Gotta Make You Understand, Rich Paschall

Never gonna give you up 
Never gonna let you down 
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

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

The 80s dance sensation was the first single released from Rick Astley’s 1987 début album. It rose to number 1 in 25 countries and was, by all measures available, a worldwide hit. It was played so often for so long that people started to get sick of it. This sometimes happens with a mega-hit.

Never gonna give you up

The pounding beat was actually mesmerizing.  The lyric was catchy, as they say. The dancing in Astley’s video was just fun.

The dance video premiered when MTV was still big into playing music videos and this one caught almost everyone’s attention.  With his good looks and deep voice, Astley became a star.  He was categorized not just as a pop singer, but also labeled “blue-eyed soul.”  Many singers with this label were not actually “soul” singers, but have been dubbed so due to their vocal quality.

One of the top cover songs of 2018 is said to be that of Never Gonna Give You Up by Bronze Avery (Gabriel Brown).  The pop singer has slowed down the song and removed the driving beat. The vocal is now a sensuous and soulful take on the original.  It certainly will never achieve the overwhelming success of Astley’s hit, but it can stand on its own merits.

In case you wonder if Astley still has fans, his official music video was posted on his channel in 2009 and now has over a half-billion views there.  The lyrics are still well-known, as the ever-young Astley proves when these festival fans sing-along at a more recent appearance.

Source: “The Best Cover Songs of 2018,” covermesongs.com, December 17, 2018

Categories: Entertainment, Music, Rich Paschall

Tags: MTV, music video, Rick Astley