After more than twenty years since Rick Astley’s "Never Gonna Give You Up" topped the Billboard Hot 100, this idiosyncratic dance music is once again hitting the public consciousness thanks to the phenomenon known as "RickRolling."

Around March 2007, bloggers and online social networkers started this internet hype by linking random items to the song’s nostalgically ’80s music video via YouTube. RickRolling was initiated to psych-out readers who would click on enticing hyperlinks, only to fall prey to a young Astley’s blonde bouffant and characteristic dance moves.

RickRolling has since started a wave internet fanaticism taking a life of its own. Avid YouTube users have started creating their own lip-synced renditions of the song. The phenomenon has then prompted digital sales for the track, which has sold at least 1,000 downloads per week since late December and peaked with 2,500 sales the week of March 9.

On April Fools’ Day, YouTube RickRolled users by linking to the video on all of its home-page features. Other online outlets such as Sports Illustrated and Live Journal followed suit. Altogether, the video was viewed 6.6 million times in one day, generating 43,000 user comments and boosting the track to No. 77 at Amazon’s download store.

"YouTube brought (RickRolling) to our attention late last year and were able to track the sources of the hits," says Sam Gomez, VP of digital marketing for Sony BMG’s commercial music group of Sony BMG, Astley’s label.

"Then about a month ago we were approached with the idea of the April Fools’ prank. Rick and his manager loved it. So we wanted to have fun with this."

According to Gomez the internet campaign was all made possible through the alliance that Sony BMG made with Google and YouTube in 2006 for access to its back catalog of videos.

Sony BMG has issued "Never Gonna Give You Up" as a ringtone, and is considering another greatest-hits release for 2008 in the United Kingdom. Three of Astley’s albums – his debut, "Whenever You Need Somebody"; "Greatest Hits"; and "Platinum & Gold Collection" – remain in print in the United States via Sony BMG’s RCA/Legacy label.

Currently the Rick Roll video on YouTube has registered almost 10 Million views and counting.