Rick Astley

Featuring: Lisa Carter

Love is a special thing
It means more to me than just a Wedding ring
When two people join as one
They don't know just what has begun

It comes to love, honour, cherish and obey
You promised girl that you would not go away

When you gonna come back home girl
You know I'm all alone, girl
When you gonna come back home
When you gonna come back home girl
You know I'm all alone, girl
When you gonna come back home

[Lisa]
Love is a precious thing
So can't you see the joy that it can bring
So how can you be so cruel
You've gone and broken every rule

You promised to love, honour, cherish and obey
You promised me you'd never go away

When you gonna stay at home boy
You see I was alone, boy
When you gonna stay at home
When you gonna stay at home boy
You see I was alone, boy
When you gonna stay at home

[Rick]
Love's got a hold on me
I need you girl, can't you see

[Lisa]
So why don't we spend some time
Let's get together, maybe we could find

[Rick & Lisa]
We've got to love, honour, cherish and obey
We've got to promise that we'll never go away

Never gonna leave you home, no
Leave you all alone
Now I'm gonna stay at home
Never gonna be alone, no
You see I should have known
Never gonna leave you home

[repeat / fade]

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

Whenever You Need Somebody

From the album

Whenever You Need Somebody (1987)

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When You GonnaRick Astley

Rick Astley

Whenever You Need Somebody