Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Reaches 1 Billion Streams on Spotify

Published: June 3, 2025

Rick Astley is celebrating a major milestone - his iconic song "Never Gonna Give You Up" has reached 1 billion streams on Spotify! The 1987 hit gained newfound popularity in the 2000s thanks to the Rick-Rolling meme, where people would share links that led to the song's music video.

"So who would've believed after all these years 'Never Gonna Give You Up' has had a billion streams on Spotify. That's a billion streams. How amazing," Astley, 59, said in an Instagram video.

The song was part of Astley's debut solo album, Whenever You Need Somebody, released in his early 20s. It reached no. 20 international charts upon release and has over 1.6 billion views on YouTube.

Astley has been vocal about the song's viral popularity and has even spoken about being Rick-Rolled. "A friend of mine Rick-Rolled me a couple of times, and I didn't really know what he was doing. I just thought he was being an idiot," the singer said.

However, he only sees the meme as a "positive thing." "I don't think you can really have any bad thoughts about an Internet prank that turned your song into a global moment," said Astley.

Less than 1,000 songs have reached the Billion Streams club on Spotify. Astley's hit joins "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers, "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel, and "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire, among other tracks.