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
You Move Me
Rick Astley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I push a pen until half past ten
I watch the clock there on the wall
Tic toc, why don't you call
The boss comes in and walks down the aisles
He turns around but he never smiles
He watches me just like a hawk
And then he says we must talk
You move me, from side to side
You move me and it feels so right
You move me up and down
You move me around and around
Son, he says (what) I've got bad news
Life is hard and you got the blues
I know you're good I know you work hard
I'm sorry, son, here are your cards
I went home and kicked off my shoes
And asked myself why do I always lose
But then you rang and everything was fine
I'm so glad that you are mine
You move me, from side to side
You move me and it feels so right
You move me up and down
You move me around and around
You're the one thing in my life
That makes me feel so good inside
Will you hold me tight tonight
Oh, girl I wish you would decide
You move me, from side to side
You move me and it feels so right
You move me up and down
You move me around and around
You move me, from side to side
You move me and it feels so right
You move me up and down
You move me around and around
In Rick Astley's song "You Move Me," the singer describes his mundane job working in an office. He expresses his frustration and boredom at his work life as he pushes a pen before the clock and waits for his lover to call him. He hates his boss's critical eye, feeling as if he's always being monitored like a hawk. One day, his boss calls him into the office with the terrible news that he's being let go from his job. He goes home, feeling defeated and kicking off his shoes - this is when he receives a call from his lover, making everything better. In the end, he acknowledges that she's the only thing in his life that makes him feel good inside.
The lyrics of "You Move Me" express the singer's feelings of being trapped in a loveless job, and he sees his lover as the only bright spot in his life. The clock, his boss's disapproval, and the tough news about his job contrast with the singer's feelings of love and comfort with his partner. It's clear the singer longs for more excitement and passion than his office job can offer him. In contrast, his partner brings him the joy he craves.
Line by Line Meaning
I go to work in my clean shirt
I begin the day wearing a freshly laundered shirt, ready for a day at work.
I push a pen until half past ten
I write and work diligently until 10:30 in the morning.
I watch the clock there on the wall
I frequently look at the clock placed on the office wall to monitor the time.
Tic toc, why don't you call
As time passes by, I wonder why you haven't contacted me yet.
The boss comes in and walks down the aisles
My supervisor enters and circuits the workspace.
He turns around but he never smiles
He glances back, but he never shows any expression of joy.
He watches me just like a hawk
He stares at me intently, like an eagle keeping watch.
And then he says we must talk
He then notifies me that we need to have a conversation.
You move me, from side to side
You emotionally and physically influence me, causing me to sway.
You move me and it feels so right
Your actions and feelings towards me make me feel happy and confident.
You move me up and down
Your presence and effect on me impacts me with varying high and low emotions.
You move me around and around
Your influence on me causes me to feel disoriented at times.
Son, he says (what) I've got bad news
The boss then calls me "son" and expresses that he has negative news to tell me.
Life is hard and you got the blues
My boss tells me that life is tough, and I am feeling low.
I know you're good I know you work hard
My boss acknowledges my diligence and effort at work.
I'm sorry, son, here are your cards
My boss provides me a notice, stating that my employment at the workplace has ended.
I went home and kicked off my shoes
I returned home and removed my shoes.
And asked myself why do I always lose
I contemplate why I seem to fall short or experience defeat frequently.
But then you rang and everything was fine
However, after you called me, everything seemed to be okay.
I'm so glad that you are mine
I am happy and content, knowing that you are in my life.
You're the one thing in my life
You are a critical aspect of my life.
That makes me feel so good inside
You make me feel good on an emotional level.
Will you hold me tight tonight
I request that you hold me tightly throughout the night.
Oh, girl I wish you would decide
Oh, girl, I hope that you make a decision soon.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RICK ASTLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Héctor L. Del Valle
I go to work in my clean shirt
I push a pen until half past ten
I watch the clock there on the wall
Tic toc, why don't you call
The boss comes in and walks down the aisles
He turns around but he never smiles
He watches me just like a hawk
And then he says we must talk
You move me, from side to side
You move me and it feels so right
You move me up and down
You move me around and around
Son, he says (what) I've got bad news
Life is hard and you got the blues
I know you're good I know you work hard
I'm sorry, son, here are your cards
I went home and kicked off my shoes
And asked myself why do I always lose
But then you rang and everything was fine
I'm so glad that you are mine
You move me, from side to side
You move me and it feels so right
You move me up and down
You move me around and around
You're the one thing in my life
That makes me feel so good inside
Will you hold me tight tonight
Oh, girl I wish you would decide
You move me, from side to side
You move me and it feels so right
You move me up and down
You move me around and around
You move me, from side to side
You move me and it feels so right
You move me up and down
You move me around and around
Samari
This song is a classic. Shame not many people know it.
Low Res
I have this album on vinyl, I love every song in it. My girlfriend hates when I put it on and shes threatened to destroy it numerous times. She thinks i got the record just because of Never Gonna Give You Up, but i actually prefer literally any other song in this album because of how much Ive heard Never Gonna give You Up. (Don't Say Goodbye is my favorite)
greatbin
to true
tinkler4
Definitely, Don’t Say Goodbye, is one of the best album tracks. Should of been released as a single.
LISA CASSAR
mine also
Hellraiser The Divine
Break up. Do it son
Alexander The Great
It's crazy how when you get older, you notice a lot more technical instrumentation in a track. This track and some of Rick Astley's other non-single songs on this album really have a lot of background keyboards/synths going on.
These days, as I love Electronic music, I am en-tuned with the background instrumentation much more than I used to be.
This track is definitely a standout from his 1987 album 'Whenever You Need Somebody'.
romiespi
One of my all time favourites. I always listen this one on my way to work :D
arson48
lol
Rockerfella03
Walking by RickRoll