In a year packed full of surprises, this is still pretty surprising. 80s pop star and self-confessed Foo Fighters fan, Rick Astley has shared a new cover of the Foo Fighters’ massive 1997 single, “Everlong” saying, “Sometimes you just have to find the song that’s gonna lift your spirits and put you in another place, and I’ve been doing that a lot recently with music.”

“And one of the bands I always go to – believe it or not – is Foo Fighters, so here we go. Here’s my version of a song of their’s called ‘Everlong’.” And – believe it or not – Astley delivers a great rendition. Watch below. 

Rick Astley | “Everlong” by Foo Fighters 

However, the song choice also doesn’t come from so far out of left field as you might think. Astley first struck up a friendship with Dave Grohl at Japan’s Summer Sonic festival back in 2017 when the Foo’s frontman invited him to join the band onstage for one of the most epic rickrolls of all time. Apparently putting Astley on the spot, Foo Fighter’s bust out the intro of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” before breaking into a surprisingly satisfying, hard-hitting rendition of  Astley’s 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.” 

Rick Astley & Foo Fighters | “Never Gonna Give You Up” [Summer Sonic 2017, Japan]

Talking to NME about the guest appearance came about, Astley confessed, “I never met them [before], I have no idea why [Grohl would] invite me onstage.”

“I didn’t know what it was all about. And then he just kind of whispered and said, ‘We’re doing your tune, but we’re gonna do it like ‘Teen Spirit”, and that was it. And off we went.”

Since, the pair have reunited on several occasions  – including at last year’s Reading Festival and a Club NME event where Dave Grohl performed a solo set featuring Astley on drums for “Times Like These” and “Never Gonna Give You Up” with Grohl on vocals which you can watch here. 

We can't wait to see what this bromance brings next!

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