#Rick Astley Fans Cry Foul After Never Gonna Give You Up Music Video Gets Remastered

Someone decided to give Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” an HD makeover, and the video is drawing a lot of backlash from fans online. Initially released in 1987, the music video for the iconic song has been viewed more than 871 million times on YouTube, putting the footage among the most recognizable videos on the internet.

For many fans, it seems, the music video is perfect as is in all its grainy glory. Perhaps that’s why the remastered version of the video in 60 FPS 4K is drawing so much ire from people who love the original. As the remastered “Never Gonna Give You Up” floats around on social media, there are many Rick Astley fans who are expressing their disgust.

“Somebody remastered the Rick Astley video in 60 fps 4k and I am deeply, deeply upset,” reads one popular tweet by Zach Heltzel, including video footage of the offending remaster.

Somebody remastered the Rick Astley video in 60 fps 4k and I am deeply, deeply upset. https://t.co/qYuLrQwe0I

— Zach Heltzel (@zachheltzel) February 18, 2021

One of the replies to the tweet says, “Nothing should ever be 60FPS. I would gladly give up fighting games playing well if it means I never have to see something like this or the Hobbit ever again.” Others are similarly bemused by the video. Another tweet reads, “Ahhhh, NEVER remaster anything from the 80’s ever again.”

Ahhhh, NEVER remaster anything from the 80’s ever again.https://t.co/cRG8VAclt0

— Full-time Dad 🦞 (@Fatherof4girls) February 18, 2021

“One can not ‘remaster’ a recording beyond the quality stored in the original recordings,” said another fan. “The correct phrase is ‘Somebody AI f***eryed the Rick Astley video in 60fps and 4k’ and we should all use this more often.”

One can not “remaster” a recording beyond the the quality stored in the original recordings.

The correct phrase is “Somebody AI fuckeryed the Rick Astley video in 60fps and 4k” and we should all use this more often. https://t.co/9hIYgbsu0v

— ThumbWarriorDX (@ThumbWarriorDX) February 18, 2021

Meanwhile, another tweet that’s been retweeted more than 9,000 times includes the video and bluntly says, “THIS IS SO F***ING CURSED.”

THIS IS SO FUCKING CURSED pic.twitter.com/iEXrFYnGKj

— Purrray (@Ray_Sh0) February 17, 2021

Author Tara Lazar is disturbed for a different reason. In a tweet, she writes, “The most disturbing thing about the Rick Astley remaster is that when the song originally released, he was older than me. Now, he looks 12 (he always did) and I am met with the harsh reality of my own mortality.”

The most disturbing thing about the Rick Astley remaster is that when the song originally released, he was older than me. Now, he looks 12 (he always did) and I am met with the harsh reality of my own mortality.

— Tara Lazar (@taralazar) February 18, 2021

And some fans see a silver lining to the whole situation. As one fan puts it: “I gotta be honest… I actually really enjoy Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”, and I’m genuinely hoping that the 4k remaster results in the resurgence of the “Rick Roll” so that I can happily enjoy hearing snippets of the song whenever I open a dumb video meme.”

I gotta be honest…

I actually really enjoy Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”, and I’m genuinely hoping that the 4k remaster results in the resurgence of the “Rick Roll” so that I can happily enjoy hearing snippets of the song whenever I open a dumb video meme.

— 🌺🌼H e a t h e r🌹🌸 (@ohnoshesalive) February 18, 2021

“Never Gonna Give You Up” was an instant hit when it was released in 1987, becoming a worldwide No. 1 hit. Decades after its release, the music video and song found a resurgence in popularity on the internet as the basis of the famous “Rickrolling” meme. This involves a bait-and-switch type of online prank with users getting redirected to the Rick Astley video after clicking on a link to see something completely unrelated.

The “Never Gonna Give You Up” remastered music video appears to stem from the Revideo YouTube channel. Also featured on the channel are remastered 4K 60 FPS video of Astley’s music video for “Together Forever” and “Whenever You Need Somebody,” but I wouldn’t recommend watching them if the “Never Gonna Give You Up” video left you upset. You can watch the remastered video on YouTube.