A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman

Ep 27: Never Gonna Give You Up


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It's hard to imagine that a song as phenomonally successful as "Never Gonna Give You Up" sat on the shelf at PWL for months before finally being released in mid-1987, but that's exactly what happened as Rick Astley's debut solo single took longer than any other Stock Aitken Waterman production to be completed. In this special episode dedicated to SAW's biggest worldwide hit, we recap Rick's story, from being approached by Pete Waterman and employed at PWL as a tape op to his early recordings with both SAW and Phil Harding & Ian Curnow. We hear from Karen Hewitt and Rick's best mate, Mike Duffy, about the singer's introduction to the music industry. Then, the lengthy development of "Never Gonna Give You Up" is explained with help from Phil, Ian, Mike Stock and Pete Hammond. The track was a jigsaw puzzle, but once all the pieces were in place, it took off, topping charts right around the world at the time and continuing to resonate to this day, with its video having joined the billion views club on YouTube.

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