Now and since time immemorial, it is a constant state of change and the meaning of events, things, people and everything rest is determined by us. We ascribe meaning to things to the point of vilifying them until we deem it appropriate -- That's what the existentialist would say. More relevant to the essay, it is not surprising that the meaning of a song can also change over time. The purpose of this article is to re-examine and analyze the reception history of the famous 80s pop hit. For the sake of gamification and tension, I will refrain from saying the name of said song until the end of article. Until then, the song will be called the song. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayNewly entering the music arena in 1987, the central song was part of the artist's debut album, little known to most people. Interestingly, it was only a year later that the song gained fame and notoriety. The story implies that it wasn't until late 1988 that a certain famous DJ spun the song on his decks in front of a mass of people, it was DJ Larry Levan. This is when the song really took off and started to build momentum. Very interestingly, we should note that in 1988 our signature song replaced George Michael's highly controversial hit, Father Figure. The artist's songs would debut at the top of the charts for the remainder of the year, while the central song specifically remained for 13 weeks on the Billboard Top 100; one thing to note is that the song that will replace our title track will also be by the same artist. Unanimously, the flagship song ranked number 1 in various global charts. It's ultimately a recurring question in music whether the artist was/is appreciated for the kind of musical pieces he created or for who he was as a personality. In other words, did people actually like his music or were they just following a fad/trend? Anyway, we can say that he was highly appreciated and well received by people at that time given that: Our focal song was part of his debut album and it peaked at number 1 for thirteen weeks. The song that replaced our focal song was another one. song by the same artist. Most of the songs the artist has released have peaked in the top 10 on most charts. Given that the advent of the Internet has occurred in recent years, there is not much opinion online regarding our song being from the 80s. However, we can extrapolate that the general population had a positive vision of the artist and his songs. Over time, the song's fame will fade and become part of radio stations and nostalgia compilations. He was absent from the public eye until 2007, when a societal anomaly occurred, resurrecting the hit song Frankenstein-style. In 2007 pop culture, the video game Grand Theft Auto IV was announced and a user on the video games section of 4chan claimed to have gotten a taste of the game. When people clicked on the video link, they were directed to a video of Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, our central song for the essay. The song gained notoriety in the late 2000s, abandoning its previous status as a renowned pop dance song to hold a new status as a prank intended to fool and annoy a person. The meme spread like wildfire and everyone started incorporating it in different ways.manners. It has become one of those societal phenomena that started out as just a fun gag but over time became a nuisance. With the rise of Internet culture, these are usually the people who started the prank. Said colloquially, it was an inside joke for young people because when the younger generation heard it, it was like a prank and like a meme. We can say this because of some key moments where the song was publicly performed or highlighted. The first was at a Mets game in 2008, where people could vote for which song would be played in the eighth inning of the game. A source mentions that the fact that Never Gonna Give You Up won first place for singing at the Mets game caused confusion in management. The second time was at the 2008 MTV European Music Awards, where he was elected, by electronic vote, as the best artist of all time; the song had been released 20 years ago at that point. The third being during the Macy's Day Parade, when a cartoon-themed float performed their songs only to be interrupted by a live performance by Rick Astley; sources say Astley was well received for this, praising his good sense of humor. Around the late 2000s to early 2010s, this is when public disdain grew for the song. At this point, it had been overplayed and oversaturated, just as it had lost its momentum in the '80s. Rightfully so, it was a meme. In other words, it was a joke between the “kids”. When big brands started playing with the meme and capitalizing on it, it turned out that any joke would be if a parent had told their child: it became corny and it's a fun factor. I believe parallel phenomena to the song's oversaturation through memes contributed to its second downfall. To the point that Rick didn't do anything musical in the public eye for a long time. Over the past few years until today, society has progressed and with the trend of the times, one wonders how the song is perceived. Today? Rick and his song are seen in an authentic light and with authenticity. Now that he's older, he's starting to make music independently again. It seems his point of view is to make music because he wants to; he even jokes that no one would listen to him but he did it anyway to commemorate his 50th birthday after realizing how lucky he was and how grateful he was to how things had turned out over the years. The general talk is that he is a good sport and shows a love for the work he has done at 80 years old. Rick shows respect and gratitude towards his work in the 80s, saying that it contributes to who he is as a person and performer. To contrast with Rick's reaction, there is common talk regarding the Smashing Pumpkins lead singer about how he hates and hates playing some of their hits that originally made them famous. The speech according to the music video of the song says that it has been liked 3 million times and disliked. 141,000 times with a total number of views of 4.5 million. The relatively recent comments all contain positive messages. Most of them are generic positive statements shouting their love for the song. What's particularly interesting is that most of the comments suggest that Never Gonna Give You Up is a very good song and has always been a good song. In 2017, Rick had an impromptu performance with the Foo Fighters at one of their live concerts. The video's speech says it is well received commenting on how Rick is a good sport, some..