This document analyzes and summarizes key aspects of Rick Astley's music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up". It discusses how the video fulfills conventions of 1980s pop music videos through its staging of Astley's performance and inclusion of close-ups. It also analyzes how the visuals relate to and sometimes contradict the lyrics, and how the dancing amplifies the significance of the music. The treatment of women in the video and camera angles enhance the voyeuristic nature of the viewing experience. The video also references Astley's style and persona across his various music videos to develop his identity. Overall, the video takes a performance-based approach through its staging of Astley in different locations.

1. never gonna give you up
rick astley

2. andrew goodwin - demonstrates genre conventions
typical conventions of a pop music video that have been
fulfilled include:
- stage performance from the artist → in the
introducing shot, rick astley is shown to be
dancing in front of a microphone which is a
common feature of an 80s pop music video.
- close-ups of the artists face → there are
numerous close-ups of rick astley’s face
throughout the video.
- inclusion of women who fulfil traditional gender
norms → the women in the video are shown to be
simply there for voyeuristic purposes (laura
mulvey), shown to be dancing and mostly being
there for show rather than anything else.

3. andrew goodwin - relationship between lyrics and
visuals
illustrative:
- when the lyric “up” is sung, rick astley
points upwards with his finger.
- when the lyric “heart” is sung, he places his
hand on his heart.
contradicting:
- on two accounts, when the lyrics “never
gonna make you cry” are sung, the visuals
seem to be very happy which is unexpected,
with either the barman dancing or rick
astley smiling.

4. andrew goodwin - relationship between music and
visuals
pop music was and still is traditionally
used for dance music, and this is
made clear in the seemingly
spontaneous dancing that is included
in ‘never gonna give you up’. the artist
and the other characters in the video
are constantly dancing which
amplifies the significance of the
music with the visuals

5. andrew goodwin - demands of the record label
as mentioned previously, there are
many different close-ups that have
been used of the artists face
throughout the music video.
a feature of rick astley that is shown
throughout his various music videos is
his tall ginger-brown hair from which
the audience are able to recognise
him.

6. andrew goodwin - notion of looking
as mentioned briefly in a previous slide,
the treatment of women in this video is
voyeuristic. they are used as backing
dancers, wearing either tight, short skirts,
low cut sleeveless dresses or tops that
bare the shoulders. they frequently make
direct eye contact with the audience
through the camera. there is a scene in
which a woman is dancing as if she doesn’t
realise that a camera is there, and this
enhances the idea of scopophilia, that the
audience are looking into something that
they aren’t supposed to be looking into.

7. andrew goodwin - intertextual references
although there isn’t any explicit
intertextuality as such, the music
video does reference a few of rick
astley’s other music videos, especially
in terms of how the artist presents
himself. he seems to use his music
videos to create an identity, and this
is showcased throughout his music
videos.

8. andrew goodwin - performance, narrative or
concept
it is evident that this music video is
performance-based. rick astley is
shows performing the song in various
places, such as on a stage in an empty
hall, or outside in the sun, or in a
secluded dark area. these different
locations help to build a connection
with the audience to make them feel
as if they are “travelling” with him.