The Muppets Got It Right: Ten Great Freddie Mercury and Queen Moments

Every once in a while something happens that brings a band back to the surface, makes us reevaluate them and prompts us to scratch our heads and wonder, "Why now?" Take Queen. Their influence is all over Adam Lambert's new album, from the production and layered vocals to Lambert's slicked-back leather-boy look. This week the Muppets' version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" went wonderfully viral. The entire emo movement looks, in hindsight, like one big Queen ripoff. And then there's the publication of the definitive Queen biography, which West Coast Sound's Siran Babayan wrote about last week.

Critics have long lambasted Queen. The Rolling Stone and Creem mag posses were notoriously dismissive of the British band's output during the band's heyday, even though the four-piece were one of the only of the 1970s glam movement to actually cross over and achieve international fame.

About ten years ago the Flaming Lips gigged Lollapalooza, and one of their encores was a remarkable version of "Under Pressure." The performance single-handedly prompted us to reconsider the brow-beaten Rolling Stone mag opinion that Queen were disposable. We've never looked back.

This version is amazing for any number of reasons, but we included it because of those short-shorts!

While skinny butts were all the rage in the 1970s, Queen stepped up and shouted for all to hear: "Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round."

Genius pop single that highlights the strength and dexterity of Freddie Mercury's voice.

One of the great Queen songs, Mercury's pop sensibilities mesh beautifully with his chrome-toned throat.

A lesser-known Queen song with a typically brilliant structure that wends and roams all over the place without seeming at all self-indulgent.

Frickin' weird video that Adam Lambert would be smart to steal from, fashion-wise.

One of our favorite Queen songs, one so tender and honest that even the jaded among us can't help but sing along.

Evidence of genius: This a capella version of "Killer Queen." Could someone remix this with a hip hop beat already?

Pure beauty. Nuff said.

Here's this because you should watch it.