Viewership was so high that it crashed Rockstar's site. In March 2007, the first trailer for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV was released onto the Rockstar Games website. The image caught on across 4chan, becoming the target of a hyperlink with an otherwise interesting title, with a user clicking through having been stated to be "duck rolled". On one thread, where "eggroll" had become "duckroll", an anonymous user posted an edited image of a duck with wheels, calling it a "duckroll". Sometime in 2006, the site moderator, Christopher "m00t" Poole, implemented a word filter replacing the word "egg" with "duck" as a gag. The use of the song for rickrolling dates to 2006, originating from the 4chan imageboard in an early meme known as "duck rolling". ![]() The accompanying music video, Astley's first, features him performing the song while dancing. 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 the UK Singles Chart. "Never Gonna Give You Up" appeared on Astley's 1987 debut album Whenever You Need Somebody. Since then, Astley has seen his performance career revitalized by the meme's popularity. Īstley, who had only returned to performing after a 10-year hiatus, was initially hesitant about using his newfound popularity from the meme to further his career but accepted the fame by Rickrolling the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a surprise performance of the song. The meme gained mainstream attention in 2008 through several publicized events, particularly when YouTube used it on its 2008 April Fools' Day event. The video bait-and-switch trick grew popular on 4chan by 2007 during April Fools' Day and spread to other Internet sites later that year. The meme grew out of a similar bait-and-switch trick called "duck rolling" that was popular on the 4chan website in 2006. Astley himself has also been Rickrolled on several occasions. The meme has also extended to using the song's lyrics, or singing it, in unexpected contexts. When victims click on a seemingly unrelated link, the site with the music video loads instead of what was expected, and they have been " Rickrolled". The meme is a type of bait and switch, usually using a disguised hyperlink that leads to the music video. The aforementioned video has over 1 billion views on YouTube. Rickrolling or a Rickroll is an Internet meme involving the unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 song " Never Gonna Give You Up", performed by English singer Rick Astley. If you really want to know the entire story behind the writing and recording of “Never Gonna Give You Up,” just rewind the YouTube video to the beginning and learn how Astley was a pop superstar in the UK in 1987.Problems playing this file? See media help. ![]() Cotter may not have gotten paid for his meme, but he’s given us all a shared cultural moment and seems to have brought some joy to Astley as his career has been extended by something that started out as a joke. If you weren’t around in 2008, it’s hard to explain just how big meme culture was at the time and how the Rickroll was king of Meme Mountain. This new Vice video is a step toward giving Cotter the credit he deserves for creating an important moment in online culture. ![]() There was even a guy who tattooed a QR code on his leg that Rickrolled you if you scanned it.Īstley has embraced the absurdity of the situation and now seems grateful for how the Rickroll has kept him in the public eye as more than just a guy who had that hit record back in the old days. A funny joke, but not that funny.Ĭotter swapped it out for a link to Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” on YouTube, and the meme caught fire. There was a popular meme at the time called the duckroll, where random links took you to a picture of a duck on wheels. ![]() Like most great ideas, Cotter’s wasn’t totally original. He learned about the song when he looked up “songs that were popular the year you were born,” and since he was born in 1987, “Never Gonna Give You Up” was on the list. Back in 2007, when the online video streaming service was less than two years old, Cotter decided he wanted to be a YouTuber. Cotter explains how as a 19-year-old Air Force member, he created an online meme tsunami.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |