N is for Never Gonna Give You Up

N is for Never Gonna Give You Up (and no, this is not a Rickroll).

For the uninitiated, Never Gonna Give You Up was a 1987 song by British singer Rick Astley. It's the song that catapulted me into listening to pop music. We all have that song, yes? Think back, and tell me which song it was for you.

Those were heady days back then, as I think I've mentioned in another post. The mid to late 80s were an awesome time to be young. There was a lot of good movies, a lot of good music, and a lot of great TV. I was breaking the mould of my childhood then. I was the child of an Hons Degree music teacher mother and a father who was just becoming more eclectic in his taste by discovering (and trying to foist on me) classical composers like Glazunov, I found the bubblegum, upbeat pop music of the day much more to my taste! And Never Gonna Give You Up came out at just about the right time to be the vehicle of my ride out of my parents opinion into my own.

A is for Astley - Rick Astley!

This post is dedicated to all the RICKETTES across the world!

For me, as a pop culture fundi, there can be no compromise on this one. Rick Astley is my be all and end all when it comes to pop music, and I'm not ashamed to admit it! He was my teenage crush deluxe, he was to me what Justin Bieber is to the screaming mass of teenage girls today. It's got something to do with when you first become a teenager - you fall in love, and there's nothing you can do about it, no matter who thinks who is cheesy and uncool - if you adore your idol, then you adore them.

Look closely at the pic I've shared here. I've shared a lot of pics with signatures on them, but not all of them have been signed specially for me. This one, Rick sent to me back in 1989!

Something about Rick Astley though. A promise he makes is a promise he keeps (yes, I know, it's from a TV jingle). He never did give us up, run around or desert us. He took a break from music - it's well known that he said he became fatigued with the travelling, the crazy bustling life when he was at the height of his fame, and the allure of his baby daughter and girlfriend at home were more appealing. Now though, his daughter is grown, his wife is busy with her own career, and he has been making music again, the most recent being a duet he recorded with Kim Wilde of Kids In America fame - a remake of the classic Christmas carol Winter Wonderland. If anyone knows where Rick finds his Elixir of Youth, please let me know as well!