After months of speculation, the John Lewis Christmas advert has finally been released and, as many online suspected, it’s a tribute to one of Britain’s most iconic musical talents, Sir Elton John.
The two-minute film takes viewers on a retrospective journey, depicting key moments in the entertainer's career, while his famous track “Your Song” plays.
Spanning from the 1950s when a young Elton John is gifted a piano by his family for Christmas, we see the singer performing in a local pub, playing a stadium show and singing on his tour plane.
Sir Elton said: "The John Lewis Christmas campaign has so many warm memories for me and my family. It's been a lovely opportunity for me to reflect on my life in music and the incredible journey I have been on, and how first playing my Grandmother's piano marks the moment when music came into my life. The ad is absolutely fantastic and I've truly loved every minute of being a part of it.”
The rumours
John Lewis has kept its 2018 Christmas campaign tightly under wraps, being careful not to spill any details ahead of the official release.
Nevertheless, it being one of the most hotly anticipated Christmas adverts, every year has led fans across the internet to avidly speculate as to what the short film will consist of.
So far, one of the biggest rumours surrounding the campaign has been around what song will soundtrack it.
Previous adverts have included covers of classic songs by up-and-coming artists, such as Ellie Goulding's rendition of Elton John's “Your Song” in 2010 and Tom Odell's heartfelt cover of “Real Love” by John Lennon.
This year, social media gossip has suggested the retailer is returning to Elton John, this time singing his own material.
It's not clear from where the rumour originated, though some linked it to the incoming biopic on the singer's life, Rocketman, which is due out next year.
On Wednesday, a change to the retailer's store front added fuel to this particular rumour's fire, removing the word “Lewis” from its Oxford Street branch, leaving just the word “John” above the door - something eagle-eyed tweeters, suspect might be a reference to the musician.
John, Elton John? Ooh you tease @jlandpartners#johnlewis https://t.co/8Wa8t3GQe8
— Alexandra Stamp (@AlexBStamp) November 14, 2018
John Lewis have thus far declined to comment on whether or not the rumours are well-founded, and whether or not Sir Elton John will feature in this year's campaign.
A false alarm
On 5 November, a video circulated the internet of an astronaut playing the piano to the tune of Elton John's hit track Rocket Man, sparking media brands to speculate if it was a clip from the impending John Lewis Christmas ad.
John Lewis and Partners vehemently denied the clip was from their Christmas campaign and radio presenter Chris Moyles soon spoke up, admitting that the Rocket Man video was his own spoof creation.
John Lewis managed to see the funny side of the prank, responding in a tweet to Moyles that called on him audition for next year's ad.
While we wait for the release of the newest advert, here is our ranking of the best and worst John Lewis Christmas ad songs.
The advert has arrived!
After months of speculation, the John Lewis Christmas advert has finally landed and, as many online theories suggested, it's a tribute to one of Britain's most iconic musical talents, Sir Elton John.
The two-minute film takes is a retrospective journey of the entertainer's career, while his famous track "Your Song" plays. Well, nostalgia is the currency at Christmas, right?
Spanning from the 1950s when a young Sir Elton is gifted a piano by his family for Christmas, we see the singer performing in a local pub, playing a stadium show and singing on his tour plane.
For more information on the inspiration behind the advert see our news story below:
As for the singer himself, Sir Elton has labelled the advert "fantastic".
"The John Lewis Christmas campaign has so many warm memories for me and my family. It's been a lovely opportunity for me to reflect on my life in music and the incredible journey I have been on, and how first playing my Grandmother's piano marks the moment when music came into my life. The ad is absolutely fantastic and I've truly loved every minute of being a part of it."
"The John Lewis Christmas campaign has so many warm memories for me and my family. It's been a lovely opportunity for me to reflect on my life in music and the incredible journey I have been on, and how first playing my Grandmother's piano marks the moment when music came into my life. The ad is absolutely fantastic and I've truly loved every minute of being a part of it."
"Few songs are as enduring as Elton John’s first hit single, “Your Song”. Written when he was 17 years old with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, it finds beauty in its simplicity. Taupin often claims a good song should never take longer than half an hour to write. “Your Song” took 10 minutes."
Heres our Music Corespondent, Roisin O'Connor, with her take on this year's John Lewis advert:
Was the advert teased out last night?
The John Lewis Christmas campaign has now officially launched, but savvy fans noticed that the ad was alluded to in Wednesday evening's episode of Coronation Street.
Viewers were left confused by a change to the ITV soap's iconic theme tune, which was replaced with a more melodic piano-based song. Now that the John Lewis ad is out, people will notice that the new music was a snippet from its soundtrack, which is "Your Song" by Sir Elton John.
Though fans didn't know it at the time, the change-up was an intentional move from the broadcaster to hint that they will be the first channel to show the John Lewis ad on TV this evening at 9.15pm.
John Lewis to start selling pianos because of the brand's Christmas ad
The John Lewis & Partners Christmas ad tells the story of how Sir Elton John began to hone his musical talents as a young boy, after his grandmother bought him a piano.
The main message of the ad, named The Boy and the Piano, is that you never know how important a single gift can be to someone, and the possibilities it could lead to.
Now, the British retail chain has announced it will start selling pianos in light of the campaign.
Some shoppers were surprised to learn that John Lewis didn't already sell the musical instruments. Others wanted to know where Elton John's first piano was from, with many speculating it would not have been from John Lewis.
Fans have mixed reactions to the ad
After weeks of speculation, the John Lewis & Partners Christmas campaign has finally been released.
The Boy and the Piano, as it's named, stars Sir Elton John and takes viewers on a retrospective journey through the British musician's long and impressive career, which began the moment his grandmother bought him his first piano, so the ad suggests.
But fans hold the annual John Lewis Christmas ad very dear to their hearts and the responses have been a mixed bag thus far.
Some people have relished in the Elton John theme, which marks the first time the campaign has featured a celebrity of John's status - in previous years, the soundtrack has always been sung by up-and-coming artists.
Meanwhile, others have expressed disappointment at the ad, arguing that it feels distinctively "un-Christmassy".
Viewers accuse John Lewis of 'stealing the trailer' for Rocketman
Fans are complaining on social media that the John Lewis & Partners Christmas ad, which stars Sir Elton John, is essentially just an extended trailer for Rocketman, the upcoming biopic based on the life of the British musician, which comes out in May 2019.
While representatives from the retail chain have insisted that the timing is purely coincidental, some viewers are adamant that John Lewis is "capitalising" on the current media attention surrounding the singer, who is about to embark on a "farewell" tour.
Others have teasingly congratulated the marketing team for Rocketman, saying that the John Lewis ad is "more about promoting" the biopic than Christmas itself.
Some fans have said they prefer the Sainsbury's Christmas campaign
Now that John Lewis & Partners has unveiled its annual Christmas ad, which stars Sir Elton John, a heated debate has begun as fans argue over which British retailer has done the best festive campaign.
While the John Lewis offering is often cited as a favourite, this year it seems that many people actually prefer the ad by Sainsbury's, which sees an eight-year-old girl named Tia give a stellar performance of the New Radicals’ beloved hit, “You Get What You Give”.
Some viewers said the supermarket's campaign, which sees a cast of talented young children perform in a nativity play, offered something more sentimental than John Lewis' ad, which tells the story of how Sir Elton John came to be the iconic musician he is today through a series of flashbacks.
One moment from the Sainsbury's ad that fans seem to particularly enjoy is when a young boy, named Harrison, runs and jumps into a "plug socket" while dressed as a plug, something he did with the help of a mini trampoline.
Some people have even added #PlugLife to their praiseworthy tweets.
People are claiming that the John Lewis & Partners Christmas campaign can't compete with Iceland's banned ad
British comedian Romesh Ranganathan is among those to have compared John Lewis' Christmas ad with the banned film released by Iceland, which was deemed "too political" by advertising watchdogs because it was made by Greenpeace, a political organisation.
The budget supermarket's short ad illustrated the environmental dangers of palm oil in an animation voiced by actor Emma Thompson. Iceland revealed they were unable to share the ad on TV and published it on social media instead, where it has since garnered an enormous amount of media attention, with actor and TV host James Corden sharing it on his own Twitter page.
People are now saying that John Lewis' festive ad, which was released today, won't attract anywhere near as much publicity despite it starring Sir Elton John, one of the country's most iconic musical talents.
Many people have said they actually prefer Iceland's politically-motivated ad.
Is Brexit stealing John Lewis' thunder?
Of all the days for John Lewis to unveil their hotly anticipated annual Christmas advert, it seems unfortunate that the date coincides with what is turning out to be one of the most dramatic days in British politics this year thanks to multiple ministerial resignations.
John Lewis might be trending on Twitter because of its Elton John-themed campaign, but so is #BrexitShambles in light of the news that cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Esther McVey have quit their roles in protest over Theresa May's proposed Brexit plan.
The timing has clearly tickled people on social media, where users are poking fun at the magnitude of the two "competing" news stories, joking that John Lewis, like Raab and McVey, has "quit".
John Lewis unveils Elton John-themed window displays at its Oxford Street store
John Lewis has revealed a series of special window displays tied to its annual Christmas campaign, which stars Sir Elton John.
Each is based on a scene from the short film, which was released today and tells the story of how Elton John became the iconic musician he is today.
The colourful windows present film stills alongside myriad props referencing key details in the ad, from disco balls to champagne flutes.
A giant keyboard curves through them all in reference to the piano we see John play throughout the film.
In a first for the UK high street, there will also be a series of minute-long musical light shows projected from the shop windows, running every 30 minutes from 4pm today.
Playing Elton John’s Christmas classic, “Step Into Christmas”, the shop’s window displays will fill one of Britain’s busiest shopping streets with music to entertain passing shoppers and celebrate the ad's launch.
