Trending on YouTube today, and the Google homepage, is a tribute to legendary rockstar and Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury. The occasion? It would have been his 65th birthday yesterday, but because of Labor Day, Google decided to let the doodle stay up today.
The doodle is the band onstage, and when clicked, a short video plays and the doodle comes to life. The animation shows off Mercury's stage outfits and also functions as a music video for their song, Don't Stop Me Now. But of course Google has to throw their logo in there numerous times, lighting up on stage, or on the road or in outer space, with the site's signature primary colors sprinkled in.
But that's not all Google is doing to honor Mercury's legacy.
To celebrate his birthday further, there's a guest blog post by Queen founding member, guitarist, and songwriter Brian May that recalls:
"To create with Freddie was always stimulating to the max. He was daring, always sensing a way to get outside the box. Sometimes he was too far out ... and he'd usually be the first to realise it. With a conspiratorial smile he would say 'Oh ... did I lose it, dears?!' But usually there was sense in his nonsense—art in his madness. It was liberating. I think he encouraged us all in his way, to believe in our own madness, and the collective mad power of the group Queen."
And it doesn't stop there. Featured in YouTube's homepage spotlight is a free stream of one of the greatest Queen concerts of all time, the 1986 Wembley Stadium show in London, and other Queen footage.
There are a slew of celebrities and artists who also wished Freddie a happy birthday, including Katy Perry, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, and more.
Another way you can celebrate Freddie's birthday is to visit www.freddieforaday.com, which is a fun way to raise money for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the HIV/AIDS charity setup in Freddie's name in 1992. The trust has given away over 15 million dollars to over 300 charities in its global work to fight HIV/AIDS. The site encourages people to dress up as Freddie for a day, wether is be an entire costume or even just the mustache, all of which can be bought on the bands website. Once you have your costume, you can find people to sponsor you, and have the money go to the trust.
There are Google Doodles almost every day, and it sure takes a lot for them to stand out. This one definitely goes in the books as one of Google's best homepage reimaginings of its logo, but who can forget John Lennon's 70th birthday animated doodle last year, and the playable Les Paul tribute?
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