In 1985, Astley was playing the club circuit as a singer with a soul band named FBI, when he was seen by the record producer Pete Waterman and persuaded to come to London to work at the PWL recording studio. Under the tutelage of production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, Astley was taught about the recording process and groomed for his future career, supposedly starting off as the recording studio 'tea boy'. During much of his career prior to the proliferation of music videos, many listeners assumed he was black. In one instance, the comedic entertainer, Sinbad, discussed him with a talk-show host, expressing his surprise that Astley was not "one of the brothers." Even after his visual appearance, it was still popular belief that he was miming for a black American singer. His brother Mark Astley helped to refute this assertion.
His first single was the little-known "When You Gonna" credited to Rick & Lisa, but his first solo outing was "Never Gonna Give You Up," released in 1987. It became an immediate success, spending five weeks at the top of the British charts and becoming the year's highest-selling single. It was the first of no fewer than 13 (world-wide) Top 30 hit singles for him.
The album Whenever You Need Somebody also reached Number One in the UK, and the hit singles continued, including the title track and a cover of Nat King Cole's "When I Fall In Love."
On 12 March 1988, "Never Gonna Give You Up" had also topped the U.S. singles chart and was followed by a second U.S. #1 on 18 June with his second U.S. single release "Together Forever."
By the end of the decade, Astley had parted company with Stock Aitken Waterman. He achieved one more major success with the 1991 ballad "Cry For Help," which reached the Top 10 in both the UK and the U.S. It featured a gospel choir arranged by Andraé Crouch, who'd also been involved with Madonna's 1989 hit "Like A Prayer."
His next album Body & Soul was released in 1993. The album did not chart in the U.K. and managed to make The Billboard 200 peaking at a lowly #182. The two singles, The Ones You Love and Hopelessly performed very well on the adult contemporary chart, peaking at #19 and #4 respectively. Hopelessly also crossed over and peaked at #31 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. For much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Astley remained largely out of the spotlight.
In 1991 the RIAA certified that two million copies of Whenever You Need Somebody had been sold. Total world sales of Astley's records (inclusive of singles, albums and compilation inclusions) have reached 40 million.
Almost 10 years after "Body & Soul", Rick finally returned to the music world and released "Keep It Turned On" in 2002. The album featured the single "Sleeping", which became a minor club hit, thanks to a set of remixes from U.S. house producer Todd Terry.
In 2005 Astley released the album Portrait in which he covered many classic soul standards such as "Vincent", "Nature Boy" and "Close To You".
In early 2006, Astley withdrew unexpectedly at the eleventh hour from appearing on the BBC TV celebrity/pro duets show Just the Two of Us after committing to the series. This led to criticism from those in the entertainment industry and media. His place was filled by opera singer Russell Watson, who eventually won the competition. The BBC failed to explain that Astley's withdrawal was due to his partner Lene Bausager being nominated for the 2006 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for her produced/directed film "Cashback". Astley would have missed a crucial part of the show by attending the awards ceremony and so withdrew before the show started its run.
Based on various music charts in the UK, U.S. and Canada, Astley has charted a grand total of 14 (different) hit singles and 6 (different) hit albums as of March 2006.
During the later part of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, the song "Never Gonna Give You Up" became part of an internet meme similar to the "Duckrolling" of the 4chan game forums. A link would be submitted to the forum, in the first instances to a supposed trailer of a new game, and would redirect the user to the video. This process fondly became known as a "Rickroll", and the usage of which has developed exponentially since. As a result of the increased publicity Rick Astley's former record company (RCA) released a greatest hits album.
In 2008, he won the Best Act Ever prize at MTV EMA's. In the same year he Rick rolled America on National TV in Macy's Thanksgiving Parade..thanks to Cartoon Network
Body And Soul
Rick Astley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you ever feel like you are going under fast
Do you ever feel that you are wasted
And you need a little confidence to pull you through
Do you ever feel like you are losing
Does it ever feel like you are fighting against the tide
Do you ever feel like you are helpless
[Chorus]
You know that I'm always with you
You know that I'm by your side
You know that I'm always with you
In body and soul, body and soul
Do you ever feel like you are running
Do you ever feel like you are hiding from the truth
Do you ever feel that you have wasted all the precious time
That you've been given all of our life
[Chorus]
You may get so sad and weary
But you're never going under,
Do you ever sit and wonder why i
Always there for you 'cos I won't let them drag
No I won't let them drag you down
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Rick Astley's "Body and Soul" present a message of comfort to someone who is going through a tough phase in life. The song is addressing someone who is struggling with feelings of fear, uncertainty, hopelessness, and insecurity. The opening lines "Do you ever feel like you are drowning / Do you ever feel like you are going under fast" paints a vivid picture of someone who is struggling to stay afloat, and the verse goes on to ask other questions like "Do you ever feel like you are losing" and "Do you ever feel like you are fighting against the tide." The lyrics of the song show that life can be tough, and sometimes it feels like there is no one to turn to.
The chorus of the song is where the main message of hope is conveyed. Astley sings "You know that I'm always with you / In body and soul, body and soul." The words "body and soul" suggests that the singer is not just offering physical companionship but emotional support as well. The chorus is repeated several times to emphasize that the person is not alone in whatever they are going through. The song ends on a hopeful note, with reassuring lines "But you're never going under / No, I won't let them drag you down."
Overall, the lyrics of "Body and Soul" are about being there for someone through thick and thin, and offering support to someone who is struggling.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you ever feel like you are drowning
Have you ever felt like you were overwhelmed and struggling to stay afloat?
Do you ever feel like you are going under fast
Have you ever felt like you were sinking quickly and didn't know how to stop it?
Do you ever feel that you are wasted
Have you ever felt like you were not living up to your full potential and that your efforts were being wasted?
And you need a little confidence to pull you through
And do you feel like you could use some extra assurance and self-assurance to keep going?
Do you ever feel like you are losing
Do you ever feel like you are falling behind or losing in a given situation?
Does it ever feel like you are fighting against the tide
Does it seem like you are putting up a strong fight but still not making any progress?
Do you ever feel like you are helpless
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you could not help yourself, and needed someone else's help?
And you need somebody who can show you the way
And you need someone who can guide you and point you in the right direction.
You know that I'm always with you
You can trust that I will never leave you alone,
You know that I'm by your side
I will always be there to support you,
In body and soul, body and soul
in both my physical presence and my emotional support.
Do you ever feel like you are running
Do you ever feel like you are trying to escape or flee from something?
Do you ever feel like you are hiding from the truth
Have you ever felt like you were not willing to confront the reality of a situation?
Do you ever feel that you have wasted all the precious time
Do you ever feel like you have squandered all the valuable time you have been given?
That you've been given all of our life
The time that we have been given to make the most of our life.
You may get so sad and weary
You may feel so worn out and exhausted,
But you're never going under,
But you will never be defeated,
Do you ever sit and wonder why i
Have you ever stopped to think about why I am always with you?
Always there for you 'cos I won't let them drag
I am always there for you because I will not let anyone bring you down,
No I won't let them drag you down
I will not let anyone pull you down or discourage you from reaching your goals.
You know that I'm always with you
You can trust that I will never leave you alone.
You know that I'm by your side
I will always be there to support you.
You know that I'm always with you
You can trust that I will never leave you alone.
In body and soul, body and soul
In both my physical presence and my emotional support.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RICK ASTLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind