I may well be one of the last people to know about this, but I thought it was pretty cool and thought I’d share it with you.
I’ve long been a huge Queen fan. I remember writing out the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody by hand, copying them carefully from the album liner of my mother’s copy of A Night at the Opera, when I was about eight years old. They’ve always been one of my favourite bands, and I think the loss of Freddie Mercury is on par with John Lennon’s death.
I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I heard that band members Brian May and Roger Taylor had reformed the group with new lead singer Paul Rodgers. Who could ever fill Freddie Mercury’s shoes?
But then I heard that they released a free single called “Say It’s Not True” and I had to check it out. The single was originally written back in 2003 to support Nelson Mandela’s 46664 World AIDS Day fundraising concert. It was recorded as a single this year and released for free download on December 1st, World AIDS Day. From the official QueenOnline site, Roger Taylor said:
“By making the song available for free we hope to help Madiba [Nelson Mandela] with his campaign to get across the message that no-one is safe from infection. We have to be aware, we have to protect ourselves and those we love. The song follows the line of his personal message: it’s in our own hands to bring a stop to this.”
I think it’s a great new song, and a lovely tribute to both Nelson Mandela and Freddie Mercury. You can download it for free from QueenOnline.
Free music not your thing? How about Free Rice? I first saw this nifty little vocabulary game that lets you donate grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program while demonstrating your wordy prowess at Bub and Pie’s place, but it’s been all over since then. (Warning: it’s very addictive! Don’t click through unless you have some time to play!! And don’t be lulled into a false sense of security – they get harder as you go along.)
Ooh, you’re right. It’s very addictive. They’ve issued a challenge in their FAQs, too, saying that few people should expect to get by level 48 (of 50). If you see me all bleary-eyed around town or hear a man’s voice asking someone to shut the darn computer and come to bed, it’ll be your fault.
I love Queen. I’ll have to check out the song. Thanks, Dani.