John Lewis Christmas advert for this year reviews the life of Elton John from his childhood.

This year’s hotly anticipated campaign is an emotional tribute to none other than British musical icon Sir Elton John, confirming social media rumours that have circulated around the advert in recent weeks. So successful is the John Lewis advert that Christmas TV has become as much about the packed schedule of dramas and film premieres as it is about the release of this particular campaign. And most supermarkets now compete in a game of one-upmanship, releasing increasingly emotional campaigns each year.

Titled “The Boy and the Piano”, the advert opens in the present day with a shot of the musician sat at his piano playing the opening notes of “Your Song”, before going back in time to chart his meteoric rise to stardom. Eventually we are shown the origin of his talents: a piano gifted to him for Christmas by his mother and grandmother.

Different actors play the singer throughout, with Freddie Henderson depicting the young Elton, Brandon Stein covering his teenage years, Oliver Marshall doing the Seventies, Simon Burbage covering the Eighties/Nineties years and John himself appearing for the present day scenes. Each scene sees an array of opulent costumes, designed by Joanna Johnston to be identical replicas of John’s original outfits.

While the entire song is played throughout the advert, it is pieced together using different recordings that John sung throughout his career, adding a subtle but noticeable change of mood with each scene transition. Additionally, this is the first time that John Lewis has used a repeat song, with Ellie Goulding’s cover of “Your Song” having appeared in the brand’s 2010 Christmas campaign.

Via | John Lewis