Hollywood RecordsQueen‘s Brian May and Roger Taylor have delivered a yuletide gift to fans in the form of a new animated video for the band’s 1984 holiday single “Thank God It’s Christmas,” which you can watch now on YouTube.
“Thank God It’s Christmas” was a rare song co-written by May and Taylor. It reached #21 on the U.K. singles chart in early 1985. In 1995, it was re-released as the B-side of the top 10 Queen U.K. hit “A Winter’s Tale,” and also appears on the group’s 1999 Greatest Hits III compilation.
The new video, which can be viewed both with and without lyrics, depicts a snowy winter scene in a city. We first see a man sitting on a bench surrounded by apartment buildings who is approached by a red fox. The clip then pans up one building to show people in various apartments involved in a variety holiday-themed activities. We eventually see a group of people on the roof watching the Northern Lights in the wintry sky. As the video ends, we see the man who was sitting on the bench now on the roof, petting the fox.
Brian and Roger came up with the concept for the clip. Taylor explains, “Ironically, Christmas tends to be such a stressful time for so many of us. So many emotions, joyful memories of past Christmas[es] as delighted children and responsible adults/parents. It’s just a great relief when it finally happens.”
May adds, “The video goes a little further by including a subtle reminder that we as humans now need to feel a responsibility for the welfare of ALL creatures on Earth — not just for our own benefit, and that of our grandchildren, but out of respect for the rights of the animals themselves.”
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