Rick Astley's debut single, "Never Gonna Give You Up" contrasted the singer's expressive, soulful baritone with synthesized dance-club backing, and while the highly processed quality of the latter sometimes seemed to overwhelm the former (no easy task), the song became a wildly popular smash, winding up as the biggest hit single of 1987 in the U.K. and topping the U.S. charts in early 1988.
The song was driven by a busy rhythm track and a synthesized string section strongly reminiscent of late-'70s disco productions, while Astley's distinctive voice boomed over the top. Perhaps the most memorable flourish on "Never Gonna Give You Up" is the way Astley handles the chorus, which alternates rapid-fire 16th notes with longer, off-the-beat triplets; his delivery is impeccably smooth, navigating the rhythmically shifting melody with ease.
It's not difficult to see, in retrospect, why Astley eventually grew tired of the Stock, Aitken & Waterman production team's work; while the slick sheen doesn't exactly rob Astley of his personality, the layers of echo don't really do much to accentuate or humanize it, either. Still, the song does demonstrate that Astley has a flair for up-tempo dance tracks, and it's such a well-crafted piece of music that the partnership between singer and producers seems fruitful enough to overlook any shortcomings.
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4 comments:
Hej!
Vilken underbar video, har aldrig den sett innan. Hans dans är ju bara för skön. Du undrade om ett signerat foto - vilket gör mig lätt generad - men visst kan du få det. Har dock inga foton, varken av mig eller Filippa. Du kan väl maila din adress så ska jag se om jag hittar nåt. Men jag lovar inget. Kul att du läser min blogg, jag gillar din också.
Hej från
Wendela
sisselab@hotmail.com
Hejsan Sissela! Kul att en kändis kikar in i bloggen. :)
Mail är på gång när jag har sovit lite. :)
Gay or not- who gives a flying fuck anyway- is not really the question. The question is: how in God's sweet name can this cheeesy guy ever have been so popular?
I mean, the songs were totally naff, and all SAW productions really sucked balls! Major league!!
Anywho, why would you speak about Rick Astley? Is it a name thing, or do you like his cheesy dance-moves?
Take care, man!
Ohh!! Vad tjusigt. Jag lyssnade på den låten frenetiskt för ett par år sen. Gillade den stenhårt. vet inte varför, den är bara dansant på nåt sätt :)
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