Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up With a polite smile of a good boy and an impeccable "blue eyed soul" voice, Rick Astley was one of the thoroughbreds of that (yet another) British Invasion of the late '80s, with Duran and Spandau in slight but constant decline and a need for new names at the top of the charts.
A talent as a child prodigy with all the right cards to break through, with his first album, Rick - the back cover notes literally state - "he achieved what most people can only dream of."
A parade of killer singles one after another (but two above all: 'Never Gonna Give You Up' and 'Together Forever'), topping charts all over Europe, enthusiastic reviews: we found the Tom Jones, if not the Sinatra (yes indeed: they were aiming high) of the '80s.
The singer of the future.
But the future didn't exactly unfold that way.
The '80s are the '80s, and you don't come out alive. And it's hard to replicate such massive success.
Moreover, Rick, the boy from Northern England (specifically, from a town famous for a locomotive factory), doesn't want to play the part of a disposable pop star.
Like his colleague Nick Kamen, he makes an album - "Free," eloquent from its title - in which he distances himself from the frivolous disco of his early days in search of a more authentic and truly soulful style. Elton John and his idol Michael McDonald participate, but sales are lower. Slightly, at least for the moment.
However, the subsequent commercial flop of '93 heralds a very long absence from the scene. Rick Astley remains relegated to the '80s, the phenomenon of that era and nothing more. They don't call him anymore, and when they do, it's only for revival TV shows.
Yet he has many fans in the music business. Even surprising ones. One is Dave Grohl, who wants him on stage with the Foo Fighters. It's the beginning of a resurgence.
And thanks to his entry into a meme, the video for 'Never Gonna Give You Up' becomes viral even among millennials. It is still speeding towards a billion views, a milestone only within reach of today's pop stars.
Is Rick Astley back? After all, he never really left.
