Youtube Pulls Original "Rickroll" Video

@VentureBeat writes "Youtube pulled the original 'Rickroll' video Wednesday night. Don't worry, after a lot of email about the loss of such an important piece of cultural history, Youtube put it back up, saying that they're never gonna say goodbye to the video that's had over 30 million views."

Comments

Amazing How Long It's Gone On

[eldavojohn]

It's amazing how far this has gone. I saw a 'live' rick roll on some Macy's parade on the internet and I've even seen really ingenious Rick Rolls that I must admit have been humorous. But I'm a little disappointed we've been stuck on one video as there are so many others to Rick Roll people with.

Tommy Wiseau's The Room was shown on Adult Swim as an April Fool's day joke and if you think Rick Astley is cheesy you should check out the acting in this film. Be very careful and prepare yourself if you plan on watching the Rifftrax of it. I was in very serious physical pain from laughing so hard.

"Oh, hai Slashdot!"

Re:Amazing How Long It's Gone On

[DeadDecoy]

While there are many other wtf videos that could be used as prank material, it has what few other videos have: recognition as a prank video. If you were to show some random video, it wouldn't have the same 'gotcha' effect because the audience of the prank might not recognize what you're trying to do in time for the punchline. You could certainly try other videos, but I think you'd be the only one in on the joke.

Re:Amazing How Long It's Gone On

[Anonymous Coward]

What I find so interesting about this is that, in the world of web sites where a "prank" is usually going to redirect you to some kind of screaming monster or a gaping anus, the rickroll is remarkably unonfensive.

It's like one day 4chan said "Oh, sure, we can scar you, give you nightmares, make children cry. But our *best* idea is to send you a music video. Because, at heart, we're pretty decent folk."

You know, as a meta-prank, that's actually pretty scary. Like the Devil doing something nice for you, for reasons you can't understand...

Re:Amazing How Long It's Gone On

[oldspewey]

You've just been RIAA-rolled

Which poses the question:

[llvllatrix]

How do you Rickroll this video?

You just got Rick Rolled by Youtube...

[ground.zero.612]

SUCKERS!

Too much bandwidth??

[Joce640k]

That baby must have sicked up terabytes/min at its peak. You can probably trace global warming back to Rick Astley if you try.

Re:Too much bandwidth??

[Nerdfest]

In the future, the "Astley" will become the standard unit for measuring carbon emissions from computing. eg.: I switched to DC power for our servers and saved 47 Astleys annually.

Re:Too much bandwidth??

[SimonTheSoundMan]

Well, we know that:

Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5489134.ece

I'd hate to know how much CO2 was used for Rickroll.

1988

[michaelmalak]

A present-day time traveler going back to 1988 might be surprised to read this New York Times article that extols:

The hottest young English pop star of the moment is Rick Astley, a 21-year-old singer from a suburb of Manchester, whose debut single, ''Never Gonna Give You Up'' (RCA), has sold a million copies in Britain and reached No. 1 ranking in almost every other European country. The song is now rapidly climbing the United States pop charts and is the country's best-selling 12-inch single.

The record's most striking quality is Mr. Astley's voice - a rich, throbbing baritone that suggests Tom Jones crossed with Luther Vandross. It is definitely not the kind of voice one expects to hear on a contemporary dance record. Since ''Never Gonna Give You Up,'' Mr. Astley has gone on to score two more major English hits, ''Whenever You Need Somebody'' (the title song of his debut album) and a revival of ''When I Fall in Love,'' which re-creates note for note the classic Gordon Jenkins arrangement for Nat (King) Cole's 1957 recording.

Mr. Astley is the latest discovery of the successful producing and songwriting team of Stock-Aitken-Waterman, which also produces the group Bananarama. The team has popularized a streamlined homogenized pop-disco sound with an unruffled high-gloss surface that stands in marked contrast to the more angular, rhythmically inventive dance-funk of Prince and his disciples.

''I'm influenced by a lot of black American artists,'' Mr. Astley said in a recent telephone interview. ''Luther Vandross is one of my favorites, and I like James Ingram and Jeffrey Osborne.''

At least for now, Mr. Astley is content to have his voice packaged by Stock-Aiken-Waterman.

''I like dance music,'' he said. ''I'm happy doing what I'm doing and want to get more deeply into it.''

Astley's videos were a big thing at the time, coming just two years into MTV's decline that was precipitated by Viacom's purchase of it and MTV still had some of its original appeal of showing a) videos that were b) popular.

Re:1988

[GodfatherofSoul]

Regardless of what everyone else says about that song, I've always liked it. Not sure how it became synonymous with crappy pop (and there's PLENTY of that to go around). Now, the comparison to Luther Vandross by the NYT? That is downright criminal!

who built your house?

[circletimessquare]

i'll be sure to contact him, so he can collect from you everytime you open your door or flush your toilet

does that sound ridiculous? intellectual property subscribes to special rules that don't apply to real world goods?

ok, then i'll find the architect who designed your house

oh, yu say he was adequately reimbursed so he has no right to claim anymore?

ok, well the guy wrote "monster mash" was well reimbursed for performing his song decades ago

right?

if the architect has no right to claim you owe him every time you open a window, on what basis does the guy who wrote "monster mash" expect you to pay him money when you play the song DECADES later?

"Yeah, copyright enabling people to control their works and creators getting paid for other folks utilizing their works is just a crime against God and man"

you say that with sarcasm

i say the exact same thing, in complete seriousness

you honestly want to defend a system that says the grandchildren of the guy who wrote sherlock holmes stories or the song "happy birthday" deserve money for that. you honestly want to defend that notion?

not a problem

[circletimessquare]

its called technological progress. the gun did away with centuries of feudal caste systems, the nuclear bomb stopped the cold war from becoming a hot war, the printing press enabled the enlightenment and the middle class, which destroyed the political powers of religions, etc

and now, the internet has destroyed the copyright clause and 300 years of western legal tradition. its just that some fools like you don't see it yet

laws created when publishers were a small gentleman's club cannot be realistically enforced on hundreds of millions of poor, media hungry and technologically astute teenagers worldwide who have more distributor power each individually than bertelsmann plus sony plus warner brothers plus the rest did in 1985

wake up, fool

Re:not a problem

[Knara]

its called technological progress. the gun did away with centuries of feudal caste systems, the nuclear bomb stopped the cold war from becoming a hot war, the printing press enabled the enlightenment and the middle class, which destroyed the political powers of religions, etc

Your Cliff's Notes version of history is cute, but not entirely accurate. I'd like you to point out how religion and religious organizations no longer have any political power, for example.

and now, the internet has destroyed the copyright clause and 300 years of western legal tradition. its just that some fools like you don't see it yet

Yup, done away with. That's why you can still be sued for copyright infringement and lose. Obviously, the entire concept is ancient history.

laws created when publishers were a small gentleman's club cannot be realistically enforced on hundreds of millions of poor, media hungry and technologically astute teenagers worldwide who have more distributor power each individually than bertelsmann plus sony plus warner brothers plus the rest did in 1985

wake up, fool

You obviously don't understand the progress of copyright law in the western world since the Statue of Anne. Do some research, learn a little bit. Then come back and we can talk. And when you do, try to foam at the mouth a little less. It's hard on the carpet.

I dont get this rickroll thing

[unity100]

maybe because i was a teenager when this song came out, and the song was a chart topper. maybe it was compliant with music tastes of that time. i cant just understand what is so hilarious or odd about this video, and what the point of 'rickrolling' is.

Re:Maybe it is time...

[Colz Grigor]

An iTunes Gift Card that will only download "Never Gonna Give You Up"?