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Featured era: 2007
Rickroll
“Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down.”
- Featured era
- 2007
- Peak era
- 2008
- Company
- Rick Astley
- Category
- Viral Videos
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On Video
Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Plays from YouTube when you press play. Views, length and date from YouTube, October 2026.
About This Video
- From:
- Rick Astley
- Added:
- October 24, 2009
- Length:
- 3:33
More Videos4 videos
What Was It?
Rickrolling is the bait and switch of the internet: a link that promises something interesting and delivers the music video for Rick Astley's 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" instead.
The prank grew out of a similar 4chan joke called duckrolling and began in May 2007. It peaked in 2008, when it spread to newspapers, sporting events and an April Fools' Day prank by YouTube itself, and it never really went away.
The meme revived Astley's career, and the video has become one of the most watched music videos on YouTube. Few internet jokes have lasted anywhere near as long.
Things You Probably Forgot
- Clicking a link you were sure was safe
- The trench coat and the dance
- YouTube rickrolling everyone on April Fools' Day 2008
- Rickrolls hidden in QR codes and fake news links
The Story
- 1987 Rick Astley released "Never Gonna Give You Up".
- 2007 Rickrolling began on 4chan in May.
- 2008 The prank reached its peak, including YouTube's own April Fools' joke.
Its Legacy
Rickrolling never ended. It is one of the longest-lived memes on the internet and the reason a 1987 music video still gains new viewers every day.
Memories
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