Rick Astley’s hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up” is undoubtedly a banger. That doesn’t mean you ever want to hear it again. But when you do, it’s impossible not to sing along. And do some of the dances too. That’s what AAA auto insurance is counting on with their commercial recreating the music video almost shot for shot. Astley’s is even dressed the same. Yes, the joutfit returns! So if you’re nostalgic for the music of 1987, or the memes of 2007, enjoy.
35 years after the original came out, the commercial hit up some of the very random locations we seemed to get in all 80s music videos. But instead of a ballroom, this time there’s AAA offices. The bar has been swapped out for a water cooler. There’s a checklist of all the things the auto insurance carrier won’t do, including “give you up,” of course. Though they don’t promise not to make you cry, tell a lie, and hurt you. Which seems a bit ominous.
Thankfully YouTuber hungrychad made a shot by shot comparison of the commercial and the original music video. It doesn’t include the song, so if you want your dose of nostalgia without getting it in your head for the next week, the video below is the way to go.
We got the song in our heads thanks to Boing Boing. If you want even more, there’s a delightful LEGO version too. The music video has over a billion views. But how many of those were only a few seconds and then someone cursing because they fell for it? Somehow, the Rickroll has remained relevant, or at least present. In 2020, a service offered to Rickroll Zoom meetings.
If you need a song chaser, enjoy Rick Astley and the Foo Fighters covering each other’s music.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.