Sir Elton John takes centre stage in John Lewis Christmas advert

Sir Elton John takes centre stage in John Lewis Christmas advert

Sir Elton John is the star of this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert with his performance of Your Song the soundtrack to a festive-tinged retrospective of his life and career.

The ad, called The Boy and the Piano, opens with a dressing-gown clad Sir Elton tapping out the opening notes to Your Song, his first major hit.

Viewers then follow the singer through key moments in his life, with scenes of him on stadium tours, travelling on a private jet, recording Your Song, playing the piano in a local pub and performing in a school recital.

With the exception of the present-day opening scene featuring Sir Elton himself, actors take on the role of him at various stages of his life, while the images of the stadium based on a concert in Portland in the US were entirely recreated with computer-generated imagery.

It is the second of the retailer’s Christmas ads to feature Your Song after singer Ellie Goulding recorded a cover for the 2010 campaign.

John Lewis Christmas advert
The young ‘Elton’ in the John Lewis Christmas advert (John Lewis & Partners)

“The ad is absolutely fantastic and I’ve truly loved every minute of being a part of it.”

John Lewis Christmas advert 2018
A scene from the John Lewis ad (John Lewis & Partners)

John Lewis addressed speculation about the cost of this year’s ad, describing reports that it had paid Sir Elton £5 million as “wildly inaccurate”.

Sir Elton John
Sir Elton John in the Christmas advert (John Lewis & Partners)

The retailer, which reported a 98.8% profits crash for the first half of the year in September, said the ad was a “crucial part” of its overall marketing campaign and “one of the most effective marketing campaigns in the industry, delivering an excellent return on investment”.

John Lewis Christmas advert 2018
Sir Elton said the ad is ‘absolutely fantastic’ (John Lewis & Partners)

The ad first airs on television on Thursday at 9.15pm during ITV’s Dark Heart, although ITV viewers may have noticed that the theme tunes to some of the channel’s shows including Coronation Street and This Morning were played solely in piano notes on Wednesday to tease the advert’s premiere.

Customers at the retailer’s flagship Oxford Street branch can also step into a 2,000 square foot recreation of the ad production set to try on some of the costumes, listen to recordings from Elton John’s 17-11-70 album and have photos taken at the piano.

But shoppers might be disappointed to learn that there will be no plush toys available in Sir Elton’s likeness this year, with the retailer instead selling four pianos – two uprights for around £800 and two keyboards starting at £150 – and a range of vintage tour t-shirts.

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