English singer-songwriter Rick Astley’s 1987 hit song, Never Gonna Give You Up, is currently the talk of the nation. Wonder why? Well, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 Mathematics paper held on Monday, March 9 had a QR code printed on the paper that reportedly led to the ‘Rickroll’ prank. The code led users to Rick Astley’s 1987 hit song, Never Gonna Give You Up. Here’s all you need to know about the song.
All about Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up song
Rick Astley featured on the video of his song, Never Gonna Give You Up, which had first released on 1987. The track continues to enjoy a cult viewership on YouTube and has 1.7 billion views on the platform. The track, which was never forgotten by its listeners, has once again come to the forefront after its CBSE maths paper feature.
The track was posted on Rick Astley’s official YT page 16 years ago. The logline of the song reads: ““Never Gonna Give You Up” was a global smash on its release in July 1987, topping the charts in 25 countries including Rick’s native UK and the US Billboard Hot 100. It also won the Brit Award for Best single in 1988. Stock Aitken and Waterman wrote and produced the track which was the lead-off single and lead track from Rick’s debut LP “Whenever You Need Somebody”. The album was itself a UK number one and would go on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide. The legendary video was directed by Simon West – who later went on to make Hollywood blockbusters such as Con Air, Lara Croft – Tomb Raider and The Expendables 2. The video passed the 1bn YouTube views milestone on 28 July 2021.” Watch it here:
Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up on CBSE Maths paper
Meanwhile, the unexpected QR code link of the Never Gonna Give You Up song on CBSE maths paper has raised several questions among on the seriousness of the board in conducting the examination. QR codes are included in question papers as a security feature to help prevent leaks and strengthen the integrity of the exam process.
CBSE has now issued a clarification on the ‘Rickroll’ prank, stating, “It is hereby confirmed by the Board that the question papers are genuine. The security of the question papers remains uncompromised.” India TV Digital had previously raised the issue with CBSE for a clarification on the matter.
