Sam Fender's cover of The Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want for the new John Lewis Christmas advert has drawn praise from fans and Mick Jagger alike, with one listener writing "I'm in bits."
The multi-award-winning singer, who will perform at St James' Park again as part of his Proper Massive Stadium Tour '27, provides the soundtrack to this year's John Lewis advert. He recorded the song with pupils from his former school and members of Easington Colliery Band.
Advert story and cast
The store's festive advert features actress Dame Kristin Scott Thomas as a grandma called Gloria and a retro-style wooden toy dog, Pickles, voiced by Paul Whitehouse. The two-minute ad shows the childhood toy helping Gloria connect with her grandchildren through a thoughtful gift and a festive surprise.
John Lewis also released a behind-the-scenes video starring Pickles. Scott Thomas described the company's annual advert as "such a cherished part of the festive season".
Fender's involvement and fan reaction
Fender said: "It was a privilege to rework such an iconic song by such a legendary band. In the spirit of Christmas, we re-recorded the children's choir with the kids from my old school, John Spence Community High School, and we arranged a brass section with the Easington Colliery Band."
The traditional brass band also featured in his music video for Remember My Name from his Mercury Prize-winning album People Watching and appeared with him at his last St James' Park shows. The Brit Award and Novello Award-winning singer previously covered Lindisfarne's Winter Song for a Christmas fundraising campaign for The Big Issue.
Jagger's approval and song's history
Mick Jagger 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." The song was written by Jagger and Keith Richards for their album Let It Bleed and released as a single on July 4, 1969.
Fender, 32, posted about the cover on social media, saying: "Our version of 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' by The Rolling Stones is out now and featured in the John Lewis & Partners xmas ad. Thank you to John Spence high school choir and Easington Colliery band for jumping on."
Fan responses included "Omg I loved it from the Stones but Sam you've made me love you more than I thought possible, it's a mint version of a classic song, I'm in bits" and "Just heard it on the way home from nightshift! Made me happy. Beautiful cover." Other comments included "Wow fantastic. And bringing local people as well. Some very happy people", "What a lovely thing to do", "Aaaaah love it" and "smashed it". One listener wrote: "Just heard it on BBC Radio 2, it's a brilliant version and great that it features north east musicians."
The advert marks another festive treat for viewers as it makes its debut.
