Betty (Get Money)"". Ones to Watch. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ Donahue, Bill (26 January 2023). "Rick Astley Sues Rapper Yung Gravy Over Hit Song With Soundalike Singer: 'Flagrantly Impersonated'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Haring, Bruce (27 September 2023). "Rick Astley Settles Suit Against Rapper Yung Gravy Over Voice Imitation – Update". Deadline. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (23 November 2023). "Stock Aitken Waterman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (27 March 2008). "Astley speaks on 'Rickrolling' web fad". Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ "Send funny stuff to your friends' phones!". ComedyCalls.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ "Web Scout: Spinning through online entertainment and connected culture". Los Angeles Times. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011.
- ^ Orlowski, Andrew (31 August 2010). "German judge chides Google over YouTube freeloading". The Register. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "[AMA] I'm really Rick Astley. I swear. And to celebrate my first album since 1993, I'm here to let you Ask Me Anything!". Reddit. 7 October 2016. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ Brungardt, Leah (29 July 2021). "Never Gonna Give You Up Blue 7-Inch Vinyl (Signed)". Rick Astley Official Online Store. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "To celebrate 1 Billion views for Never Gonna Give You Up I'm releasing a limited & numbered 7" blue vinyl of the song, 2500 of them and I'll be signing them all! Rick ♥️". YouTube. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ a b "This Week In... 1987". Australian Recording Industry Association. 13 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Lwin, Nanda (1999). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
- ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8884." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0950." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ a b Blackwell, Earl (1990). Earl Blackwell's Celebrity Register, 1990. Gale Research Inc. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-8103-6875-0.
- ^ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 47. 28 November 1987. p. 18-19. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 40. 10 October 1987. p. 6. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 50. 19 December 1987. p. 16. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Topp 10" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 23 October 1987. p. 43. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
- ^ "Rick Astley Chart History". RÚV. 29 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Never Gonna Give You Up". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Rick Astley".
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 41, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". VG-lista. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 51. 26 December 1987. p. 39. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Top Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 29 August 1987. p. 26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Rick Astley Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b "Rick Astley – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MARCH 19, 1988". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Rick Astley Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Kimberley, Chris (2000). Zimbabwe : Zimbabwe Singles Chart Book. Harare.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Australian Music Report. 28 December 1987. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2019 – via Imgur.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "Top Sellers 1987" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 11. 12 March 1988. p. 25. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2023 – via American Radio History.
- ^ "Top Sellers 1987" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 11. 12 March 1988. p. 25. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2021 – via American Radio History.
- ^ "European Charts of the Year 1987 > Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 51/52. 26 December 1987. p. 34. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via World Music History.
- ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts: 1987". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1987" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ Lane, Dan (18 November 2012). "The biggest selling singles of every year revealed! (1952-2011)". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1988". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1988". Rock.co.za. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "Top Adult Contemporary Singles of 1988". Billboard. 31 December 1988. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits for 1988". The Longbored Surfer. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1988". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012.
- ^ Myers, Justin (14 February 2020). "The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". Music Canada.
- ^ "Danish single certifications – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
- ^ "French single certifications – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up" (in French). InfoDisc. Select RICK ASTLEY and click OK.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Rick Astley; 'Never Gonna Give You Up')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 29 November 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Never Gonna Give You Up" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^ "Dutch single certifications – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Never Gonna Give You Up in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1987 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
- ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
- ^ Copsey, Rob (23 April 2021). "The Official Top 40 best-selling songs of 1987". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "British single certifications – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "lescharts.com – 2 Be 3 – Toujours là pour toi" (in French). Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ McAlpine, Fraser (14 April 2008). "Please, Give Me Up, GIVE ME UP!". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
- ^ Will Richards (5 March 2022). "Smash Mouth reveal new singer via Rick Astley cover". NME.com. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Singer Rick Astley reveals hearing loss". Lincoln Journal Star. 27 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.