Happy 50th Birthday to Rick Astley: Celebrate With Some of the Best-Ever Rickrolls

Video for British singer's "Never Gonna Give You Up" spawned one of the most iconic Internet memes

By Leeor Samocha Feb 06, 2016 1:00 PMTags
Rick AstleyFranziska Krug/Getty Images

You're scrolling through the Internet, jumping from page to page, YouTube to Tumblr, when BAM—You. Just. Got. Rickroll'd.

Sometime since 2007, you've probably fallen for the classic bait-and-switch that was appropriately coined as "Rickrolling"—you're given a link that you believe will send you to a topic relevant to what you searched for, but when clicked, the link actually takes you to the music video for Rick Astley's 1987 mega-hit "Never Gonna Give You Up."

And once you're there, you've just gotta listen! Which is probably why Astley himself initially found what became one of the most iconic Internet memes "hilarious."

Since then, the Rickroll meme has transcended all probability, resulting in nearly 177 million views for the "Never Gonna Give You Up" Vevo video. Seriously, we'd Rickroll you right outta here, but it's best you stay for the celebration.

YouTube

Why are we throwing it back today of all days, you wonder?

Well, today the unwitting Internet sensation himself turns the big 5-0, and we would like to wish Rick Astley, singer of one of the most infectious tunes ever, the happiest of birthdays!

While Astley's deep voice is also behind hits such as "Hold Me In Your Arms" and "Together Forever," we'd like to thank the mischief maker who thought "Never Gonna Give You Up" was the right choice when it came time to swap out a link for something completely random. He chose wisely.

YouTube

"Rickrolling" has become an enduring pop culture phenomenon that has left the confines of the 'net to pop up in extremely unexpected places, from TV shows and sporting events to politics and protests.

Let's take a look at some of the greatest Rickroll moments through the years:

Who can forget the time Nancy Pelosi Rickroll'd us?

 Or the countless times Seth MacFarlane snuck in a Rickroll on Family Guy?

Or when Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters famously answered the angry protests of the Westboro Baptist Church with an impromptu Rickroll in 2011...

and again in 2015 as Westboro tried to protest a Foos concert in Kansas City, Mo.

YouTube

Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down!!! Never gonna run arounnnnnd and desert you!

This is gonna be stuck in all of our heads for the rest of the weekend. You're welcome. And so you don't have to roll anywhere...