Sam Fender has recorded a cover of The Rolling Stones' classic You Can't Always Get What You Want for this year's John Lewis Christmas advert, following in the footsteps of numerous artists who have put their own spin on songs by one of Britain's most beloved bands.
The 32-year-old's rendition, recorded with the children's choir from his old school, John Spence Community High School, and the Easington Colliery Band, comes after a successful period for the singer. Fender won the 2025 Mercury Prize for his album People Watching, and his duet with Olivia Dean, Rein Me In, became the longest-running number one single in British history, spending 23 weeks at the top.
Jagger's Endorsement and Festive History
His new version of the Stones' classic has been backed by frontman Sir Mick Jagger, who said: "I'm a fan of Sam's work, so I was pleased to hear he was covering one of my songs. I think he's done a great job with it."
This is not Fender's first festive track, as he previously recorded a cover of Lindisfarne's Winter Song as part of a Christmas fundraising campaign for The Big Issue.
Notable Rolling Stones Covers
The Rolling Stones have seen their music translated into different languages and genres, from David Bowie's glam rock take on Let's Spend The Night Together to Susan Boyle's rendition of Wild Horses.
Fender's attempt at the Stones' Let It Bleed (1969) cut soundtracks John Lewis's 2026 festive advert, which stars actress Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and a pull-along wooden dog voiced by comedian Paul Whitehouse in a story about finding a thoughtful gift.
Susan Boyle covered Wild Horses after winning Britain's Got Talent in 2009, appearing on The X Factor six months later singing the ballad from the Stones' Sticky Fingers (1971) album. The track featured on Boyle's debut album I Dreamed A Dream (2009).
Otis Redding's rendition of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction replaces the original fuzz guitar line with horns, presenting a soulful version on his 1965 album Otis Blue. The single reached number 33 on the UK singles chart.
Bryan Ferry's rendition of Sympathy For The Devil, a lighter take featuring his space age warble, appeared on his 1973 solo debut album These Foolish Things.
Devo's version of (I Can't Get Me No) Satisfaction strips away the sexual longing of the original with a jerky, almost emotionless rhythm. The song became their highest charting single in the UK, reaching number 41.
When Sir Mick and guitarist Keith Richards were sent to prison on drugs charges in 1967, The Who responded by recording a double a-side of The Last Time and Under My Thumb. The record charted at number 44 in the UK singles chart.
The Soup Dragons transformed I'm Free for the dancefloor in 1990, introducing an interpolation of Donovan's 1969 song Barabajagal and scoring a UK top 10 single.
Sir Rod Stewart's five-minute cover of Street Fighting Man opens his 1970 debut solo album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down with backing from Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood and pianist Ian McLagan.
Eric Burdon and War's take on Paint It, Black is a 13-and-a-half minute epic with seven different movements, opening their second studio album The Black-Man's Burdon (1970).
David Bowie's take on Let's Spend The Night Together, appearing on his 1973 glam rock classic Aladdin Sane, features Mick Ronson's guitar and an added spoken word part. The Stones' original was released as a double a-side with Ruby Tuesday, reaching number three on the UK singles chart and getting banned by the BBC for its suggestive lyrics.
