# OK, what does rickrolled mean and where does it come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 30, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240 "2008-03-30T02:15:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/1 "2008-03-30T02:15:58Z")
I have been wandering unattended through the Dope this evening and twice now I have come across a term with which I am unfamiliar: rickrolled. Here it is, used in a sentence: [rickrolled Scientology?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=461684) What exactly does that mean and what is its origin (as in slang etc–not Latin, Greek etc)? If this belongs in GQ, despite its mundanity, please to move it. Ta. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/2 "2008-03-30T02:18:11Z")
[This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU) explains it pretty well. In short - it misleads you into thinking a link goes to something you’re interested (free porn, winning lotto numbers, the latest scandal) and instead gives you Rick Astley. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/3 "2008-03-30T02:27:05Z")
[QUOTE=Darth Sensitive] [This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU) explains it pretty well. In short - it misleads you into thinking a link goes to something you’re interested (free porn, winning lotto numbers, the latest scandal) and instead gives you Rick Astley. [/QUOTE] Do I feel a WHOOSH over my head? Seriously, that cannot be it, can it? \ Really? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/4 "2008-03-30T02:30:49Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] Do I feel a WHOOSH over my head? Seriously, that cannot be it, can it? \ Really? [/QUOTE] Yes, that’s it. It really is that stupid. ---
**Author:** ![jhinman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@jhinman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jhinman)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/5 "2008-03-30T02:31:16Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] Do I feel a WHOOSH over my head? Seriously, that cannot be it, can it? \ Really? [/QUOTE] Really. [Never Gonna Give You Up - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Gonna_Give_You_Up) ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/6 "2008-03-30T02:34:24Z")
[QUOTE=Darth Sensitive] [This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU) explains it pretty well. [/QUOTE] [Mr. Burns] Excellent![/MB] ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/7 "2008-03-30T02:35:00Z")
OK then, what does it mean when I read that someone’s cellphone was rickrolled? Glad I’m in the boonies right now! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/8 "2008-03-30T02:36:08Z")
[QUOTE=jhinman] Really. [Never Gonna Give You Up - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Gonna_Give_You_Up) [/QUOTE] Wow. Learned my something new today. Um. It was a good song when it came out. Looking at it now, the video is incredibly lame, but MTV was a new-ish thing then and every rock and pop star had to make a video (on low budgets, clearly). I kinda like rickrolling the Scientologists. I’d like to rickroll any number of people in my RL, too… Thanks for the info, all! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/9 "2008-03-30T02:37:49Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] [Mr. Burns] Excellent![/MB] [/QUOTE] Yes, it was. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/10 "2008-03-30T02:39:17Z")
[QUOTE=wikipedia] …an anonymous message board meme known as “duckrolling”… [/QUOTE] What message board did that come from? I don’t recall ever following a dopelink to a duck on wheels. I feel so left out! ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/11 "2008-03-30T02:42:04Z")
[QUOTE=Hokkaido Brit] OK then, what does it mean when I read that someone’s cellphone was rickrolled? [/QUOTE] Making their cellphone play the song. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/12 "2008-03-30T02:42:23Z")
[QUOTE=blondebear] What message board did that come from? I don’t recall ever following a dopelink to a duck on wheels. I feel so left out! [/QUOTE] I don’t know, but I like the play on themes with blind links leading to ducks (like duck blinds…–never mind). I hate those java scripted things, though, where you can just back out of the site. Drive me nuts, those do. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/13 "2008-03-30T02:45:33Z")
[QUOTE=Hokkaido Brit] OK then, what does it mean when I read that someone’s cellphone was rickrolled? [/QUOTE] Someone set up a web site where you enter a phone number, and the site calls them with that stupid song. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/14 "2008-03-30T02:45:47Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] Making their cellphone play the song. [/QUOTE] Ah! That’s not quite as bad as I’d imagined. I envisaged your entire address book being changed to call a site where you listen to it. That would really ruin my week… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/15 "2008-03-30T06:00:40Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] Looking at it now, the video is incredibly lame, but MTV was a new-ish thing then and every rock and pop star had to make a video (on low budgets, clearly). [/QUOTE] Rick Astley is a “Stock, Aitken, and Waterman” alumni, along with Kylie Minogue, and Mel & Kim, and a couple of others I’ve mercifully forgotten, and all their music videos were equally as lame as each other. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/16 "2008-03-30T06:41:08Z")
Where does the ‘rolled’ come from? ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/17 "2008-03-30T07:23:12Z")
[QUOTE=Absolute] Where does the ‘rolled’ come from? [/QUOTE] I’ve hear the term “rolled” used to describe an assault or mugging. Perhaps it’s used in that sense. More [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU). ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/18 "2008-03-30T21:06:17Z")
[QUOTE=Darth Sensitive] [This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU) explains it pretty well. [/QUOTE] Why does it tell me “This video not available in your country”? ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/19 "2008-03-30T21:47:43Z")
[QUOTE=Absolute] Where does the ‘rolled’ come from? [/QUOTE] Before rickrolling there was duckrolling, which was linking to a picture of a duck on wheels. This is a total guess, but “duckrolling” might have been so named because you link to a picture of a “rolling duck”. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240/20 "2008-03-30T22:38:04Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] Why does it tell me “This video not available in your country”? [/QUOTE] No freakin’ clue. It’s now unavailable for me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-what-does-rickrolled-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/443240.md?page=2)