Queen have paired their rare and festive 1984 single “Thank God It’s Christmas” with a new animated video.
The visual, directed by animator Justin Moon, captures the holiday season through the perspective of an apartment building, with all the tenants celebrating Christmas in their own unique ways. At video’s end, the tenants congregate on the building’s roof to watch the snow fall and the Northern Lights.
“Thank God It’s Christmas” was released as a non-album single in 1984, spending six months on the charts that holiday season before it was released on Queen’s Greatest Hits III in 1999.
Brian May said of the re-release in a statement, “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.”
Roger Taylor added, “Ironically, Christmas tends to be such a stressful time for so many of us. So many emotions, joyful memories of past Christmas’ as delighted children and responsible adults / parents. It’s just a great relief when it finally happens.”
The band also posted a new lyric video for the track:
Along with the videos, May and Taylor, who co-wrote the Christmas single together, shared a Christmas message to fans on their Instagrams:
