Rick Astley Recreates “Never Gonna Give You Up” for New Ad

Rick Astley recreated his “Never Gonna Give You Up” video for CSAA Insurance Group. The partnership seems random at first, but the brand is banking on Astely’s pop culture footprint to help it in their 17 United States markets. The singer has waited 35 years to recreate the Internet’s favorite clip. Back in 1987, Astley took popular radio by storm with the hit single. (If you can find the performance from Top of the Pops near then, it is absolutely worth it!) CSAA is using the song to celebrate their 100-year long streak of providing support to customers. Is this weren’t enough Rickroll action, there are also Rickified QR codes that people can go scan out in the wild. Basically, scan the code and get to see the video out in the wild. It’s a weird absorption of meme culture, but that’s been going on for a while now. The whole Rickroll phenomenon is actually 15 years old when you think about it. “Never Gonna Give You Up” is in a rare club of YouTube videos with over a billion views. Check out the video for yourself down below.

“Paying homage to my video for the AAA Insurance commercial — from the set to the wardrobe — has been an amazing trip down memory lane,” said Astley. “The song has been so good to me, and I’m thrilled to be working with another iconic brand that has certainly stood the test of time.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Rick Astley to not only revisit the joy of his video, but amplify the incredible value that our customers receive with InsurAAAnce,” said Linda Goldstein, executive vice president, Customer Experience & Marketing, CSAA Insurance Group. “And clearly, the indelible lyrics of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ are one of the best ways we can share that message.”

“An iconic and beloved brand meets an iconic and beloved artist. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ is exactly the promise InsurAAAnce makes to its customers: Legendary dependability that won’t let you down or desert you,” said Jones Krahl and Milton Correa, co-heads of Creative for Brand and Advertising at Deloitte Digital. “We wanted to communicate that in a memorable way not only by recreating the legendary music video after 35 years (featuring Rick himself!), but also serving it in a manner that pays homage to how internet and meme culture has made Rick Astley its own.”

When was the last time you got Rickrolled? Let us know down in the comments!