Richard Paul Astley is an English singer. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album Whenever You Need Somebody, which sold 15 million copies worldwide. His debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a No. 1 hit in 25 countries, winning the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single. His 1988 single "Together Forever" became his second song to top the US Billboard Hot 100 and was one of his eight songs to reach the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The title track, "Whenever You Need Somebody", was also a No. 1 hit.
"Ain't Too Proud to Beg" is a 1966 song and hit single by the Temptations for Motown Records' Gordy label, produced by Norman Whitfield and written by Whitfield and Edward Holland Jr. The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Pop Chart, and was a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B charts for eight non-consecutive weeks. The song's success, in the wake of the relative underperformance of the previous Temptations' single, "Get Ready", resulted in Norman Whitfield replacing Smokey Robinson, producer of "Get Ready", as the Temptations' main producer. In 2004 it finished number 94 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs poll thanks to its inclusion in The Big Chill soundtrack.
"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes' last film One Minute to Zero as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952.
"Never Gonna Give You Up" is a song by English singer Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released by RCA Records as the first single from Astley's debut studio album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song became a worldwide hit, initially in the United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It eventually topped charts in 25 different countries, including the United States and West Germany, and winning Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The song is widely regarded as Astley's most popular, as well as his signature song, and it is often played at the end of his live concerts.
"Together Forever" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley and released by RCA and BMG as the fourth single from his debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song reached number two in the United Kingdom, behind Neighbours star and fellow Stock Aitken Waterman artist Kylie Minogue's debut single "I Should Be So Lucky". The single was a worldwide hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 18 June 1988, becoming Astley's second US chart-topper. It also topped the charts in Canada, Ireland and Spain, and was a top ten hits in many European countries.
"This Time I Know It's for Real" is a song by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on February 13, 1989, as the first single from her 14th studio album, Another Place and Time (1989), by Atlantic Records and Warner Bros. Records. Like the rest of the album, the song was written and produced by the British Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) team, though Summer also had a hand in writing this song.
"Love in the First Degree" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987). It was released on 28 September 1987 as the album's second single, except in the United States, where it was released in 1988 as the third single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. It achieved major success in the UK and Australia, and also peaked within the top 20 in many European countries, but, unlike "I Heard a Rumour", it reached only the lower end of the top 50 in the US.
"I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" is a song by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was the second single from Another Place and Time and, like other tracks from the album, was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. The song was remixed from the album version and released on May 8, 1989, by Warner Bros. Records, in several European countries. It was a top ten hit in UK and the second most-successful single from the album, behind "This Time I Know It's for Real".
"I Just Don't Have the Heart" is a song by British singer Cliff Richard, released as the second single from his 1989 album Stronger. It was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) and became another UK top ten hit for him, peaking at number three.
"Whenever You Need Somebody" is a song written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, which became successful for two of their artists, namely O'Chi Brown and Rick Astley.
Hold Me in Your Arms is the second studio album by English singer Rick Astley, released on 26 November 1988 by RCA Records. It is the follow-up to his successful debut album Whenever You Need Somebody, and was his last album produced and written with the Stock Aitken Waterman team. It continued Astley's success, with the three UK singles from the album becoming top ten hits, and it achieving Platinum and Gold certifications worldwide.
Greatest Hits is a compilation by English singer Rick Astley released in the UK in 2002 and in the US a year later. While the American version features alternate mixes focused between 1987 and 1991, the European version features hits up to his 2002 album Keep It Turned On. It sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and was certified gold by the BPI. The UK release saw the debut appearance of Astley's 2001 single "Sleeping", thus making it a brand-new track for listeners.
The discography of English singer and songwriter Rick Astley consists of nine studio albums, five compilation albums, two remix albums, and twenty-four singles.
"Take Me to Your Heart" is a 1988 song recorded by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, the song was released the same year as the second single from the album, Hold Me in Your Arms. Not released in North America, it was a success on the UK Singles Chart where it peaked at number 8 and was also a top ten and a top 20 in many European other countries.
"My Arms Keep Missing You" is a song by Rick Astley released in 1987 as the second half of a double A-side single. The first A-side is the pop standard "When I Fall in Love". "My Arms Keep Missing You" was released as an independent single in Germany and reached number 6. The song's first appearance on an album was the 2002 compilation Greatest Hits, and it later appeared on the 2010 expanded version of Hold Me in Your Arms as a bonus track. The song also appeared on the remastered edition of Whenever You Need Somebody, which was released on 20 May 2022. In addition, a digital EP was released on 13 April 2022, including the single and its remixes. The song was also included on a limited edition 12" double A-side red vinyl issue of the "Love This Christmas" single, along with "When I Fall in Love".
"Hopelessly" is a pop song performed by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley and written by Rob Fisher and Astley. It was produced by Gary Stevenson and Astley. The song was recorded for Astley's fourth album, Body & Soul (1993). It was released as the album's second and first single on 3 April 1993 by RCA Records. The single peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart, number 28 in the US and at number eight in Canada. It is still a recurrent play on most North America hot AC stations, given the fact that it was a hit single in that format. It was featured on the compilation Reflections of Love.
"Every Day (I Love You More)" is a 1989 song recorded by Australian singer Jason Donovan. It was released on 28 August 1989 as the fifth and final single from his debut album, Ten Good Reasons. As with Donovan's other songs at the time, it was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. It was the least successful release from the album, although it was a hit in the UK and Ireland.
"Listen to Your Heart" is a song written, arranged and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) for Sonia's debut studio album, Everybody Knows (1990). Released in November 1989 as the album's third single, it reached number ten on the UK Singles Chart and number 22 in Ireland. The B-side was Sonia's version of "Better Than Ever" which was originally recorded by Lisa Fabien and was not included on the original release of her debut album.
"She Wants to Dance with Me" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley, released as the lead single from his second studio album, Hold Me in Your Arms (1988). The song was released in United Kingdom on September 12, 1988 by RCA, and became an international success, peaking in the top ten in many countries, including Canada, where it topped the chart, and the US and the UK, where it reached number six. In 2019, Astley recorded and released a "reimagined" version of the song for his album The Best of Me.
"Wouldn't Change a Thing" is a song performed by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, recorded for her second studio album Enjoy Yourself (1989). The song was written by Stock Aitken Waterman, and was released on 24 July 1989 by Mushroom and PWL Records. The song was released as the second single off the album.
