Rick Astley

Songwriter: Andrew Frampton Rick Astley

On the empty streets of this nowhere town
The melting shadows fade
And the dark is creeping up on me again

In between these sheets where I laid you down
I tried to find some rest
So I reach out for the switch but why pretend

'Cause I can’t turn the lights out now
I see your face
No, I can’t turn the lights out now
My heart will break

'Cause everything I see
Will end up killing me
All over, all over again
So I can’t turn the lights out, turn the lights out

There’s a clock that stopped ticking by the bed
The second you were gone
And it feels just like my heart stopped beating too

'Cause it’s hard to keep those promises
I made when I was strong
Now I’m haunted by the ghost of you

And I can’t turn the lights out now
I see your face
No, I can’t turn the lights out now
My heart will break

'Cause everything I see
Will end up killing me
All over, all over again
So I can’t turn the lights out, turn the lights out

It’s so hard holding on
It’s so hard that you’re gone
It’s so hard holding on
Don’t you know, don’t you know

I can’t turn the lights out now
I see your face
No, I can’t turn the lights out now
My heart will break

'Cause everything I see
Will end up killing me
All over, all over again
So I can’t turn the lights out, turn the lights out
So I can’t turn the lights out, turn the lights out

Richard Paul Astley is a British entertainer, most known for his 1987 sensation “Never Gonna Give You Up” which was the subject of rick-rolling. He recieved a Brit Award for Best Single in 1988 for his hit and a “Best Act Ever” Award at the 2008 MTV EMAs upon its re-emergence into popularity.

Born in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire on February 6, 1966, Astley’s first taste of music came at the age of 10 and he became known as a drummer throughout school before dropping out at age 16. He played for a local live act entitled “FBI” (with future Conservative Party politician David Morris as guitarist) that gained popularity around London. Astley, a huge admirer of Nat King Cole soon moved to lead vocalist by the time the group garnered the interest of Pete Waterman, a record executive and 1/3 of the Scott-Aitken-Waterman production trio. Waterman hired a 19 year-old Astley as a gofer (assistant) and Morris as a songwriter at his PWL (Pete Waterman, Limited) Studios. He used this time to pull Astley out of his ‘shyness’ and secured them both a contract with RCA Records.

“When You Gonna” with fellow PWL protégé Lisa Carter was his debut release, but it found little success and received no promotion; it was Lisa’s only official output. His first solo release, “Never Gonna Give You Up”, was dropped on July 28, 1987, and turned Astley into an international star. It topped 24 different charts and moved nearly 2 Million copies. Astley’s debut album Whenever You Need Somebody found similar success – it collected Gold or Platinum certifications in 10 different regions, including Platinum 4x in the United Kingdom.

more tracks from the album

My Red Book

From the albums

My Red Book (2013)
The Best of Me (2019)

Rick Astley popular songs

Lights OutRick Astley

Rick Astley

My Red Book