Rickrolling began as a bait and switch prank that spread online in 2007, borrowing Rick Astley's 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up. A link promised something exciting or relevant, but led instead to the song's music video, and the victim was said to have been Rickrolled. The joke grew from message boards to YouTube, live events and mainstream media, turning an earnest eighties pop single into a shared internet ritual. Its staying power comes from being harmless, instantly understood and easy to repeat in any new format.