Rick Astley has finally embraced ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ after 15 years of not singing it

'Never Gonna Give You Up' is one of the most iconic songs of all time.

Rick Astley's legendary 1987 track etched itself into the history books after becoming part of the Rickrolling meme.

It was popular in its own right when it was released but it took on a whole new meaning when the internet rolled round.

Despite this success, he hasn't sung it live in a very long time.

However, he's revealed to the BBC that he's finally coming round to it.

"I had 15 years of not singing it," he told BBC North West Tonight.

"I can understand some artists would be freaked out about [the success of] it and run a mile, but I've learned to quietly embrace it.

"I have reconnected with it in a kind of way."

The track has reached more than 1.4 billion views on YouTube, which would mostly be down to people hyperlinking it all the time from different things.

'Never Gonna Give You Up' was the debut single from his album back in the 1980s and he wasn't able to see the same success in the rest of his career.

While there would be musicians who would be upset with this trajectory, Rick says it has given him so much.

"Without my old songs and without the Rickrolling thing with its own little universe, I wouldn't have got the invite to Glastonbury," he said.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

"It was really, really special [and] I defy anybody to be on the Pyramid stage and not feel the enormity of it.

"Twelve o'clock on a Saturday [afternoon] could have been a nightmare, because people are still rolling out of their tents, but we got a great audience, some fantastic weather and we really got into it."

Astley took to the stage at Worthy Farm earlier this year and fans certainly showed up to see the legendary singer bust out his best tracks.

He knows that by embracing 'Never Gonna Give You Up', he feels he can introduce people to the rest of his catalogue.

"I do get to sneak in a new song every now and again when no-one's looking, but without the back story, I wouldn't be there," he said.

Here's hoping he continues to sing it for the rest of his days.

Topics: Music

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie