Never Gonna Give You Up
"Never Gonna Give You Up" is a dance-pop song originally performed by Rick Astley, released in 1987. It has become the center of an Internet meme called a Rickroll, originally a prank in which the victim is fooled into following a link to Astley's music video for the song. Jonathan Coulton has expanded on this joke by occasionally performing portions of the song at unexpected moments.
History
- At the April 26, 2008, show in Seattle, JoCo gave his usual introduction to Baby Got Back, then performed a surprise cover of the song, accompanied by Paul and Storm on vocals and Molly on ukulele and vocals. They played the first verse and chorus before switching back into Baby Got Back.
- He then performed it (after considerable build up) before the eagerly-awaited First of May performance at the first of May, 2008, show in Minneapolis (video). Jonathan has also performed a similar lead-in to First of May during other shows.
- A clip from the original Rick Astley version has also made an appearance during several Zendrum solos in Mr. Fancy Pants, starting with the May 2, 2008 show in Madison.
Live Performance
"Never Gonna Give You Up" can show up at any time. You have been warned.
Availability
"Never Gonna Give You Up" has not as of yet been recorded. However, there are YouTube videos of the live Rickrolls here and here and of the Zendrum inclusion here.