Rick Astley performed covers of Olivia Rodrigo‘s ‘Driver’s Licence’ and Ed Sheeran‘s ‘Shape Of You’ during his recent appearance in the BBC Radio 2 Piano Room – check them out below.
The star performed his 1987 hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, which integrated a string melody of Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’ at BBC’s Maida Vale Studios last week.
He also sang a dramatic rendition of Rodrigo’s 2021 song ‘Drivers License’, complete with a full orchestral arrangement and backing singers.
Watch the two performances below.
It’s no secret that the ’80s star is a big fan of covers, having formed a Smiths covers band with Blossoms.
Astley made headlines in 2021 when he joined Blossoms on stage in London to perform a number of Smiths covers, before they went on to perform a number of full gigs dedicated to the indie legends.
While former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr wasn’t too pleased about having not been told about it – later telling NME that he’d been in touch with Blossoms and “dealt with it” – Blossoms and Astley even went on to perform at Glastonbury together in 2023.
“I can’t tell you how much I love doing this,” Astley told NME of the covers band. “I know it’s sacrilege and they should hang the lot of us on the line for doing it, but I also just don’t care. I’m 57. I’ve talked it over with the guys from Blossoms many times and said, ‘If at any moment any of you decide that you don’t want to do this, just holler’. They’re in the middle of their career, four albums in. I’ve got nothing to lose. You can hang me, you can do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter.”
Back in September, Astley covered Foo Fighters’ ‘Everlong’, joking to the crows that he likes “playing other people’s songs”.
The post Watch Rick Astley cover Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Driver’s Licence’ and Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’ appeared first on NME.
