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
Shivers
Rick Astley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a believer and you know I can deceive ya
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Do you think I'm lying or overtrying
It's electrifying, this is so terrifying
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
But I won't let you go
Said I won't let you go, no
Oh no, no, no, no
Every time you touch me I get shivers
I'm gonna run them to the edge of the river
Singing na, na-na-na-na, na
Na, na-na-na-na, na
And every time you kiss me I feel the fire
I feel my temper's rising higher and higher
Singing na, na-na-na-na, na
Na, na-na-na-na, na
You give me shivers
You give me shivers
You give the shivers
You give me shivers
My body's freezing, I'm barely breathing
I'm going under and I feel my heart is seizing
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
But I won't let you go
Said I won't let you go, no
Oh no, no, no, no
Every time you touch me I get shivers
I'm gonna run them to the edge of the river
Singing na, na-na-na-na, na
Na, na-na-na-na, na
And every time you kiss me I feel the fire
I feel my temper's rising higher and higher
Singing na, na-na-na-na, na
Na, na-na-na-na, na
You give me shivers
You give me shivers
You give the shivers
You give me shivers
Electric buzzing on your fingertips
I can feel the static on your lips
Tell me can you feel it, feel it, feel it
Tell me can you feel it
Electric buzzing on your fingertips
Tell me can you feel it, feel it, feel it
You give me shivers (Tell me can you feel it)
You give me shivers (Tell me can you feel it)
You give the shivers (Tell me can you feel it)
You give me shivers (Tell me can you feel it)
And every time you kiss me I feel the fire
I feel my temper's rising higher and higher
Singing na, na-na-na-na, na
I'm singing, na, na-na-na-na, na
You give me shivers
You give me shivers
You give the shivers
You give me shivers
In his song "Shivers," Rick Astley describes the intense physical sensations that he feels when he is with someone he loves. The chorus makes it clear that Rick's lover gives him "shivers" every time they touch or kiss. The verses of the song describe the powerful, almost overwhelming excitement and fear that this person makes him feel. The lyrics include phrases like "I'm a believer and you know I can deceive ya," which suggest that Rick's feelings are not entirely rational and that he recognizes this fact.
Throughout the song, Rick asserts that he won't let this person go, even though he knows that being with them is scary and makes him feel vulnerable. The song's bridge includes a reference to the physical sensations of being with this person - "Electric buzzing on your fingertips, I can feel the static on your lips" - emphasizing the idea of intense physical connection.
Overall, "Shivers" is a song about the power of love to make us feel both incredible joy and intense fear. Rick's lyrics express a sense of urgency and desperation, while the chorus's repetition of the phrase "You give me shivers" drives home the idea that this person is central to his emotional and physical life.
Line by Line Meaning
I got the fever, I'm a believer
I have intense feelings and I believe that something is true.
I'm a believer and you know I can deceive ya
I am completely convinced and can trick you into believing something that may not be completely true.
But I won't let you go
I am determined to hold on to you.
Every time you touch me I get shivers
Your touch makes me feel intense emotions that are both physically and emotionally visible.
I'm gonna run them to the edge of the river
I'm so overwhelmed by my emotions, I'll go to any lengths, even to the edge of the river, to experience them.
And every time you kiss me I feel the fire
Every time we kiss, I feel a strong passion and desire for you.
I feel my temper's rising higher and higher
My emotions are intensifying to the point of making me feel irritable and angry.
You give me shivers
You invoke emotions within me that are so powerful, they result in visible physical reactions like shivers.
My body's freezing, I'm barely breathing
The intensity of my emotions has left me feeling paralyzed and barely able to breathe.
But I won't let you go
Despite feeling overwhelmed, I am determined to hold on to you.
Electric buzzing on your fingertips
Your touch creates a sensation that feels like an electric buzz on my fingertips.
I can feel the static on your lips
I can sense the crackle of energy on your lips when we kiss.
And every time you kiss me I feel the fire
Every time we kiss, I feel a strong passion and desire for you.
I'm singing, na, na-na-na-na, na
I'm expressing my feelings in a joyful and celebratory manner by singing.
You give me shivers
You invoke emotions within me that are so powerful, they result in visible physical reactions like shivers.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Rick Astley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hab Som
Still love his old songs but all this new material is really pressing all my buttons, they're diverse and well thought out and hit home. I'm hooked.
Happymonday
I can't believe he's still making songs, love you Rick, never give us up
English Motherfucker
he's never gonna give us up
TheFirstTheAnomally
2018 and still making music for everyone to LOVE. Been listening to him forever...and will be listening to him for ETERNITY. Three songs in and it is musical magic.
Györgyi Barna
Same here.
Chloe
He'll never give us up
Nicky likes Ricky
Keep on singing and writing songs. Rick you are amazing!:-D
Uilmara Machado de Melo
Your songs give us the shivers! You always surprising us! /// Suas músicas nos dão arrepios! Você sempre nos surpreendendo! (BRASIL).
Jan Franz Pascual
This song gives me chills
tjvalerio
My favorite song on the new album!