When Rick Astley sang, “A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of, you wouldn’t get this from any other guy,” was he talking about an offer made by none other than Ozzy Osbourne? The ’80s pop star revealed during a recent conversation with Classic Rock magazine that the Prince of Darkness actually made him a tempting offer to recruit a backing band for the singer at the height of his pop heyday.
According to the singer, the offer came during his very first trip to the U.S. after the success of his debut album. And during that tour, he actually crossed paths with the Osbournes.
“He said, ‘Are you over here playing?’, and I said, ‘No, we’re just doing promo,’” Astley recalled. “And then went, ‘If you want to put a band together, let me know. I’ve worked with all the greats.’ And I knew he had – he’d worked with some of the best guitar players on that planet.”
Osbourne’s wife Sharon was sitting nearby at the time, and according to Astley, she quickly intervened. “Sharon just leaned over and said, ‘Will you shut up, he doesn’t want to play with your long-haired, tattooed fucking monsters’,” Astley said.
“I was gobsmacked. The fact that he recognized me for one thing, but also because he thought he could put together the appropriate band for me to go out and play ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ with. But what a lovely man for doing it.”
Over the course of his first four albums between 1987-1993, Astley amassed a wealth of hit pop singles including the breakout “Never Gonna Give You Up” as well as “Together Forever,” “She Wants to Dance With Me,” “Cry for Help” and “Hopelessly.”
Though he fell out of the public eye for a period, the advent of social media and the RickRolling craze with “Never Gonna Give You Up” revived his career, and as he’s shown upon his return, he’s quite well versed in the rock scene as well.
He struck up a friendship with Foo Fighters after covering “Everlong” and then performing a mashup with them onstage. He’s also used TikTok to cover Slipknot and performed a drum cover of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” during one of his live shows.
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Given that he’s shown his rock talents in recent years, it’s now quite interesting to see what kind of band Ozzy Osbourne might have put behind him.
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Gallery Credit: Selena Fragassi
