Song of the Moment XCVII: Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”

Yes, you read the title right. And I promise you: there are no rickrolls here.

I definitely enjoyed listening to many Nine Inch Nails songs lately (notably “Every Day is Exactly the Same”, a previous Song of the Moment). But since last weekend, I needed to slowly step out of the darkness and enjoy more light. I enjoyed the light again by listening to upbeat songs ranging from “Walking on the Sun” by Smash Mouth to “Treasure” by Bruno Mars (my ultra-talented doppelgänger, according to many people).

But the most upbeat song that stood out for me is Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”, the most popular song not just in Mr. Astley’s catalog but also on the Internet. Many people have fallen into the rickroll trap, and I’m included on that list. But Internet history aside, I believe it’s one of the best pop songs ever, and I love the fact that the chorus is a written promise of total commitment. Who doesn’t want someone who will never give up on them? Those are the reasons it’s my Song of the Moment.

The music video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”.

Oh, there’s another reason “Never Gonna Give You Up” is my Song of the Moment: Foo Fighters, my all-time favorite band, performed the song with Astley himself in 2017. Seriously, it happened! Please watch the video below. (And don’t worry, it’s a real live performance, not a rickroll. It’s more of a rickgrohl.)

Not a rickroll… Foo Fighters and Rick Astley really performed “Never Gonna Give You Up”.

See? As I promised, no rickrolls.

See you in the next post!

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Song of the Moment XCIV: The Cranberries’ “Zombie”

I felt a bit anxious today, a Sunday, so I attended Mass on my own and I went to my favorite cafe to relax. I ordered the usual (and comforting) affogato and continued reading The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, a book by my hero Dave Grohl. (Yes, I did say “my hero”, a reference to the Foo Fighters classic! Also, this is my second time reading the book, and I’m about to finish it by tomorrow.)

And for once, while I was reading, I didn’t listen to music through my phone. Tonight, I relied on the cafe’s vinyl player, and it played many songs from The Cranberries. The song that stood out for me is the iconic “Zombie”. It has been a long time since I heard “Zombie”, and hearing it brought me back to the time when cassette tapes were the norm and when the only source of stress for me was homework. Memories. And that’s why it’s my Song of the Moment.

The music video of The Cranberries’ “Zombie”.

Anyway, tomorrow is September 1. That means it’s the start of Christmas season in the Philippines. Exciting times!

See you in the next post!

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Header image: Suzy Hazelwood of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

Updated on September 3, 2025.

Song of the Moment XCIII: Daft Punk’s “Around the World”

The past few days at work have been a challenge for me because I was assigned a task that is beyond my familiar responsibilities. But there’s one thing I’m grateful for because of said task: I learned new things. Beyond the stress, there’s growth.

Anyway, when it comes to choices I made this week, I’m glad I chose to listen less to my favorite Maroon 5 song (and the most heartbreaking, in my opinion), “Back at Your Door”, and more to one of my favorite electronic dance tunes, “Around the World” by the legendary Daft Punk. And tonight, I choose to make it my Song of the Moment.

According to my weekly music stats from Last.fm, I listened to “Around the World” 20+ times so far. Why not? It’s such an amazingly hypnotic song to dance to. In fact, when I ran my only errand today, I was listening to it, and I was tempted to bust a move on the street. When I arrived home, I played it several more times, and that’s when I busted a few moves inspired by the robots, skeletons, and the tall guys in tracksuits in the music video. (You can watch the video below.)

And no one in my family complained about hearing the song’s only lyric (which is the song title) 144 times per play. Yet.

The music video of Daft Punk’s “Around the World”.

Now I’m going to drink The Devil’s Cup and listen to “Around the World” on repeat tonight. See you in the next post, and happiest weekend, everyone!

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Header image: Image of Earth by WikiImages of Pixabay. Image of stars by Hans of Pixabay. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.