Live stream will be available after this brief ad from our sponsors
ContestsEvents

Rick Astley: A Remastered Video of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ Freaks Fans Out

A 4K version of the ’80s Rick Astley hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up” is freaking people out. The iconic original video, which came out in 1987, features the then-21-year-old,…

DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN – JUNE 20: Rick Astley poses backstage at the Isle Of Man Bay Festival on June 20, 2010 in Douglas, Isle Of Man. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

A 4K version of the '80s Rick Astley hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up” is freaking people out. The iconic original video, which came out in 1987, features the then-21-year-old, red-headed Rick Astley in a warehouse belting the jam out in his signature deep voice. The 4K version showcases just how low-budget looking it is, causing varying reactions online.

This new video isn’t an official remaster from Astley or his record label. It was made by YouTube user Revideo using AI-powered tools Topaz Video Enhance AI, which -- as Uproxx reports -- upscales video resolution without losing visual clarity, and RIFE (Real-Time Intermediate Flow Estimation for Video Frame Interpolation), which generates new video frames that go between existing ones to increase the video’s framerate.

The video for “Never Gonna Give You Up” started a phenomenon called “Rickrolling”, which is a bait-and-switch prank involving posting a hyperlink that is supposedly relevant to the topic at hand in an online discussion, but re-directs the viewer to the music video of "Never Gonna Give You Up”.

Here as some of the mixed reviews:

Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.