You've Been RickRolled!
How Rick Astley Became a Household Name with the Internet Generation
Capitalising on the interactive and interconnected nature of the internet, the way Rickrolling works is simple: perhaps a friend sent a link with a promise of some exciting online content, for instance “Angelina Jolie’s explosive sex tape!” or something along those lines. Curiosity is irresistibly aroused, and the link is clicked.
If what pops up on the screen is not Angelina, but instead Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”, it's yet another classic case of the Rickroll!
Origins: 4chan and the Duckroll
The song, which is Astley’s debut single, was originally released in 1987, hitting the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 and various international charts. The music video features a red-headed, fresh-faced Astley singing with a surprisingly baritone voice and awkwardly dancing along to the song dressed in typically 80's-style high-waisted pants.
The term Rickrolling is said to have originated from an imageboard or joke website 4chan, with the earlier variant known as Duckrolling. The concept was similar; it was an internet meme which claimed to be some interesting weblink but instead led to an edited picture of a duck on wheels.
The first instance of Rickroll occurred on 4chan’s video game board, where a link to Astley’s video masqueraded as a link to the first trailer of Grand Theft Auto IV, as the latter was unavailable due to heavy traffic.
Protests Against Scientology
Since then, the Rickroll has spread like wildfire out of 4chan and onto mainstream internet, with surveys in April 2008 estimating that approximately 18 million American adults have been pranked. It has even spilled over onto the offline world, with the song being used as part of the February 2008 Project Chanology protests against the Church of Scientology.
Organised without official leaders or hierarchy, Project Chanology consists of a diverse group of hackers. Its modus operandi includes Denial of Service attacks against Scientologist websites, YouTube videos, and live protests at Scientologist centres worldwide. At recent protests in New York, Washington, London and Seattle, masked protesters blasted the song through boomboxes and chanted the lyrics "Never gonna let you down!" in a live Rickrolling of the Church of Scientology.
Rick Astley: MTV's 'Best Act Ever'
The joke is still going on today, giving unexpected resurgence to a song that is two decades old, and by extension, Astley’s popularity.
In November 2008, Astley was nominated for “Best Act Ever” at the MTV Europe Music Awards, after the online nomination form was flooded by fans new and old. However, just hours before the ceremony was due to air, rumours surfaced that MTV Europe were reluctant to present Astley with the award at the ceremony. Fans were also upset that the award seemed to be treated as a joke and failed to acknowledge Astley as a legitimate artist.
For his part, Astley seems to see the humour of it all, saying that he thought “MTV were totally Rickrolled”, and thanked everyone who voted for him.
In characteristic down-to-earth manner, he remained modest about his new cultural role in an interview with LA Times. “If this had happened around some kind of rock song, with a lyric that really meant something – a Bruce Springsteen, "God Bless America" ... or an anti-something kind of song, I could kind of understand that.”
“But for something as, and I don’t mean to belittle it, because I still think it’s a great pop song, but it doesn’t have any kind of weight behind it, as such. But maybe that’s the irony of it.”
Chanology protests against Scientology
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