Never

by Rick Astley

'Fame didn't actually make me happy. I was an insecure twenty-year-old and being famous made things worse back then. It was an era all about the way you looked and I still don't know how I squeezed through. I did enjoy myself for a lot of it, but, at some point, you're looking in the mirror and 'Is this it, then?' Clichéd as this sounds, success is never going to mend something that is broken. You just have to work that out for yourself. And something was a bit broken in me - I think it is with almost everybody who gets on the stage.'

When 'Never Gonna Give You Up' propelled Rick Astley into the pop stratosphere, it irrevocably altered his life's trajectory. Nothing could have prepared the young, unassuming Lancashire lad for what was in store for him. What followed was a whirlwind of TV appearances, fame, worldwide tours, bestselling albums and media scrutiny. But, after only six years in the business, having sold millions of records globally, Rick made a major life decision to retire, choosing family over fame. Time out of the industry offered him room for much-needed reflection and therapy - and unknowingly helped to set the stage for his triumphant return to music.

In his powerful and revealing memoir, Rick delves into this journey. He candidly recounts his formative years and unconventional upbringing, retraces his decision to leave the spotlight and provides intimate insights into family life and the challenges and rewards of new beginnings.

'What a bad-ass motherf**ker' - Dave Grohl

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2024

About the author

Born in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire in 1966, musician Rick Astley started his career at the music production company Stock Aitken Waterman. His 1987 debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody, sold 15.2m copies worldwide and made him a household name. Since then he has gone on to release eight studio albums, selling over 40 million records worldwide, and headline multiple world tours, including most recently a sell-out UK tour (2024). Never is his first and only official autobiography.

Reviews

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ From an 80’s era girl, taking me back to my youth 😁 and then up to my 50’s. I dated a guy who taught at a school in Newton le Willows, where Rick is from, and when I met him, that was the first thing he hold me 😂
This was an audio as well as ebook from the library, and when you hear an autobiography read well by the author, I generally enjoy it more.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting autobiography about his early life and his musical career

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so fun to listen to and learn about the behind the scenes of a popstar with SAW.

[Sarah Faichney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! Huge nostalgia trip and just a really interesting guy. Thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, narrated by the great man himself. Highly recommend!

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly affecting, and with just enough tea spilled to feel genuine, without too much name-dropping. Rick's unusual upbringing and unfortunate childhood and adolescence is handled delicately, but he also pulls no punches when it comes to describing his rocky relationships with his distant parents. Luckily he had considerable sibling support, and the way he falls into superstardom is recounted believably. His life after the hits quickly dry up is notably interesting, along with the accounting of the Rickroll era and his eventual comeback. His multitalented wife Lene, who he met at a very young age, is described as a saint and it sounds like she truly is one!

A very satisfying celebrity memoir, props and respect to a performer I really knew little about aside from his enduring hits.

Read a DRC via Edelweiss; US pub date is 1/21/25. (Looking forward to seeing the photos in a finished copy!)

[Alison Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This satisfied my 1987 need for information about Rick Astley.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rick Astley’s Never is an entertaining and self-aware look at his unexpected pop stardom and enduring niche status. He embraces his role as the king of songs with “never” in the title, and honestly, God bless him for it. Narrated by Rick himself, the audiobook is the perfect format—hearing his story straight from the source makes it all the more engaging.

This book offers a fun yet revealing glimpse into how the corporate music industry dictates what we listen to. It’s a little disheartening to realize how much we’re told what’s popular, but at the end of the day, as long as we can dance to it, does it really matter? We may be sheep, but at least we’re dancing sheep. God bless ya, Rick.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I remember my dad having Rick Astley's record when I was a little girl and loving "Never gonna give you up", I mean how could you not? This book was an interesting read, was it full of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll? No, but then again I'm not surprised. We follow Rick through his humble beginnings with difficult parents, to his pop star years and life after the fame has ended, but did it really end? A great overall read.

[Les McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this one. Rick is two years younger than me and was brought up, literally, a stone’s throw away from where I’ve always lived. So hearing references to places and people I know/ knew was so nice! Great to hear the story from the horses mouth.

[zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Astley is a treasure.

[Cindy Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming and well-written memoir. Rick Astley shares his story of growing up with an abusive father and disconnected mother and how that impacted him as he navigated pop stardom in his early 20s. Not a lot of sex, drugs, and rock and roll here. In fact, he says he was too busy focusing on the work to party. The music might have been fun, but he was a serious musician caught up in the pop machine.
He is self-effacing and seemingly humble. I enjoyed reading how he learned to accept Never Gonna Give You Up as something special and how he first heard about "rickrolling."
Rick Astley's music was the complete opposite of the type I was listening to in the late 80s. Nonetheless, it was everywhere. His music was catchy, the dutifully formulaic sound of studio production. I didn't have his cassette, but he was a constant on the radio, on MTV, and in the clubs. This book sent me down several rabbit holes, Googling the people, YouTubing the videos. I came pretty close to creating a new Rick Astley playlist. I may still do it.

[Georgina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has you gripped from the INTRODUCTION not even chapter one but the INTRO! So much nostalgia from those life changing songs that we built our youth on but also an incredibly insight to mental health and wellness and the important role that therapy can play on recentering us in this very chaotic world.

If you’re from Lancashire (as I am) this will hit all the home comforts for you! And if you’re not… well you’ll know exactly what it means to be from Lancashire by the end of this book.

Absolutely loved it!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First audiobook!

[Terry Kinane · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok.

[Simon Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book on audio.
Rick himself read it and is a natural story teller.
The insights in to the music industry and the characters behind the scenes especially was fascinating. The personal journey through life and the internalised struggles and strength to overcome and manage them was clearly articulated making Rick come over as a genuinely lovely warm human being.

[Donna C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed my “listen” to Rick Astley’s memoir Never. I didn’t know much about him except for some of his top hits and an occasional Rick Roll, but I thought it would be fun to hear his story. It did not disappoint. I am always intrigued by memoirs of musicians - particularly because most of them are in their early 20s when they get started and are experiencing this for the first time. The only thing I would have preferred differently about this is if every once in a while they would play a clip from a song, but I’m sure there are licensing issues that prevent that.

This gets a 5-star within the memoir genre, and also because it was an audiobook narrated by the author. I had a lot of fun listening to it on my outdoor walks.

Rick seems like a pretty down-to-earth humble guy, the kind of person you could have as a neighbor and chat outside with him for awhile and him not think he’s better than you. In fact, you’ll learn in the book how he still gets star struck with famous people of whom he’s a fan!

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to lie, SAW was a favorite of mine growing up, and I also enjoyed listening to Rick Astley, so this was a double treat.
I listened to the audiobook version which Rick narrates himself and I found this really interesting and enjoyable.
Rick’s upbringing wasn’t at all what I expected and he comes across as really down to earth and likable. Of course he had his not so great moments too, and he doesn’t shy away from that.
I would recommend this for fans of Rick or anyone who liked him back in the day, 80’s fans, or anyone that likes mostly positive true stories with a bit of adversity.

[Carolyn Lochhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a fan of Rick Ashley back in the late eighties, when it was not cool, so I'm feeling somewhat smug about his later-life resurgence. While he was clearly uncomfortable with his eighties pop idol identity, he is a genuinely great singer and indeed entertainer. This book gives some of the context on how he came to be a Stock Aitken Waterman signing, and his life between retiring from pop at age 27, and re-emerging as an internet phenomenon in 2006.

It feels like an honest account of his early years, as the young Rick and his siblings coped with parents who seemed largely unsuited to the job - having separated from Rick's mum, his dad moved the family into a Portakabin in the middle of a field, while his mum seemed to retreat into her own world. Adolescence was therefore difficult, and he was keen to get away from his difficult family situation, hence the attraction of the pop world.

I enjoyed the down to earth tone and his straightforward approach to life. My favourite part was when he reflects on his inability, inherited from his dad, to do nothing: finding himself up a ladder clearing his gutters at the height of his fame, he muses on whether Gary Barlow might be doing the same, and concludes he probably is not.

Fun and insightful.

[Annalisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic book, very easy reading. I could hear Rick's voice tell his story, sometimes sad, thought provoking and incredibly honest. Great detail, lots of memories from the eighties - loved it!

[Sian Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst never a fan of Rick Astley, this was a very enjoyable book. What an amazing life he has had from a very unstable childhood. Never knew the hardship & lack of parental support he experienced. What a lovely man he is despite a shaky start in life.
Being only a couple of years younger than Rick, this was a nostalgic trip down memory lane in the 80’s.
A recommended read.

[Mima. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I dare you to read it and not have ‘never gonna give you up’ run through your head. It’s impossible :)

[Nathalie Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about his childhood and his relationship with his parents. He touched on many parts of his music career journey, but didn’t really go in depth about more personal things. I would have loved to read more about his experience as a father after going through the childhood he had. I would have loved to hear more about his wife Lene. Having a lasting relationship when you are famous isn’t easy, it would have been great to learn more about them. The book had many interesting parts, but some parts were a bit slow for me. I will certainly take time to have a listen to his albums with a different perspective.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a teenager when Rick Astley made his debut, I grew up listening to his music. I’ve seen him live a few times and I’m instantly transported to my youth.

From Rick’s career with SAW, to his early retirement and his recent resurgence, this was an honest and sometimes funny, autobiography.

In another life, I think we’d be friends 😃

[Karen Osment · Rating 5 out of 5]

What else could I give it. I love this guy. A very open and honest autobiography. Really interesting especially about his musical loves mainly alternative and rock music and his amazing talent at playing so many different instruments. I didn't know he had it in him. What a guy and so glad I met him last year ❤️

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick comes across as a lovely bloke who is still rather bemused by fame. His difficult upbringing is heartbreaking but this book contains plenty of humour, fun and nostalgia to make it uplifting throughout.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much about Rick by reading this. He's more than just a song that everybody knows.

[David Dewata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Open on a lot of personal stuff. Remerging. Highly recommended.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this. Interesting account of the music Industry and how it works and impacts both positively/negatively.

[Kerstin Davin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an 80s girlie I loved this book. Interesting read into Rick’s life.

[Martine Tieleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tja, hoe zeg je iets zinnigs over een autobiografie?! Zeker een interessant boek. Helemaal als je zelf de jaren ‘80 zeer bewust hebt meegemaakt.