Google Doodle Honors Freddie Mercury's 65th Birthday
[There was a video here]
Today marks the 65th birthday anniversary of legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, and to celebrate the Googles have come up with this animated tribute inspired by the late, great(est) singer's lyrics, whimsical style, and flashy stage costumes.
Jennifer Hom, who led the Doodle team in both ideas and Freddie fandom, says she and her colleagues spent about three months studying Queen records and assembling their animation, which they'd hoped would turn out to be "just as colorful" as its subject. The end result works well, and even makes good use of "Don't Stop Me Now"—a song off the band's 1978 Jazz that we're admittedly not super-fond of (most of our favorites are on the first five records, with the entirety of A Night at the Opera—aka "the one with 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on it"—at the top of the list, earning 11 out of 10 stars). Clocking in at 98 seconds, the Doodle is Google's second-longest after their two-minute tribute to Charlie Chaplin. Big fans of legendary mustaches over there, it seems! No complaints so far.
Mercury's death in 1991 from AIDS-related complications led to the establishment of the Freddie Mercury Phoenix Trust, which is also honoring the singer's birthday by hosting its annual "Freddie for a Day"—part of its fund-raising efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A great (and perhaps the only) reason to wear a bright yellow jacket. [NBC]