Rick Astley‘s “Never Gonna Give You Up” has got to be one of the earliest YouTube memes. The bait and switch tactic of Rickrolling—tricking users into clicking on a seemingly harmless link that leads to the Astley track instead—appeared on message boards as early as 2007. This prank is still used today, and it’s even generated a kind of second career for Astley.
And now he’s back to surf the crest of that digital wave with a new album, called 50, due out on June 10 on vinyl, CD and digital. Watch the video above to find out why he’s grateful for his unexpected internet prominence and his life as a meme.
Or, if you’re feeling a little more experimental, click here to watch an audio experiment by Mario Klingemann, who rearranged the song into micro-cuts according to pitch.
