Google's blue moonlit doodle celebrates Debussy

In a world of despair, betrayal, and terrible covers of famous songs, you need soothing.

Often, there's no one there to do it. Sometimes, though, Google has this sweet habit of trying to do it for you.

So August 22 will be a day when, whatever bad comes to pass, you can take a moonlit stroll down a riverside, with Achille-Claude Debussy's "Clair De Lune" as your background music.

Debussy was born 151 years ago Thursday. And, as is Google's desire sometimes, its doodlers don't care which birthday it is. They just believe it's time to honor that person with a doodle.

Should you be unaware of Debussy, you must have heard his music in an elevator, restaurant, advertisement or massage room some time in the last 100 years.

In the early 20th century when Debussy was debuting his thing, people compared him to Impressionist painters. He hated it, of course, but then he was an artist.

They're supposed to hate comparisons.

Here, though, we have lights that switch on and off, just like the modern attention span.

People pass by, just as they do in real life, looking for something or nothing.

The animation rolls languidly until two people in boats that pass in the night share a red umbrella.

Yes, we all seek to find that one person with whom to share an umbrella at night.

When two boats become one, it's so much easier to stay afloat, isn't it?