THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

627-Rick Astley-Never Gonna Give You Up.

1987-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 2.16. The jewel in the Stock, Aitken, and Waterman crown.

‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ was the best selling single in the UK in 1987, spending five weeks at Number 1, and has recently surpassed the one million sales mark in the UK. The song also topped the chart on Billboard in 1988, and has also been Number 1 in 23 other countries around the world.

‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ was co-written, and co-produced by Mike Scott, Matt Aitken, and Peter Waterman. Stock has admitted that the bassline from the song ‘Trapped’ by Colonel Abrams was a big influence on this track (see also best songs 935.) From the mid 1980’s, through until the early 1990’s ‘SAW’ scored over 100 top 40 singles in the UK, including 13 Number 1 songs. They sold in excess of 40 million records, and earnings are an estimated £60 million. There are 96 different acts listed for whom ‘SAW’ have either written of produced for, including Donna Summer, Cliff Richard, and Kylie Minogue. Their first UK Number 1 was with the song ‘You Spin Me Round (Like a Record’,) with Dead or Alive, in 1985, and the last one was ‘Tears on My Pillow’ in 1990, with Kylie Minogue.

Richard Paul Astley was born on February 6th, 1966, in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England. Astley began his music career performing with a Soul band by the name of ‘FBI,’ this was where he was noticed by Pete Waterman, who persuaded him to go to London, and be schooled for a career with ‘SAW.’ In total between 1987-2018, Astley has recorded eight studio Albums, and has had nine UK top 40 hits on the singles chart. On Billboard he has made the top 40 on seven occasions, and twice reached Number 1, his other chart topper being ‘Together Forever,’ in 1988. In 1994 Astley retired from the music business,to concentrate on bringing up his family, but he returned in 2000, and is still active now, recording and touring.

‘We’re no strangers to love, you know the rules and so do I. A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of, you wouldn’t get this from any other guy.’