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
Dance
Rick Astley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been waiting for the longest time (ooh oop oop)
I've been thinking I would turn to stone (ooh oop oop)
Like a stature carved in Rome (ooh oop oop)
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you
A dance to dance with you
To dance with you (oop oop) ooh
The rain's beating down on me
I feel like I'm getting cold feet
Don't know x swim
Got my collar up to the wind
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (oop oop)
A chance to dance with you
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you, ooh
Let's dance to the heart beat
Let's dance till my feet bleed
Let's dance to the heart beat
Over and over
Let's dance to the heart beat
Let's dance to the same song on repeat
The same song on repeat
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
(Just waiting) (waiting for my chance to dance with you)
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
(For my chance) a chance to dance with you
(A chance to dance with you)
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
(Waiting for my chance)
(Waiting for my chance to dance with you)
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
A chance to dance with you
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
(Waiting for my chance) (you keep me waiting)
(Just waiting for my chance)
(Waiting for my chance to dance with you)
The lyrics to Rick Astley's song "Dance" express the anticipation of waiting for a chance to dance with someone. The singer has been waiting patiently day and night for this person, and begins to feel like a statue carved in Rome as time passes. Despite feeling nervous and uncertain, the singer is determined to dance with this person - even if it means dancing until their feet bleed or listening to the same song on repeat.
The rain symbolism in the song suggests that the wait has been lengthy and discomforting, as the rain begins to fall on the singer and they feel their feet getting cold. The repeated refrain "I'm just waiting for my chance to dance with you" emphasizes the singer's persistence and dedication to their desire to dance with this person.
Overall, the lyrics in "Dance" convey a sense of yearning and determination, highlighting the importance of being patient and persistent in pursuing what one wants.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting for you day and night (ooh oop oop)
I have been eagerly waiting for you all the time.
I've been waiting for the longest time (ooh oop oop)
I have been waiting for an extended period to get a chance to dance with you.
I've been thinking I would turn to stone (ooh oop oop)
I feel like I'm frozen in time, and my life is becoming stagnant while waiting for you.
Like a stature carved in Rome (ooh oop oop)
My life is becoming like a statue, blank and lifeless, just like the stone-carved statues in ancient Rome.
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you
A dance to dance with you
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (oop oop) ooh
I am desperately waiting for my chance to get close to you, dance with you, and express my feelings. This is all I want and need right now.
The rain's beating down on me
I feel like I'm getting cold feet
Don't know x swim
Got my collar up to the wind
I am feeling nervous and uneasy, and it seems like everything around me is going wrong. I am shivering in the rain, and my anxiety is getting the better of me.
Let's dance to the heart beat
Let's dance till my feet bleed
Let's dance to the heart beat
Over and over
Let's forget about the world and dance together. Let our hearts beat as one, let us dance until our feet hurt, and let's do it over and over again.
Let's dance to the heart beat
Let's dance to the same song on repeat
The same song on repeat
Let's dance to the rhythm of our hearts and let that one song play in our ears continuously.
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (oop oop)
A chance to dance with you
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you, ooh
I cannot wait for my opportunity to ask you to dance and have that beautiful moment with you. Dancing with you is all I want.
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
(Just waiting) (waiting for my chance to dance with you)
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
(For my chance) a chance to dance with you
(A chance to dance with you)
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
I know I'm being patient, but it is hard to wait for my chance to dance with you. I'm fully committed to waiting, though because nothing is more important to me than dancing with you.
(Waiting for my chance)
(Waiting for my chance to dance with you)
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
A chance to dance with you
I'm just waiting for my chance
To dance with you (you keep me waiting)
(Waiting for my chance) (you keep me waiting)
(Just waiting for my chance)
I keep repeating it to myself that I am waiting for the chance to dance with you, and nothing else matters. Even though it might be taking too long, I won't give up on my dream and you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Rick Astley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BakerbrothertvOfficial
Can we make Rick Astley famous again?
@forbsie1888
Again? Legends never lose their fame...
@Suedeash
50 was #1 in the charts (in the UK, at least) for a bit this summer and Rick's been touring the world again. The dude's definitely doing great for himself right now lmao
@mathieubordeleau5554
The 2 songs on his album "50" have made it to the top of the charts, let's hope his album does well when it's released on October 7
@TheAlphaBette
Yes, we can!!!
@TheAlphaBette
Angels on our side, ya seen em?
Have ya seen em?
@leroyglass2621
Rick kept his promise:
He's never gonna give us up, or let us down.
@kkid2747
And desert you
@sailorskj9002
He will never make you cry
@sailorskj9002
He will tell a lie