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Urlesque counts down the top 100 viral videos in the history of the web.
The rickroll phenomenon is far and away the most popular and widespread bait and switch in Internet history. Many an unsuspecting internet user has clicked a link expecting to find information they've been looking for, or to see the "cool link" from a friend, only to find themselves moments later watching the video for Rick Astley's 1987 hit 'Never Gonna Give You Up.'


According to Wikipedia, "the first known instance of rickroll occurred in May 2007 on 4chan's video game board, where a link to the Rick Astley video was claimed to be a mirror of the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV".

The video has since garnered more than 40 million YouTube views (through multiple uploads), and the Rickroll has extended beyond the Internet and into the real world. For example, Astley appeared midway through a performance on the 'Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends' float at the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and performed 'Never Gonna Give You Up' to a surprised crowd and national TV audience.

Barackroll, a popular offshoot of the Rickroll, was produced in 2008 by an Australian lawyer named Hugh Matkin. The video featured clips of then Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama speaking the words to the song. Barackroll has since been viewed more than six million times.