Rick Astley's 10 greatest songs, ever

5 November 2025, 13:21

Rick Astley at 60: Back on tour & embracing THAT iconic meme

By Thomas Edward

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What a man. What a quiff.

Throughout this spectacular career that's spanned nearly four entire decades, Rick Astley's hair hasn't changed one bit.

Neither has his magnificent voice, a deep and rich croon that'd make the Rat Pack blush.

What has changed, however, is Astley's approach to performing on stage – in recent years, it seems like he's having more fun than ever.

Whether it's drumming along to AC/DC's classic rock stomper 'Back In Black' on Glastonbury Festival's famed Pyramid Stage, belting out Rag'n'Bone Man's soulful 'Giant', or singing The Smiths' back catalogue with young bucks Blossoms, he's having the time of his life.

With nine studio albums released across his glittering career, bursting into the charts when he himself was only young, it's about time he enjoys it.

Things haven't always been rosy for Rick, who gave up the spotlight in the 90s to look after his family. But he returned bigger and better than ever.

Besides, he's sold over 40 million records worldwide and even has a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist under his belt.

To prove what an impressive back catalogue of dance pop and blue-eyed soul hits he's got, we've ranked his ten greatest songs:

‘Hold Me In Your Arms’

Rick Astley - Hold Me In Your Arms (Official Video) [4K Remaster]

The pensive, regretful pop ballad 'Hold Me In Your Arms' was penned by Astley himself.
Peaking at number ten in the UK charts after its 1989 release, it proved he had the talent to write radio-ready tunes as much as sing them.
The heartfelt hit suggested a lovelorn man beyond Astley's years. Bear in mind, he was only 23 when he released it.
‘It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man’

Rick Astley - It Would Take a Strong Strong Man (Official HD Video)

Strangely enough, 'It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man' was never released in the UK. It was only released as a single in America.
Featuring on Astley's debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody, the chart-dominating songwriting team of Stock Aitken Waterman who he worked with wanted to capitalise on the success of the young singer's first two singles in the US.
It reached the top ten, proving that Astley gave himself a strong, strong chance of achieving pop music immortality.
'Angels On My Side'

Rick Astley - Angels On My Side (Official Video) [4K Remaster]

'Angels On My Side' was a single from Rick Astley's 2016 album titled 50, which celebrated his milestone and looked back on the luck he's had throughout his life.
The angels in question that Rick sings about on his gorgeous track are his siblings, who helped raise him given he was the youngest child of a broken home.
It also sees Astley reflect on the charmed life he's lived when it comes to stardom, and that he's still standing after the pop music machine didn't completely churn him up and spit him out.
‘Take Me To Your Heart’

Rick Astley - Take Me to Your Heart (Official Video) (4K Remaster)

Rick Astley's 'Take Me To Your Heart' is quintessentially 80s, from the plinking synths to the flirty sax to the impressively shouldered blazers.
The second single from his second album, Hold Me in Your Arms, the music to the Stock Aitken Waterman-penned song was actually inspired by Inner City's classic dance hit 'Big Fun'.
Reaching number eight in the UK charts, songwriter Matt Aitken was defiant in the face of accusations that he pinched the idea.
He later confirmed it was influenced by Inner City, but added that "you can't copyright a synth pattern," and claimed, "we wrote a better song." Ooh aar.
‘When I Fall In Love’

Rick Astley - When I Fall in Love (Official Video)

For the 30th anniversary of the Nat King Cole classic, Astley decided to release a beautiful cover of 'When I Fall In Love' which became a huge hit.
It went down a treat, coming in at number two in the UK charts after its 1987 release.
There was a bit of bad faith tactics that made Astley miss out on the coveted top spot for the UK's Christmas number one, however.
Record label EMI wanted their prized asset Pet Shop Boys to hit number one with 'Always On My Mind' (which it eventually did) so re-released the Nat King Cole original which slowed down Astley's record sales. Snide!
‘She Wants To Dance With Me’

Rick Astley - She Wants To Dance With Me (Official Video) (4K Remaster)

'She Wants To Dance With Me' might've been a bit of a riff off of Whitney Houston's classic floor-filler 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody', but it was a meaningful landmark for Astley's music career.
It became the first single that he released that was penned by himself, not Stock Aitken Waterman.
Pete Waterman was a huge fan of Whitney, so trusted Rick enough to stand on his own feet. It reached number six in the UK charts in 1988.
Astley later commented: "That was a bit of a hit in America and different parts of the world. That was a bit of a turning point in my mind because I thought, as simple as that song is - because it is fairly simple - it worked."
‘Whenever You Need Somebody’

Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Somebody (Official Video) (4K Remaster)

Originally written as a dance song for singer O'Chi Brown in 1985, the poor chart performance of 'Whenever You Need Somebody' infuriated Pete Waterman so much that he gave it to Rick to give it another bash two years later.
Complete with the trademark Stock Aitken Waterman production, Rick made it a hit, taking the song to No.3 in the charts.
It featured on his smash-hit debut album of the same name, and was a huge hit across Europe too.
When asked, O'Chi Brown wasn't as willing to give Astley praise, however, saying: "Rick's got a great voice, but I just felt that the song suited a woman, and I felt it suited my voice. I'm not going to say mine was better, but I liked mine more."
‘Cry For Help’

Rick Astley - Cry for Help (Official Video) (4K Remaster)

One of the final songs Astley released before his shocking retirement at the age of 27, 'Cry For Help' might have been just that.
It featured on his third album, Free, the first record he made away from the guidance of Stock Aitken Waterman, though he felt life away from the pop powerhouse would be difficult.
- Rick Astley reveals the reason he retired from music at 27
Still, the gospel-infused song which reached No.7 in the UK charts (Rick's final single to enter the top ten) touched on the quiet pain people feel but can't express.
In a later interview, he revealed: "It's that moment when you can cry for help and you can actually say to someone, 'I'm dying here. I'm bleeding.' We all need that moment where we sort of say, 'Right, I've just got to talk to someone,' and that's what it's about."
‘Together Forever’

Rick Astley - Together Forever (Official Video) [4K Remaster]

Rick Astley was the male pop star of the year in 1987, and his fourth single, 'Together Forever', ensured his fame stretched into the next year too.
A bona fide Stock Aitken Waterman classic, it was a worldwide hit, topping the charts in the US.
It was held off the top spot in the U,K however, as Kylie Minogue's bubblegum hit 'I Should Be So Lucky' secured No.1.
Not that Stock Aitken Waterman were particularly fussed - they were also behind Kylie's debut single as a pop star, kicking off what would turn out to be a glittering career.
‘Never Gonna Give You Up’

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster)

No guesses for what we've ranked as Rick Astley's greatest ever song. But was it really going to be anything else?
'Never Gonna Give You Up' is undoubtedly the song that Stock Aitken Waterman are best known for, as it was just one of three of their productions that reached the coveted top spot in the US charts – alongside 'Together Forever' and Bananarama's 'Venus'.
It also transformed an unknown Rick Astley into an international superstar, hitting No.1 in the UK charts and staying there for five weeks.
Few songs have even started an entirely new viral trend, especially decades after the song was initially released. Yes, you've been 'Rickrolled'.
- The Story of... 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley
A craze in which numerous websites posted links that seemed like normal clickthroughs, only to prank the user by taking them to the 'Never Gonna Give You Up' video on YouTube. Rick was aware of the trend and was probably rubbing his hands with glee - today it's reached 1.7 billion views.
Not bad for a kid wanting to get work experience in a recording studio. Rick made the teas for Stock Aitken Waterman before they realised his talent, eventually getting him to contribute backing vocals before turning him into a star.
It's taken some time for Astley to grow fond of the song, as he felt he was "watching it from the other side of the screen" when his fame erupted.
"If you don't write the song and you haven't produced it, it's your song, but it takes a bit of time to bed in and for it to really become your song," he later revealed. "Even some of the greats, Whitney Houston, or even going back to Frank Sinatra, they didn't write and produce the music. So, when I sing 'Never Gonna Give You Up' now, that's my song. I don't care who wrote it, I don't care who produced it, it's my song."
It's Rick's song, and he's never going to give up singing it to his legion of adoring fans worldwide.