We all know Elton John as a singer whose music has inspired generations. Now, a new advertisement, of all things, offers a peek into the story of his beginnings and his rise to stardom.
John is the star of the 2018 John Lewis Christmas campaign, a mini-biopic, set to his own hit from 1970, Your Song. Starting in the present day, the story of his life and musical career is presented in reverse chronological order, leading up to Christmas Day in 1951, when he was presented with his first piano, by his grandmother.
The ad is a part of a campaign by the high-end department stores in the United Kingdom to push pianos as Christmas gifts. Talking about the importance of the ad, John said, “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.”
On social media, however, the advertisement got mixed response. Many said it was only a plug for John’s final Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which kicked off in September and his biopic in 2019.
Others thought it was a touching tribute.
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