<P> Rickrolling, alternatively rick - rolling, is a prank and an Internet meme involving an unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a type of bait and switch using a disguised hyperlink . Those led to the music video believing that they were accessing some unrelated material are said to have been rickrolled . The trend has extended to disruptive or humorous appearances of the song in other situations, such as a live appearance of Astley himself in the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York . </P> <P> Astley recorded "Never Gonna Give You Up" on his 1987 album Whenever You Need Somebody . The song, his solo debut single, was a number - one hit on several international charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and UK Singles Chart . As a means of promoting the song, it was also made into Astley's first music video, which features him performing the song while dancing . </P>

Where did the term rick rolled come from